- 7,674
- 374
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2009
Since a few of us have insider & dont mind posting on request & instead of having insider request threads EVERYWHERE, just post request in one thread. This thread.
It's really gonna get crazy with request with the NBA Draft & Off-season coming up
Let me know if you dont mind contributing so I can add you to the contributor list. (Also add if you dont mind PM request from fellow NTers to post request in this thread if the original insider request hasn't been posted already after 30 mins)
contributor list
ScreenName / PMs (Yes or No)
h3at23 / Yes
Let's kick this off:
[h1]Buyer's Guide: Chris Bosh[/h1][h3]He might not be a No. 1 option, but Bosh can -- and should -- command a max deal[/h3]
Ron Turenne/NBAE/ Getty ImagesChris Bosh needs a quality playmaker to reach his potential. But that potential is worth a max deal.
For the next few weeks, ESPN Insider will be analyzing NBA free agents not named LeBron James (we covered him pretty extensively a few weeks ago, and there's even more coming every day on the LeBron Tracker) to try and get a handle on what they're really worth to the teams chasing them this summer. We begin today with Toronto big man Chris Bosh.
[h3]OVERALL ASSESSMENT[/h3]
Chris Bosh would be the grand prize in most offseasons, but the tantalizing prospect of his partnering up with Dwyane Wade or LeBron James suggests he couldn't succeed landing on a team without another superstar. But he can, so long as he goes somewhere with the right type of talent.
Few players can match Bosh's lethal combination of post moves and a legitimate outside shot. He's athletic enough to attack the rim but lacks the overpowering strength that Carlos Boozer or Amare Stoudemire, two other highly coveted free-agent power forwards, use to bulldoze their way to the rack.
Rather than employing brute strength, the 6-foot-10 lefty excels on the block through his virtually unparalleled finesse and creativity. Bosh averaged 1.09 points on his 549 post-ups last season, a rate so remarkably efficient that it topped every big man in the league, according to Synergy Sports Technology. One league executive likened Bosh to classical music, pointing out that, while lacking the "wow" factor of Stoudemire and Dwight Howard, Bosh's quiet effectiveness will please any team more focused on the win column than the highlight reel.
"There's a big difference between soft and having a body to do something about it," the source said. "Bosh has the mentality but just doesn't have the physical capability to impact the game as a bruiser."
Aside from his post moves, Bosh also makes a perfect pick-and-pop candidate. He's one of the few bigs in the NBA with an elite inside-outside game to draw the full attention of his defender. The lefty doesn't have 3-point range, but he's a yearly lock for 45 percent from just inside the arc. If it weren't for Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett, Bosh would garner recognition as the most dangerous shooting big man in the game.
But Bosh is not as stellar on the defensive end. He doesn't have the bulk to match up with centers, but he's long enough to make up for it against power forwards. He lacks the instincts to be an elite shot-blocker, but Bosh will get the nightly block solely based on his athleticism. "He's long and he's in the right position the majority of the time," said one league executive. "I think he's a cut above those other guys [on the free-agent market] defensively."
With a career-high 28.7 usage rate, only seven players in the NBA had more responsibility on offense than Bosh did this past season in Toronto. But while he has demonstrated individual success as the No. 1 option, the optimal scenario would have him paired with a ball-dominant wing or All-Star point guard to create for him.
"Bosh can't be a No. 1 guy," one league executive warned. "If a team's going to be good, Bosh has to be two and a best-case three. I don't see Bosh as a carry-the-mail kind of player. But I don't think any of the power forward free agents are either."
Teams will pay him to raise a championship banner and that will only happen if Bosh has other elite shot-creators that he can complement.
[h3]FINDING THE RIGHT FIT[/h3]
Bosh's stint in Toronto gives his prospective suitors a blueprint to avoid. As a No. 1 option lacking both a premier point guard and a defensive cog in the middle, Bosh never had the tools to lead the Raptors past the postseason fringe. Boozer and Stoudemire have each enjoyed the luxury of playing co-pilot with a Hall of Fame-caliber point guard, but Bosh has yet to experience the benefits of teaming up with an elite playmaker.
