The Bobcats Supposedly Want Chris Bosh, But Why?
By Jason McIntyre
He was the Raptors, playing more minutes than he does now in Miami. As the focal point of the offense, he averaged more assists in Toronto and got to the foul line more often than he has in Miami.
With the Heat, playing third fiddle behind LeBron and aging Dwyane Wade, Bosh has seen his scoring and rebounding averages decline for three straight seasons. He’s becoming a jump shooter.
How’s this stat – through 18 postseason games, he’s taken 35 three-pointers. That’s how many 3-pointers he took in the 2006-2007 season in Toronto.
Naturally, Michael Jordan and the Bobcats now want Chris Bosh, or so the Gary Washburn wrote in the Boston Globe over the weekend:
"The Charlotte Bobcats are looking to make a splash this summer and are open to trading their first-round pick in a package for an All-Star-caliber player. There are rumors the Heat will be looking to deal Chris Bosh, and the Bobcats, who are under the salary cap and could accept Bosh’s near-maximum deal, could be a prime candidate. As much as Charlotte would love to build through the draft, team officials understand they have to start winning and need a player to be the face of the franchise. Bosh could serve that purpose"
This item was buried at the end of a solid notes column, but instantly got huge pickup around the web. Are the Bobcats in a good cap spot? Yup. Could Bosh be the face of the franchise at 29? That remains to be seen. How easy is it to go from Alpha Dog to wingman back to Alpha Dog, especially for a guy who seems to have drifted farther and farther from the basket each season?
Rick Bonnell of the Observer offered this:
"So let’s say he comes to Charlotte and has a great season in 2013-14. He could then choose to become an unrestricted free agent and leave the Bobcats without compensation."
He doesn’t even mention the biggest problem – getting Bosh could mean 5-10 more wins, and cost the Bobcats a shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, likely Andrew Wiggins.
My guess is A) The Heat don’t dangle Bosh, they’d sooner part with Wade and B) the Bobcats want nothing to do with Bosh.