By RaptorTalk


The talk after media day focused on Chris Bosh’s statement that he would "not demand a trade".

While that sounded good, we know from someone who was personally at the media scrum that those comments were literally squeezed out of a sweating Chris Bosh by Michael Grange and Bruce Arthur’s persistent prodding and questioning. 

                          

What is apparent is that right now Bosh’s future rests in the hands of Bryan Colangelo. Chris’ trade value is at its highest this summer and Bryan knows it. A year from now, Bosh holds most of the cards because he will be an unrestricted free agent.

As we’ve said before, we still don’t expect Bosh to walk. He stands to lose $30 million if he pulls a T-Mac and in these tough economic times that is sheer lunacy. Money talks.
 
If the Raptors do in fact sign Bosh to a max deal, then they have no choice but to become a luxury tax team if they ever hope of taking a serious run because CB4 can’t carry a team on his back like Lebron or Kobe.

Is Bosh a top ten NBA talent?

Is Bosh a top ten NBA player? Yes.

Is Bosh an elite NBA player worthy of a max deal? No.

That doesn’t mean Bosh won’t get max money, but in our opinion – there are only a half dozen players who really deserve max money and Bosh isn’t one of them.

Bosh is nowhere near the level of Lebron or Kobe and a few other real superstars. You can't win with Bosh unless you surround him some more high priced help. Surrounding Bosh with low ticket players means the Raps are mired in mediocrity which means the Raptors must  be prepared to becoming a luxury tax team.


TSN's resident hoops blogger Tim Chisholm made an interesting post regarding Bosh that is in line with our point of view:

" Bosh is going to need a lot of help if he is going to win meaningful games in the NBA.

That is a point not to be understated.

If this team keeps Bosh, they actually NEED Bargnani scoring nearly 20 ppg and Marion and Calderon averaging 15 and 10. Bosh needs help at that level if he hopes to beat a lot of the teams in the NBA, because as talented as he is, he isn't at the level of his contemporaries that can simply win games by themselves.

He isn't Dwyane Wade, who can lead a weak Miami team from the basement of the NBA to the upper-reaches of his Conference. "

The point is that Chris Bosh (while very, very good) is not on the same level as Lebron or Kobe or Garnett or Howard or Dwayne or Duncan or maybe Chris Paul. Bosh needs a much stronger supporting cast to bring a winner to Toronto than do any of those other guys. 

Flip any of those top six or seven superstars with Bosh and the Raptors probably make the playoffs this season. That’s the difference between the NBA’s upper eschleon elite and Chris Bosh. If those players are A+, then Bosh is an A.

No player wins on his own. Not Lebron, not Kobe and not Shaq in his prime. Even Michael "Batman" Jordan needed Scottie "Robin" Pippen. The difference with Bosh is that he doesn't need a Robin - CB4 needs another Batman at his side.

Which is why we don't believe Bosh deserves max money. A GM needs an extra (say) $5 million per year for another piece to play next to Bosh that you wouldn't need if you had Lebron, Kobe, Dwayne, etc.

Raptors win if Bosh's contract maxes out at $22 million

Bosh is deserving of a high paying contract that plateaus around $21 or $22 million at the high end and not at the almost $27 million that he would receive in a max money deal.

The dilemma facing Bryan Colangelo is whether Chris Bosh would willingly accept a little less than max money so that the Raptors can have more financial flexibility down the road to build a championship squad (following the Detroit Pistons model). The answer is likely ‘no’.

Because of that, Bryan will seriously entertain offers for Chris Bosh between now and Draft Day. If the right offer presents itself, Bryan will pull the trigger and Chris will no longer be a Toronto Raptor.

If nothing materializes, expect Bosh to re-sign a max money deal in Toronto during the following summer.

At that point, MLSE better be prepared to be a luxury tax payer if there is to be any hope of bringing enough decent pieces to make a run at a championship ring when you will have so much of your available cap being paid to one single player - who is not named Kobe or Lebron.