Posts Tagged ‘Chris Bosh’

No progress on lockout front; Bosh-Valanciunas comparison doesn’t hold water

- August 17th, 2011

Not a whole lot happening on the NBA lockout front. Player’s Union VP Matt Bonner told Eric Smith on the FAN 590 recently no talks are planned anytime soon between the two sides and meanwhile, players are saying they hate the latest offer they have received.

On Tuesday, 60 players went to a regional union meeting.

“We all know we’ll have to sacrifice but something has to be done,” Kevin Love told ESPN.

“It has to be sooner than later. We have to get the ball rolling. We can’t wait around until October or November and then nothing gets done. The owners will keep stalling and obviously they have more means than us to lock us out.

“I want to play basketball … I want us to make a compromise with the owners but not sign what they’re proposing. We’ll play hardball if we have to. I want there to be an NBA season but it’s also apparent that we’re going to miss games.”

Apparently the hard cap is the main sticking point. This corner still maintains there will be one implemented whenever a new deal gets done, but not for $45 million like the owners are asking for at the moment.

Other major issues to be worked out include guarantees on contracts and revenue sharing.
- Hoopshype talked to Jonas Valanciunas and his club team coach recently. Valanciunas discussed how happy he was to (eventually) be coming to an international city like Toronto and about his improving English.

His coach oddly compared Valanciunas to ex-Raptor star Chris Bosh. That one doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Sure, they are both tall and slight, run the floor well (though Bosh doesn’t get up and down as smoothly as he used to), rebound extremely well, draw fouls and knock down their free throws, but the comparison kind of ends there.

Bosh makes his living by raining jumpers and beating opponents with his first step. He’s an elite offensive player, one of the best in the world, difficult to stop when he’s on. Valanciunas’ offensive game is nowhere close. His jumper needs work, he lacks the range Bosh has shown and he hasn’t shown the quick first step Bosh has. He scores more garbage points and rebound points and uses a hook shot more than Bosh.

Plus, Valanciunas impacts the game far more defensively than Bosh. He alters and blocks more shots. He also fouls a lot more because he is more aggressive. While Bosh is much more of a pick-and-pop player, Valanciunas is deadly in a pick-and-roll game.

Personality-wise, both play hard, but Valanciunas is as intense as they come, won’t back down from anybody and takes losses extremely hard. OK, maybe that’s another similarity as both have cried after defeats.

Valanciunas is much more similar to Amir Johnson than he is to Chris Bosh. Maybe one day Valanciunas will more resemble Bosh. If the big Lithuanian develops and starts relying on his jumper for most of his points that could be the case, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the way he likes to play.

For now and maybe forever, the comparison is a misplaced one.

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Quick thoughts on Game 3 of finals and congrats to latest Canadian star prospect Anthony Bennett

- June 5th, 2011

Will get to the finals in a minute but first …

Canadian basketball fans should get to know the name Anthony Bennett. He’s yet another stud Canadian prospect making noise. I was a bit late on Bennett, but have been told all year he’s the next big thing after the current crop playing in the NCAA and the players who went to the McDonald’s All-American and Nike games.

Bennett is a 6-8, 230 pound power forward from Brampton (very similar size to Brampton’s Tristan Thompson who is expected to become the highest drafted Canadian ever later this month).

Like Thompson, Bennett plays for Findlay Prep in Nevada.

Graduating Findlay player Myck Kabongo won MVP at last year’s Pangos Camp, a very highly regarded prospects camp in the U.S., while Bennett was named co-MVP this time around thanks to some tremendous performances.

Currently ranked 46th by ESPN in the class of 2012, most believe it is just a matter of time before he cracks the top 20, or higher.

As for the finals, some quick thoughts:

Dirk continues to be spectacular. Very few teams go to a big man in the clutch these days and even historically. Karl Malone was the guy for Utah and I can’t think of too many more examples at the moment.

That’s traditionally the time for swingmen or point guards to shine, so it’s pretty amazing how Dirk seems to score the last 10-15 points for Dallas in big games. He’s an all-time great.

Said in my piece in Monday’s paper that LeBron might get all the attention, but Dwyane Wade is the guy you want in the playoffs. He’s a killer. Not just on offence, where he’s brilliant, unless he goes into three-point chucking mode, but also defensively, where he’s an absolute terror – unless he’s outsmarted by Jason Kidd.

Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem continue to play underrated roles for the soon-to-be-champion Heat. They don’t show up much on the statsheet, but they’re invaluable.

Mario Chalmers, a guy Miami didn’t really want the past two years, is really earning his keep. Chalmers is nailing big shots like he did while at Kansas.

Shawn Marion is doing a solid job on James but Dallas can’t afford another 4-12 effort out of Marion. Somebody besides Dirk and Jason Terry needs to light it up for the Mavericks on Tuesday if they are to make this a series again.

These finals have been a treat for basketball fans.

Strange night for Chris Bosh. Started pretty well. Was awful in the second and third quarters. A bit better in the fourth until stinking it up late … but hit the game-winner.

One final thought. Dwayne Casey is doing a great job. He’s basically the defensive coordinator for Dallas and the team is buying in to what he is selling. Rick Carlisle has been fantastic as well, but I’d be shocked if Casey doesn’t get a head coaching job for next season, either in Toronto or elsewhere.

It is not easy to hold the powerful Heat well south of 50% shooting. Casey has helped make it happen.

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Wade makes it a trio

- February 17th, 2011

To date the backlash of the big three deciding to hook up in Miami at whatever cost to their old franchises has been felt mostly by the two new newbies to South Beach.
That would be LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
James’ name is mud in his home state of Ohio. Likewise Chris Bosh learned Wednesday night just how unpopular his exit from Toronto made him after seven years in front of a previously adoring fan base.
Wade? He goes into Cleveland or Toronto and he gets cheered.
Wade admitted he realized this was done as much to mock his new teammates as in appreciation of his own game.
“That’s like a slap in the face,” Wade said. “We go back to Cleveland and I get cheered. We come here and I get cheered. That’s a slap in the face to these guys,” Wade said indicating Bosh and James beside him.
Then Wade, in a few words, joined Bosh and James among the ranks of the unpopular in both Toronto and Cleveland.
“It’s not I’m happy I didn’t have to go anywhere,” Wade said. “It’s just the decision that was made. Miami is just the better city. I’m not saying anything about Toronto but it wasn’t a focal point of mine. I wouldn’t come here and about Cleveland? I wouldn’t go there either. Miami was just the better city.”
Even James, the guy who thought it would be a good idea to go on nation-wide television and announce he was leaving his home to play in Miami saw that for the mistake for it was.
He buried his face in his hands and shook his head as Wade giggled nervously.
We don’t think Wade will have to worry himself about being cheered in either Toronto or Cleveland any time soon.
— Mike Ganter

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On to boo or not to boo Bosh + the future of Bryan Colangelo

- February 15th, 2011

Chris Bosh made some mistakes on the way out, but is he worth booing to the same degree Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter have been?

I don’t think so.

Yes he said a bunch of incredibly stupid things and might have mis-led general manager Bryan Colangelo into thinking Toronto had a better shot than it actually did of bringing him back (though Colangelo has been around long enough to read the tea leaves and surely knew Bosh wasn’t coming back), but Carter and McGrady’s offences were far worse.

Carter quit on the franchise, might have given away a play (according to now-Raptor Reggie Evans who later took the accusation back), stopped playing hard and submarined his trade value after asking to be traded.

McGrady told Glen Grunwald there was pretty much a 50-50 shot he would re-sign in Toronto when his rookie deal was dealt, preventing the then GM from pulling the trigger on a number of enticing trade offers (a prime Jerry Stackhouse  or Larry Hughes among others) and left town as soon as humanly possible.

Bosh played hard and gave his all for pretty much his entire tenure. Maybe he should have played with a mask after breaking his face and made more of an effort to get back in the lineup to get the Raptors into the playoffs last season, but everybody’s pain tolerance is different. Only Bosh knows if he checked out down the stretch, thinking of greener pastures.

It isn’t all on Bosh that things didn’t work here. He re-signed with the team and though he enjoyed being miscast as a No. 1 option, or franchise player, he clearly wasn’t and that isn’t his fault.

It’s up to management to build a strong team and take advantage of what it has. Bosh, while not that uber-stud, was the closest thing to an elite player Toronto had and the team couldn’t properly build around him. While every good team had a steady swingman or two capable of breaking down defences, Bosh was never given that complementary and crucial teammate.

Bosh deserves to be both booed and cheered. In what order? I’m not entirely sure. Perhaps booed now while the wound for Raptors fans is fresh and cheered sometime down the line when he is recognized for the records he broke while here.

