Crosshair: Chris Bosh
Posted by Arsenalist on May 16, 2008
Criticizing Chris Bosh doesn’t seem natural to most Raptors fans including myself. I almost feel guilty saying anything negative about him or calling him out because he is clearly our best player and without him we’re a lottery team.To some degree this franchise indebted to Bosh for carrying it over the last couple years and for doing the dirty work needed to become a playoff team twice in a row. You can question his offensive decisions all you want but his effort is always there and the desire to win shines through. You can make a case that he’s the only proven NBA player on our team and slinging mud at him should be considered blasphemous, if not illegal. Then again this is a blog and I don’t have anybody to answer to or an employer to speak of so let’s let it rip.
Let’s get the major complaint out of the way: He takes too many jumpers. Yes, it’s true and if you’re defending that point with the “he’s worn out and needs to pace himself” argument, you’re lying to yourself. He is not a great jump shooter and has no business making the 15-18 footer his first choice on offense. Although he’s gotten better from that range over the last two seasons, the defense will still concede that shot and be content in keeping him on the perimeter where he won’t tire them out or draw fouls. Just like how Jamario Moon tries to prove the defense wrong by attempting jump shots, Bosh tries to draw in the defender by proving that he can indeed be a threat from 18 feet out. So far in his career he hasn’t shown that he can hit that shot with the dead-eye consistency that he needs to in order to make the defense tighter. However, there are other ways to make the defense play you tighter and one of them is establishing a low-post game so that the defender would rather challenge you to drive by him than post him up.
If the reliance on the jumpshot is complaint #1, the lack of a true post-up game has to be #1a. Chris Bosh does not have a go-to post move. It’s very sad, but it’s true. The jump hook and the up-and-under are nice but the latter can only work so many times in a game and the former isn’t fluid enough to be a consistent weapon. When Bosh tries to score with his back to the basket he inevitably throws a mini-hook which seems rushed and often comes from outside a big-man’s comfort zone. It’s that or a baseline fadeaway that makes you cringe as it hits the front of the rim. He has trouble backing other PFs down and is susceptible to picking up offensive fouls when being guarded by smaller and more athletic forwards. Unlike Dwight Howard, Bosh is yet to master the art of early post-positioning which can be a big man’s best friend. He tends to catch the ball much further out than what’s desired which ends up making the post-game that much harder to establish. It doesn’t help that the Raptors’ main play is the pick ‘n roll which dictates that the big man start the possession 23 feet from the basket.
Bosh’s confidence in finishing around the rim needs to improve and that can only happen if he decides to operate closer to the rim and make scoring his first option and drawing the foul second. The only power forward that can laterally stay with him is Kevin Garnett and it’s no secret that his quickness at the PF position is what has made him an All-Star for three straight years and running. There’s not any other area of his game that you can point to and say that it’s world-class or a definite advantage every night. He needs to develop another facet of his game so that he can be a true multi-threat PF, one of those facets can be his finishing around the rim after back-downs or some post-moves that can momentarily send defenders the wrong way - something Tim Duncan has mastered.
Finally, the major complaint about Bosh is that he holds the ball for too long. It’s an obvious problem that’s been there for as long as he’s been in the league. Sam Mitchell’s stagnant offense doesn’t help matters but this part of Bosh’s game is more a bad habit than anything. The quicker you make your move, the less time the defense will have to figure you out and the more chance you have of actually executing it successfully. It’s become routine of Bosh to waste 5-7 seconds per possession when facing up a player and its ripple effect is that our shooters have less time to move the ball around to get that clean look after the Bosh double. To conclude Bosh’s offensive weaknesses, he needs to throw his fadeaway in the garbage, develop a post-up move or two, work on establishing position early and use his skill and length to finish plays rather than hope for a foul.
Chris Bosh also happens to be our best player and the primary reason for our mild successes. He remains the only Raptor capable of consistently drawing a double team, playing solid defense, scoring, rebounding, getting to the FT line and being a team leader. Without a central figure that can draw a double team, our plethora of shooters become worthless and it is thanks to Bosh that the likes of Kapono, Bargnani, Parker, Moon and just about everyone else get any room to operate. Bosh has increased his FTA/game in each of his five season and has become an excellent FT shooter finishing the year off at 84.4%. He obviously understands the need to get points in the paint and focuses a large part of his game on getting the defense off-balance and drawing a foul, often with success. This has become a Catch-22 situation because it is exactly this attitude that contributes as a cause to our late fourth quarter offensive issues. The inconsistent NBA referees always swallow the whistle in crunch time and since Bosh relies on trips to the FT line a lot, it follows that we get burned a lot.