"If Bosh played with Steve Nash, I'd probably feel completely different about him," said one league executive. "He needs a guy to put him in the best possible situation to succeed."
Teams with All-Star point guards in the fold will extract the most value from Bosh. In fact, according to Synergy, Bosh had more success finishing the pick-and-roll than screen virtuoso Stoudemire this past season. Bosh shot a staggering 81.4 percent on field goals resulting from rolls to the rim, a conversion rate only bested by Howard. And keep in mind, that's without an ultra-creative point guard to distract the defense off the screen.
Ideally, Bosh's future team would also feature an athletic shot-blocker who can flank him inside and protect the rim. The 6-10 power forward will surely welcome the opportunity to upgrade from Andrea Bargnani on that end as he has never had a defensively focused partner down low.
The most ideal running mate for Bosh? That would be James. "If Bosh were to play with LeBron, who is both an elite passer and a shock-and-awe athlete," one Western Conference executive imagined, "they'd be a phenomenal pair. They'd be a much better team than LeBron and Amare."
Bosh has the talent, youth and marketability to warrant a max contract but he can't instantly transform a weak team into a title contender like LeBron or Wade could. As we saw with Pau Gasol and Garnett, the team that surrounds the power forward with All-Star talent will leverage his skills the most. In that sense, the Bulls, with a solid young core of players, and the Knicks, in complete rebuilding mode, couldn't be farther apart on the wide spectrum of compatible suitors. The Knicks need an anchor; a player to build around. But the Bulls? That's a different story.
Chicago will make a strong run at both LeBron and D-Wade, of course. But should the Bulls fail to land either guy, Bosh would be a perfect fit. In fact, in one way he'd even be a better option, in that he wouldn't take the ball out of the hands of budding point guard Derrick Rose. Plus, Joakim Noah is exactly the type of big who'd fit perfectly next to Bosh. "If the Bulls threw the kitchen sink at Bosh," the source said, "it would make more sense with the makeup of their team."
And it would be worth every penny.
By Tom Haberstroh
Special to ESPN Insider
It's really gonna get crazy with request with the NBA Draft & Off-season coming up
Let me know if you dont mind contributing so I can add you to the contributor list. (Also add if you dont mind PM request from fellow NTers to post request in this thread if the original insider request hasn't been posted already after 30 mins)
contributor list
ScreenName / PMs (Yes or No)
h3at23 / Yes
Let's kick this off:
[h1]Buyer's Guide: Chris Bosh[/h1][h3]He might not be a No. 1 option, but Bosh can -- and should -- command a max deal[/h3]
For the next few weeks, ESPN Insider will be analyzing NBA free agents not named LeBron James (we covered him pretty extensively a few weeks ago, and there's even more coming every day on the LeBron Tracker) to try and get a handle on what they're really worth to the teams chasing them this summer. We begin today with Toronto big man Chris Bosh.
[h3]OVERALL ASSESSMENT[/h3]
Chris Bosh would be the grand prize in most offseasons, but the tantalizing prospect of his partnering up with Dwyane Wade or LeBron James suggests he couldn't succeed landing on a team without another superstar. But he can, so long as he goes somewhere with the right type of talent.
Few players can match Bosh's lethal combination of post moves and a legitimate outside shot. He's athletic enough to attack the rim but lacks the overpowering strength that Carlos Boozer or Amare Stoudemire, two other highly coveted free-agent power forwards, use to bulldoze their way to the rack.
Rather than employing brute strength, the 6-foot-10 lefty excels on the block through his virtually unparalleled finesse and creativity. Bosh averaged 1.09 points on his 549 post-ups last season, a rate so remarkably efficient that it topped every big man in the league, according to Synergy Sports Technology. One league executive likened Bosh to classical music, pointing out that, while lacking the "wow" factor of Stoudemire and Dwight Howard, Bosh's quiet effectiveness will please any team more focused on the win column than the highlight reel.