In any case, he isn’t the villain that Carter and McGrady were. Their actions seemed malicious, Bosh’s silly comments, though stupid and shockingly lacking in common sense never did.

Back to the man who took some good swings, but couldn’t find a way to make things work with Bosh.

It appears all but certain that Colangelo will get ample time to sort things out in Raptor-land.

While there is no timetable for an announcement, according to a source with knowledge of the thinking of the upper echelon of the MLSEL board, “It is 99% certain that (Colangelo) will be re-signed before the end of his current contract (which is due to expire on June 30th) and likely for a further 5 years.”

Interestingly though, the same source added that Colangelo was eager to add veterans in order to make a playoff push (prior to the losing streak that sunk the season),  “but other voices wanted to stay with the youth and future drafts and they won out.”

So does that mean Colangelo will be back with less autonomy or was the decision to extend him made after he got on board with the rebuild?

Also unclear is whether he will get five more years because the board is happy with the job he has done so far (A off the court, C- at best on it), or because there simply isn’t another candidate out there as qualified.

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Colangelo should study Burke’s latest move

- February 11th, 2011

The recent move by the Maple Leafs was exactly the type of transaction Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo should try to make happen.

The Raptors need to find a way to add young assets, either players or picks by taking advantage of players of value they currently have that aren’t part of the long-term picture.

The Leafs, of course, took advantage of some cap space they have to get a former 17th overall selection from Anaheim, along with an overpaid, but talented player in exchange for a guy with year left on his contract after this one that they didn’t necessarily need.

The Raptors have a $12.5 million trade exception, the expiring contract of Reggie Evans and Leandro Barbosa who has a year ($7.6 million) to go before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

If the Raptors can find a way to get a first round pick or a young talent (like they did in acquiring Jerryd Bayless) for either Evans or Barbosa while taking back a bad contract that expires no later than after next season, they should do it. Current contending teams have used that strategy as a means to improve (Oklahoma City being the most noticeable example, though Utah has done it in the past as well).

Yes, getting frontline talent via the draft and possibly the Bosh trade exception is the biggest key for the Raptors in order to move forward their rebuild, but adding secondary or future talent by peddling Evans and/or Barbosa would also bode well for the future.

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Reggie speaks, Raps listen

- November 18th, 2010

Beneath the ever-present smile and the odd twist in the English language lurks a real leader.
Who knew?
Reggie Evans, based on recent events appears to have assumed the role of team leader in the Raptors locker room.
In the 24 hours between a game in Washington devoid of any effort or passion – Reggie’s summation but one shared by many inside and outside the team – the Raptors Energizer Bunny on the boards called his team together and let it be known that kind of effort would not be tolerated.
Effort was not an issue for the Raps that same night in a win over Philadelphia.
Now we are all well aware that you can only go to the well so many times with these team meetings.
This one was not only necessary, it was everything these things are at their very best: timely, well received, and effective.
Evans stepping up and putting it to his teammates in his no-nonsense way was the perfect candidate?
Why?
Because no one is going to point at Reggie Evans and say there is any other agenda at work there. There is no more unselfish player on the floor in a Raptors uniform than Evans. He does all the dirty work, all the grunt work and then hands it off to his teammates to finish it off.
Next time you are at a game, count how many times Evans pulls down an offensive rebound and kicks it out to someone else. More often than not he’s under the basket when he does this. A more selfish player would go back up and finish the play by himself, but not Reggie. He understands that possession has a better chance of a successful completion with someone else directing it into the basket. Yes, that is exactly what is being asked of him, but actually doing it and doing it without reservation immediately establishes his team-first attitude.
Evans sounded somewhat insulted Wednesday night after revealing he had called a team meeting when he was asked if he felt more comfortable doing this now that there’s no Chris Bosh or franchise player on the roster whose territory he might be trampling by calling the meeting.
“I don’t really care if Chris were here. It really don’t bother me because no one puts any fear in my heart just because he’s a superstar,” Evans said. “It’s just that it’s harder to address things when you are not playing. When you are on the court, you can let those actions by playing hard (back up what you’re saying). It’s kinda hard to do it when you’re not playing. They would all be ‘What are you talking about? You don’t even play.’”
In other words, Evans, had he been playing last year, would have been this voice then, but didn’t feel it appropriate because he was injured and not contributing.
A quick check with the likes of Sonny Weems and Jarrett Jack suggest Evans words were taken to heart..
That, more than even the win over Philadelphia that followed, make Wednesday a big day in the development of this year’s Raptors’ team.
— Mike Ganter