On a defensively challenged unit that the Raptors are, Bosh is the only player that truly understands the concept of defensive rotations. If you see his man end up with a big scoring night it’ll be largely due to him providing help to the penetrating guard as one of his teammates fail to pick up his man. At 1.0 BPG he’s not a real shot-blocking presence but he does contest everything that comes into the lane. His man-defense has always been good and this year was no different. His rebounding is excellent at 8.7 per game and he’s the only Raptor who appears to want to rebound the ball by fighting for it. Contrast this to Andrea Bargnani who will only rebound if the ball happens to fall to him. When you’re sharing the frontcourt with that type of a player, your responsibility doubles and your job becomes even harder.
He’s not a superstar in this league but he is a damn good player who teams will make a run at when he’s a free agent. If Colangelo’s plan is to build an All-Euro team, I highly doubt Bosh wants to have to do anything with it. Over the next two years he’ll either become a superstar in this league or establish himself as a top 2nd tier player that is welcome on any team. His future with the Raptors is largely dependent on who our next best player is, it was supposed to be Andrea Bargnani who would take over from Bosh but that turned out to be nothing more than a Colangelo pipe dream. If the plan is to build slowly and surely around Euros, having Bosh on this team makes no sense and is unfair to him. Unless we give him some legitimate scoring help, asking him to be part of a similar Raptor team is a recipe for trade demands.
Bosh’s future and the direction this team is going will all be revealed this off-season when Colangelo’s ability to acquire help in obvious areas is tested. He’s got some trade bait in Kapono, Ford, Parker and draft picks so let’s see what exactly he can do. This will be the most telling off-season in Raptors history and will determine where Colangelo sees Bosh fitting in as a long-term part of this team, if at all.
May 16, 2008 at 9:19 am
Bosh is great. I think he’s a better shooter than you think.
If he left I would quit on the Raptors. Get the man some real players.
May 16, 2008 at 10:03 am
I think Bosh is very close to being in the top-tier. Injuries and getting that other good player are all that is holding him back. I agree he needs some more pet moves but that will come. He is young and when he hits 27-28 he will have all the tricks. He has fundamentals and that will come.
I think he can be an unstoppable player on offense eventually and the jumper will get better.
He needs some slack picked up by someone else who does it every night.
I agree every team with cap room will go after him because he is a star in the making in this league.
Bosh is my fave raptor by far and it would rip out my guts/heart to see him walk.
Nice post Arse, like you said it is hard to be picky about BOsh and you brought up some issues that I know he will improve.
One thought on the post moves……I see other teams bring in help. Orlando got Ewing, LA got Kareem, why can’t the Raps get a post move vet to school these kids.
May 16, 2008 at 10:36 am
[...] - Arsenalist [...]
May 16, 2008 at 11:49 am
Not much I can add to that analysis, Arso … except to say that I really felt sorry for Bosh when he was thrown into the post position in his first year in the NBA, and the poor young man was getting beaten up regularly, but he gave it all and came out a winner. Without doubt he is the Raptors most complete player, together with JC.
Now that he is a veteran, he has wised up to the demands for him to drive to the basket .. a sure way to end your NBA career due to repetitive injuries. Why destroy your body for nothing?! Remember Vince avoiding driving to the basket in his last years .. same with Bosh now ..!!
Bosh elected for the shorter term contract, like Lebron and others, to take advantage of the changes coming to the salary structure .. and I fully expect Bosh to dump the Raptors and go elsewhere. That’s why it would be smart for BC to trade Bosh asap. Besides, Bosh will not want to be part of a Euro-Raptor team and he would obviously love to be traded to Dallas .. his home town. He deserves that and BC should do his best to trade Bosh for Dirk .. but that’s only my fantacizing now.
The question about Bosh is: can he get any better or has he topped out and what you see is what you will get from now on?! Perhaps playing on another team he will be able to improve his game stats.
May 16, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Love Bosh’s effort, good J, nice up and under, draws fouls. Take issue on help D though. I feel he can afford to get one or two more fouls a game knocking penetrators with hard fouls after they blow by our guys on the perimeter. He challenges when the opportunity’s there, but shys away from getting the foul if the penetrator’s on a clear path. Obviously doesn’t want to give up the foul and the and-1. A couple hard fouls might set a bit of tone though.