"There's a big difference between soft and having a body to do something about it," the source said. "Bosh has the mentality but just doesn't have the physical capability to impact the game as a bruiser."
Aside from his post moves, Bosh also makes a perfect pick-and-pop candidate. He's one of the few bigs in the NBA with an elite inside-outside game to draw the full attention of his defender. The lefty doesn't have 3-point range, but he's a yearly lock for 45 percent from just inside the arc. If it weren't for Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett, Bosh would garner recognition as the most dangerous shooting big man in the game.
But Bosh is not as stellar on the defensive end. He doesn't have the bulk to match up with centers, but he's long enough to make up for it against power forwards. He lacks the instincts to be an elite shot-blocker, but Bosh will get the nightly block solely based on his athleticism. "He's long and he's in the right position the majority of the time," said one league executive. "I think he's a cut above those other guys [on the free-agent market] defensively."
With a career-high 28.7 usage rate, only seven players in the NBA had more responsibility on offense than Bosh did this past season in Toronto. But while he has demonstrated individual success as the No. 1 option, the optimal scenario would have him paired with a ball-dominant wing or All-Star point guard to create for him.
"Bosh can't be a No. 1 guy," one league executive warned. "If a team's going to be good, Bosh has to be two and a best-case three. I don't see Bosh as a carry-the-mail kind of player. But I don't think any of the power forward free agents are either."
Teams will pay him to raise a championship banner and that will only happen if Bosh has other elite shot-creators that he can complement.
[h3]FINDING THE RIGHT FIT[/h3]
Bosh's stint in Toronto gives his prospective suitors a blueprint to avoid. As a No. 1 option lacking both a premier point guard and a defensive cog in the middle, Bosh never had the tools to lead the Raptors past the postseason fringe. Boozer and Stoudemire have each enjoyed the luxury of playing co-pilot with a Hall of Fame-caliber point guard, but Bosh has yet to experience the benefits of teaming up with an elite playmaker.
"If Bosh played with Steve Nash, I'd probably feel completely different about him," said one league executive. "He needs a guy to put him in the best possible situation to succeed."
Teams with All-Star point guards in the fold will extract the most value from Bosh. In fact, according to Synergy, Bosh had more success finishing the pick-and-roll than screen virtuoso Stoudemire this past season. Bosh shot a staggering 81.4 percent on field goals resulting from rolls to the rim, a conversion rate only bested by Howard. And keep in mind, that's without an ultra-creative point guard to distract the defense off the screen.
Ideally, Bosh's future team would also feature an athletic shot-blocker who can flank him inside and protect the rim. The 6-10 power forward will surely welcome the opportunity to upgrade from Andrea Bargnani on that end as he has never had a defensively focused partner down low.
The most ideal running mate for Bosh? That would be James. "If Bosh were to play with LeBron, who is both an elite passer and a shock-and-awe athlete," one Western Conference executive imagined, "they'd be a phenomenal pair. They'd be a much better team than LeBron and Amare."
Bosh has the talent, youth and marketability to warrant a max contract but he can't instantly transform a weak team into a title contender like LeBron or Wade could. As we saw with Pau Gasol and Garnett, the team that surrounds the power forward with All-Star talent will leverage his skills the most. In that sense, the Bulls, with a solid young core of players, and the Knicks, in complete rebuilding mode, couldn't be farther apart on the wide spectrum of compatible suitors. The Knicks need an anchor; a player to build around. But the Bulls? That's a different story.
Chicago will make a strong run at both LeBron and D-Wade, of course. But should the Bulls fail to land either guy, Bosh would be a perfect fit. In fact, in one way he'd even be a better option, in that he wouldn't take the ball out of the hands of budding point guard Derrick Rose. Plus, Joakim Noah is exactly the type of big who'd fit perfectly next to Bosh. "If the Bulls threw the kitchen sink at Bosh," the source said, "it would make more sense with the makeup of their team."
And it would be worth every penny.
By Tom Haberstroh
Special to ESPN Insider