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Raps need a voice

- November 17th, 2010

Here’s one you can’t blame on Chris Bosh.
The Raptors lack that necessary voice within the locker room. That guy that doesn’t allow the kind of mail-it-in nights the Raptors had in Washington on Tuesday.
Sure you can blame Jay Triano and his staff, but they are sending the message. It’s just not always getting through.
Monday in Miami after a spirited practice, Triano turned things over to P.J. Carlesimo for part of the post-practice here’s-what-we-need-from-you spiel. The message was the same one Triano has been delivering, but he was worrying it was falling on deaf ears.
Perhaps a different voice was the thinking.
Turns out the deaf ears aren’t just for the head coach and really you can say that about most of the teams in the NBA.
In today’s NBA, the good teams hold themselves accountable from within. It’s usually one or possibly two voices in the room doing that.
You can’t blame Bosh for this because he was never that type of player either so his departure did not change anything in that regard.
The Raps need someone to step up and be that guy. The young roster combined with the handful of strong, silent types in the room does not make finding this kind of guy easy.
But it would certainly be a worthwhile search if it meant never seeing the kind of collective shoddy effort the Raps put out on Tuesday.
— Mike Ganter

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Shaq sets record straight

- November 12th, 2010

Quoting Shaquille O’Neal as the voice of reason is a dangerous game, but Shaq is nothing if not honest.
His attacks on Chris Bosh in the past – remember RuPaul – didn’t go over real well in Toronto at the time although chances are they would be much better received now.
But ask O’Neal a question and chances are you get a straight answer. If he doesn’t feel like answering it, he doesn’t.
AskMen.com caught up with O’Neal as his Celtics were making their way to Miami earlier this week for a game with the Heat.
They asked Shaq whether it was true that NBA players don’t want to play in Toronto, a notion we have long believed to be completely without merit.
The big man set the record straight while (again) managing to take a shot at one of his favourite punching bags.
“It’s not that,” O’Neal said. “It’s the double taxes that deter players from going there. Also Bosh obviously couldn’t handle the pressure, so he had to go join two other people to help him out. Listen to what I tell you: Toronto is in the top three NBA cities for every NBA player. Trust me on that, brother.”
We thank O’Neal for clearing up one myth but he does manage to perpetuate another. That whole double taxes thing isn’t exactly correct. “Double” is an exaggeration, but we appreciate his efforts for the true north, nonetheless.

— Mike Ganter

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Bosh fires back

- October 29th, 2010

Chris Bosh objects to the way his words have been interpreted.
Appearing on the FAN 590 this morning at his own request, Bosh said that when he told a scrum of reporters in Boston including a pair of Toronto reporters on Tuesday that “at the end of the day it’s about playing on TV” he wasn’t referring to the reason he left Toronto.
“It wasn’t in the context of why I made my decision,” Bosh said of those comments. “It was (about) the perceptions of players and how more popular players are considered better players (because they’re on TV a lot).
“At no time did I refer to that as my quote/unquote bottom line or the reason I made the decision I made,” Bosh said.
Bosh then took a shot at print media in general saying “most of the time” print media can misunderstand or misquote him. He said he will “set the record straight” as often as he has to.
Reaction to Bosh’s “clarification” after the show was mixed.
Some bought it. Some did not.
Our opinion? Not having been there, we don’t know exactly in what context the questions were posed and it’s very easy to try to shape one’s intent after the fact.
But we do know Bosh has managed to antagonize an entire fan base, and it’s not just the fact that he left. It’s the manner in which he left. The taunting tweets early on in the process set the stage for all this mistrust.
It might not be popular in Toronto, but when Bosh says he left for a better chance to win a championship, we believe him.
But for a smart guy, a lot of his exit has been handled very poorly.
What we do know for a fact is there is never going to be a consensus on Chris Bosh in Toronto.
— Mike Ganter

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On Chris Bosh damage control; meet and greet with Joel Anthony/Andy Rautins

- July 30th, 2010

Chris Bosh went on Sportsnet Thursday to attempt to clear the air after Bryan Colangelo’s now infamous FAN 590 interview earlier this week which spun pretty far out of control after I broke it down in what I thought was a reasonable way. It was subsequently picked up and spun a bit by ESPN and other American sources.