May 16, 2008 at 1:43 pm
A to-do list for Dallas Mavericks’ Rick Carlisle
Dallas News - Friday, May 16, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/6mdhjr
Rick Carlisle is a coach. He’s used to people telling him what he should do.
So, in the interest of making Carlisle feel at home in his new job as coach of the Mavericks, we offer a list of five things that should be at the top of his to-do list.
1. Does Dirk stay or go?
Carlisle took this job to work with Dirk Nowitzki, not to trade him. Think of the Mavericks’ pitch otherwise: Hey, Rick, we want you to be our coach but thought you should know we’re going to trade our best player and start over.
It’s highly unlikely Nowitzki will be traded. We’re not saying he should. But it must be discussed if the Mavericks don’t feel they can compete for a championship in the next few years with him. His trade value will never be higher than it is now.
This question must be answered before Carlisle proceeds to the others.
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Maybe there is still hope of Bosh for Dirk … and Dirk is willing to play for the regressive Raptors and to rebuild it on a Euro-style platform. I wonder if Dirk would buy into that idea ..!!!
May 16, 2008 at 3:00 pm
“That is why a change in scenery for Calderon is best for all parties concerned.” - in the Sun today via True Hoop!
Glad I’m not the only thinking that!
BC trade his ass, while the stock it out of control high and get us what we need man! TRADE JOSE ASAP!!! NOW!!! Get Bosh the help he needs like Arse said.
May 16, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Well spot on Arsenalist, I think you’ve given a great analysis on Bosh.
Personally he is my favorite player on this team by far, no questions asked. No one can knock on his will and effort that he brings every night, getting to the line, having to carry the team on his back. He’s the leader and it’s hard to ask for much more from him.
A few points:
On Bosh having too many jumpers, I saw from RGM from a post by TJ11, and he made an interesting discovery:
http://www.82games.com/0708/07BOS11A.HTM
http://www.82games.com/0708/07TOR15A.HTM
58% of Bosh’s shots are of the jump shot variety
73% of Garnett’s shots are of the jump shot variety
Though 58% is still a bit high for my liking, this is the main reason why I think Garnett is overrated. Despite Garnett being harolded for being tough, he settles for FAR more jumpshots than many other PF’s, Bosh on the other hand is the 2nd/3rd best PF to get to the line and score, behind LBJ and Amare.
It’s true though, what he needs to work on possibly are newer methods to score, as you mentioned, back-to the basket game would be nice, but his frame worries me if he is able to power all the way down against elite NBA defenders or against Centers who have the size advantage against him.
His game no doubt is based on quickness, and I think he’s done a good job on that.
On defense, it’s not bad at the moment - I would say its average to above average. I would like to see him more dominant though and be a presence, it’s really the only difference between him and KG.
I would really like to see a helper for him, Maggette just seems to make a lot of sense in a realistic view. Of course, I can’t stop thinking of Wade being able to help Bosh out.
May 16, 2008 at 4:18 pm
RapsFan, I thought I would link that fact about him and Garnett but if you do further research you’ll see he shoots more jumpers than Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudamire, Pau Gasol, Carlos Boozer, Josh Smith, Emeka Okafor and Al Jefferson. Rasheed Wallace and Kevin Garnett shoot more. What that stat doesn’t tell you is whether those jumpers are forced/under pressure/fadeaways, in other words if they were good or bad shots. I take it with a grain of salt.
I don’t have a problem with him shooting jumpers but he needs to be automatic from the 15-18 range which he’s not. He needs to put in as much work on that jumper in the summer time as much as Bargnani needs on rebounding. The back-to-the-basket game would be awesome but as you said, his frame isn’t built for it and I’m more hoping he develops one rather than expecting it.
If he’ll flourish into a superstar, it’ll be because of his quickness, finishing ability and jump shooting. Right now he’s got to work on 2 of the 3.
May 16, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Okay so BC trades JC for Maggette or whoever .. so who will be TJs backup PG .. Delfino or maybe Ukic, another Euro-PG??
Sounds like JC is pushing BC to make a decision soon on him or TJ, and presenting him with an ultimatum .. me or TJ .. who is going to be the starting PG .. and if it’s me then I want starting PG money.
If BC choses JC on the basis that he is better than TJ, then JC expects more money than was given to TJ, otherwise the Raptors will be insulting JC … like maybe 4 years(3 years + player option for the 4th) and $40M …??!!!
