The BC Autopsy: Chris Bosh Interlude

To say that the summer of 2010, in NBA circles, was dominated by LeBron James is like saying the early 40s were dominated by World War 2. “Domination” is not a strong enough word. It was -- annihilated. In most senses, there was no NBA outside of James and his infamously, heinously mishandled exit from Ohio to Florida. In retrospect, the shock and fury was overblown; the angry mobs misguided; the “Heat Index” destined to cool. But if we've jumped into the Autopsy Time Machine™ back to July 2010, then we've landed in the middle of a chaos that was sure to realign the power structure of the NBA. We were never going to be the same.

Of course, there was another player of (some significance) who flapped his snowbird wings and flew south (and I don’t mean Mike Miller). Chris Bosh, after years of existential speculation, extradited himself from the orbit of this Raptor team. The most productive player in its history (shots fired, Vince) was gone.

Can you believe that I never really thought he would? Not for some naive sense of loyalty but because I assumed the money issues, and the lingering concern that Bosh was only as good as a big fish in a small pond, would scare him into taking Toronto’s lottery ticket. Hell, he could always whine until he was unceremoniously traded to the Nets for a package of scrubs.

I was wrong. And I got sad (but only briefly). Not for the expulsion of talent as the Raptors have managed to admirably soldier on with a committee of power forwards since. But, because whether his intentions were true and good or reasonable and fiduciary, I had some notion that (okay, this was naive) to be a real franchise, one with reverence and tradition and history and perennialism, we (I know, I know) needed a careerist. Our Reggie Miller or Tim Duncan or Kobe Bryant or Larry Bird or Magic or Jordan (more or less). Someone with the possibility to go to the Hall of Fame in an awful purple jersey.

But I got over it, and quickly, because I realized that a fairly good player making a lot of money then leaving for more money was actually a low impact concern, considering the history of this team and this GM. I’d take a hundred Bosh exits if it avoided one Jermaine O’Neal or Bargnani extension or l’affaire Turkoglu. Here was an opportunity to cut costs, invest in the draft and starve themselves of the idiot’s fallback plan: to spend contender money on a 35 win team.

Chris Bosh’s exit was not a cause of the Raptors past or current woes. It wasn't even a symptom. That I only spent a week dwelling on this supposed affront and betrayal before ultimately shrugging it off? That was the symptom.

Fire Another Smith (and Raptors Republic for eating this crap up)

This whole story is ridiculous. And this is the last time I'll ever link to this toolface's blog. I bet it was ghost written by this kid. 

Accusations of story fabrication have followed Stephen A. Smith throughout his entire career since being let go from the Philadelphia Inquirer 15 years ago. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this guy has been fired from every job he's ever had. Every talk show they've rolled out for him has failed within months. He single handedly brought down the CNN/SI network. Every serious NBA writer and analyst in the industry, including ESPN's think this guy is a joke and have not commented on this non-story because they have nothing nice to say. (Major points to anyone who corners Henry Abbott in an elevator and asks him what he thinks of this guy) Stephen A. Smith has been publicly dismissing Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors for years now (the inexplicable comparison to Manute Bol, deriding every draft pick the Raptors have ever made) 

Maybe Bosh snubbed him for an interview once. Maybe he has a possession of narcotics conviction and was denied entry into Toronto sometime during a strip clubs of North America tour. Maybe he just realized that if you're loud enough and throw enough bullsh*t around Peter Vescey-style, someone will lend you a suit put you on TV. If this were the New York Times, Smith would have been fired and the paper would be issuing an embarrassing apology and Oprah would have issued a fatwa. But it's sports media, where any move that passes the Trade Machine is considered a legitimate trade possibility. Where, if you can't prove a certain player will retire with his current team, you can't deny that he might be traded to 29. 

The fact that anyone is talking about this crap and making this toolface into a celebrity again for a week is just sad. Not sad in the dying puppy way, but sad in the Pauly Shore's career way. If, in the summer of 2010, the Raptors are still scraping by and there's an opportunity to go to a contender for a lesser but otherwise max deal, Chris will probably go. Otherwise he will stay. If playing for this obviously mediocre team (in which anyone with half a brain could realize they would be with a washed-up malcontent eating up a 3rd of the salary and a prize free agent 3 point shooter who can barely play the rest of the game) makes Bosh miserable, he'll ask for a trade publicly and be gone within a week. Maybe we'll go after Carlos Boozer. Maybe we'll relocate to St. Louis. Maybe who the fuck cares this is rampant speculation.

Stephen A. Smith is to sports journalism as Tia Tequila is to television. He's a giant toolface who made you believe he's important. I guess that makes you the bigger toolface.

This is fun though.

This is fun too.