Bosh seemed pretty sincere in his comments, though I find it extremely hard to believe him when he says his decision to stay or go came down to the last minute. All signs point to that being a fib.

He said he always played hard and gave his all and I believe that to be true as well. I agree with what Colangelo was intoning though, that Bosh didn’t rush himself back from injury because he was not as committed to the franchise as he had been in the past.

Bosh also said thank you to Larry Tanenbaum and said he will continue to give to Toronto charities.

Some other things Bosh said:

On the comments about Toronto being different, smelling different, etc.:

“It is a different country. Not to say Toronto isn’t a great metropolitan city it’s a fantastic city. I enjoyed Toronto every minute I was there. I know it was different. You see kilometres (instead of miles), it is different. Different isn’t bad. I’m different.”

Said it’s not tough to live in Toronto, lots of other cities are cold, but some guys the Raptors wanted to sign chose to go elsewhere.

Says he wanted to be on ESPN and TNT more so his family could see him. Doesn’t think Raptors get the respect they deserve by U.S. television.

“Everyone in Canada flocks to the game, which is great. (But) you want to be seen in the States as well because most players in the NBA are from the United States.”

On if he packed it in:

“I play this game as hard as I can every time I step on the court.”

We (Bosh family) have a lot of pride in what we do. Never didn’t give my all on the court. Why would I give up and not want to go to the playoffs?
I turned my ankle against Memphis. I actually stayed in the game. Didn’t score a bucket in overtime because I couldn’t move. At any time did I ever give up I take that very seriously. I take this job seriously and I take my effort on the court seriously.”

Had a chance to talk to Canadian senior men’s team starters Joel Anthony and Andy Rautins Thursday night.

Here’s what they had to say:

Joel Anthony:

On Canada’s chances at the FIBA world championship in Turkey:

“We’re definitely looking to compete really. We really believe in what we’re able to do. The core has been around a long time. We’re really looking forward to proving a lot of people wrong. A lot of people don’t see us as a big threat this tournament and that’s fine. We’re looking to come in under the radar and do really well.”
Continuity: It’s been great to be around the guys for that long and to develop that team chemistry.
A lot of guys have experience in hostile situations. Nobody’s afraid in any way or rattled. Have to just stick together. Will try to go out there and use our athleticism to get up and down the court and create opportunities. Defensively, we’ve been able to get stops on the defensive ends so that’s something that’s definitely going ot be important.
On the Heat landing LeBron and Bosh: “I was really surprised that they were able to get all three of those guys on the same team.
In the end I’m happy everything worked out, it worked out really well. To come back to the team, looking to have a really good year I’m just happy to be a part of it.
You understand you’re going to have a bullseye on you, a lot of teams are definitely going to look to come at us, that’s fine, as a team, wee’re definitely going to be prepared for it and looking forward to it.
Don’t know Chris. Just from playing against him. Haven’t had a chance to actually meet him yet but definitley looking forward to meet him and play with him as a teammate.
There was some interest (from the Raptors), but Miami was has been a great fit for me with their system and with their organization. Don’t know what it would have been like if I had gone to Toronto or gone somewhere else, but knew coming back would be a good situation so was trying to make sure that I stayed.
Obviously once Chris and LeBron signed, it made that decision that much easier. Why wouldn’t I want to come back to a situation like that?

Andy Rautins:
Summer league went well, I  think I competed defensively. Didn’t have the kind of impact I would have liked in terms of scoring. But was a good transition for me. To compete in an NBA game. Played pretty decent and felt like the competition wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Real confident, definitely think I benefited from it.
On DeMar DeRozan landing on his ankle” Initially it hurt real bad, one of those sprains, that after is OK.
Feedback: Staying patient. I think that I’ll have the opportunity to get in there and get some minutes (with the Knicks) and do what I do, which is shoot the ball and shoot it well and make plays. It’s a great system to be in and I don’t think I’d be happier anywhere else. (Mike D’Antoni) he’s a great guy, one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met. Playing for him is a real pleasure and I can’t wait.

On younger Canadian’s getting bronze medals this summer: We’re trying to make a name for ourselves too. I remember back in the day we got a bronze medal too. We’ve been together for about four summers now I think the cohesiveness and all the time we’ve had together really benefits us. Argentines have been together since they were 10 years old.”

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