If BC trades JC and keeps TJ, how can he bring in another Euro-PG like Ukic … seems contradictory and self-defeating, doesn’t it.
May 16, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Stupid cunts who act as though basketball players are heroic for doing what they are PAID to do… He is still a world class choker in BIG GAMES and has not improved over the last year…
He would be the 2nd or third option on a contending team and as long as he is the only “go-to” guy on the Raptors, they aren’t going anywhere.
Chris Bosh and TJ Ford…two of the most overrated players in the NBA….they both need a tougher, stronger, more talented player to take the pressure off.
Fucking morons in Toronto with their heads up their asses…..watch a GOOD team once in a while…is Bosh good? of course…is he a superstar who can carry a team? absolutely not…unless he’s in Toronto, the land of constant mediocrity….Toronto is going to become like Minnesota….
May 16, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Nunya, what about you name us what PF’s can be the heros that take over games at the end? I never see the KG, Boozer, Gasol’s being able to do so as well.
This choker business is really getting on my nerves. Of course the man can’t do it by himself, other than LBJ no one can, in my opinion. Perhaps he is a 2nd option compared to an all-star guard/forward that he can create for themselves, but Bosh can easily be ‘the man’ with some solid help.
CB4 and TJ the most overrated players in NBA? What? How are they overrated? I guess you haven’t heard of the likes of KG or McGrady, or the Michael Redd’s, Gilbert Arena’s of the league. As far as him carrying the team, I think he has earned his dues with the talent around him, how about you back down a bit, the kid is 24 and he has room to grow.
If KG is considered a ’superstar’ in this league, I don’t see why Chris Bosh can’t.
May 16, 2008 at 8:54 pm
RapsFan, can you really expect someone who uses name calling as part of their argument to know what they are talking about? Are they really even really worthy of any kind of response?
And you know internet though guys like him only talk shit on here.. and in reality are as quiet as a mouse while backpedalling like Melo and KG. All bark no bite.
May 17, 2008 at 11:45 am
RASHO’S BAAAAAAAACK … !!!!!!!
Rasho uses option year
By THE CANADIAN PRESS - May 17, 2008
Raptors centre Rasho Nesterovic exercised the player option on his contract for next season yesterday. The 7-foot, 270-pounder averaged 7.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 71 games last season, his second with the Raptors.
Nesterovic, who will make $8.4 million US next season, has averaged 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 699 career games with Minnesota, San Antonio and Toronto. He was a member of the Spurs’ 2005 championship team.
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Now if we could trade Bargs for Dwight we would be set ..!!!!
May 17, 2008 at 2:43 pm
No brainer for Rasho. Who else will play him 8.4mil a year. I like Rasho’s game but since we are doing the rebuilding thing I’d rather have him come off the cap, give Bargs full responsibility at center and use Rasho’s money to sign that second scorer.
May 17, 2008 at 5:34 pm
arsen … Do you suspect that JC is going public on his ’starting PG’ demands because TJ wants out from the Raptors?!
JC may be doing TJ a favour by pushing BC to trade either him or TJ .. but BC has said he will match any offer made to JC .. meaning that BC wants to keep JC and perhaps even TJ .. but TJ wants to get out of T.O. and JCs demands accomodate TJs desires. It’s a squeeze play on BC .. ya think ..??!!!
Naturally JC wants to boost his salary, say to $10M per and a 4 year contract, and, if nobody makes a decent offer for him he will be stuck in T.O. for less …. but, if TJ is traded as he may want, BC may be forced to negotiate directly with JC instead of just matching outside offers.
Instead of just assuming the normal crap, think outside the box .. because it’s more ‘funner’ .. LOL …!!!
May 17, 2008 at 11:29 pm
FAQ, that’s a lot of speculation. All I know is we can’t have two PGs and the odd man out is TJ and he’ll get traded. I’m just waiting to see what we can get for him.
Calderon will end up getting a contract in the 7M-8M range whether he negotiates directly or accepts offers. His market value is set.
Here’s some outside the box thinking: sign Calderon to a 4 year contract and then trade him. It sounds crazy but he’s got a higher trade value than TJ. ** Obviously, I’m being facetious. **
May 18, 2008 at 12:49 am
Speculating outside the box is fun … and the point is that JC is now going public while TJ is silent. I can’t imagine that JC wants to publicly push TJ out of the starting PG position because that’s not professional. I suspect there is more to JC demands than meets the eye, because no athlete on the same team would want to cut out his team mate in such a manner.
Perhaps JC doesn’t want to return to the Raptors and he is trying to increase his market value by upping the ante with his public demands. He is saying to everybody that he is worth starting PG money, and he doesn’t intend to play behind TJ on the Raptors.
If JC gets an unexpectedly large offer, perhaps he is indirectly telling BC that he would prefer to play elsewhere and not to match the offer … unless he is the Raptors starting PG earning at least $8Mil if not more because he and others consider him better than TJ … which leaves TJ in limbo on the Raptors. After all, when you objectively think about it, the Raptors are going nowhere and their prospects with what they’ve got is not that promising. Why not play on a team that is on the ascendancy and a potential winner.
BC has two PGs who want to be the starting PG, and one is getting starting PG money and the other isn’t. What would you do if you were JC … after all it is a business .. an entertainment business ..??!!!
May 18, 2008 at 11:19 am
Peter Vescey - NY Post - May 18, 2008
SPECULATIVE stories, for the most part, are best left unaddressed for fear refer encing them will give them credibility. Nevertheless, last week’s report that Mike D’Antoni wants to trade Stephon Marbury for Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa demands denouncing from any and all perspectives.
First the Suns: The careers of Steve Nash, Shaquille O’Neal and Grant Hill are on a slippery slope; the championship window of opportunity is a season or two away from slamming shut, if it hasn’t already closed. So, yeah, if you’re owner Robert Sarver who paid $401 million for the franchise four years ago, it sure seems like the logical time to unload two of the team’s three young, core players for an expiring contract that can be put to good use when the holy trio retired.
Why didn’t I think of that? The good news is, Marbury could promote himself as the NBA’s best backup point guard.
OK, so let’s explore why the Knicks New York Knicks would entertain the two-for-one swap? Yes, Diaw and Barbosa were Mike and Dan D’Antoni’s pets in Phoenix. But, guess what, each player has four years left on their contracts; Diaw’s deal is for $9M per season, whereas Barbosa is on the books for $6.1, $6.6M, $7.1M and $7.6M. Each owns an option for 2011-12.
Here you thought the game plan of Knicks’ president Donnie Walsh is to create cap space leading into the 2010-11 season at which time franchise players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have the right to become free agents.
As currently constituted, the Knicks’ payroll for 2010-11 is $47,704,478. Adding Diaw and Barbosa would increase it by $16.1M. Regardless of how much the cap escalates in the ensuing seasons ($6M, maybe, more or less) that doesn’t leave nearly enough room to recruit a star of the above-mentioned magnitude.
Other than those minor glitches, the speculative story made perfect sense.
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See .. others are speculating about Barbosa and Diaw … as well as Bosh. And as for Calderon, here’s some juicy speculations too:
Trading Calderon may be the most feasible and profitable way to end the backcourt drama. Look for the Los Angeles Clippers, who need a point guard and can shop Corey Maggette, to be interested in Calderon. Ditto for Portland, who needs a proven point guard and has pieces to move. (Contra Costa Times)
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However, Maggette may not be receptive to coming to Toronto, a declining team in the Atlantic division, and may demand a trade to Orlando:
Corey Maggette (Los Angeles Clippers): He would love to finish his career where he started it in Orlando. He could be that big, athletic shooting guard they want, but without room under salary cap rules, it would have to be a sign-and-trade. The price would be Hedo Turkoglu and at least one other role player to reach Maggette’s asking price. It would move Rashard Lewis back to small forward and put Tony Battie back at power forward. They would have to supplement this blockbuster by finding another marginal big man either in the draft or free agency. (Orlando Sentinel)
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If you look at the Raptor’s situation objectively, BC may not be able to hold on to good talent in Toronto, and may be forced into going heavily to international players eager to play in the NBA. Reality may soon gobsmack the Raptors, unless BC can pull off a monster trade, for which he is famous. Bye bye Bosh .. maybe ..??!!!
May 18, 2008 at 1:24 pm
“sign Calderon to a 4 year contract and then trade him.”
That is exactly what you do. And hopefully BC means that when he says all offers will be matched. He never ever said Jose is staying in Toronto.
I’m also not sure why you are so convinced TJ will get traded when his stock, thanks to the media, is so low right now. And thats not including his contract.
Sell high, buy low.