Maybe the four-lettered network isn’t as bad as I thought it was.
On Thursday, Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh, a free agent in 2010 and the subject of some trade rumors, appeared on ESPN Radio’s “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd. And if it makes you upset whenever anyone urges LeBron James to sign with New York, then you can feel for Toronto Raptors fans on this one.
Naaaaaaaaah.
Here’s a transcript from Cowherd’s interview with Bosh, which can be heard here:
Cowherd: So, everybody wants me to ask you here at ESPN. You’ve got that free agent thing coming. You know, Cleveland’s looking for some help in the frontcourt. I mean, what’s the deal with you, Chris? You gonna stay? You gonna go? What are you gonna do?
Bosh: (Laughs) I mean, there’s been so much talk about it, it makes me focus on right now. I don’t know what’s gonna happen. Right now, I’m happy in Toronto. It’s kinda funny because I get it from both ends. Any city I go to, they’re like “Man, you need to come and play here!” And then in Toronto, they’re like, “We need you to stay.” So it’s kind of a double negative for me wherever I go. I just try to stay calm. I can’t predict the future. I just try to be the best player I can be right now and work on my game.
Cowherd: You’re a great player and a great kid. By the way, Toronto’s cold. Cleveland’s got balmy weather in the winter. I would suggest a move to beautiful Cleveland.
(Both Laugh)
Cowherd: Let’s be honest, it would be kind of sweet to play with LeBron. I mean, doesn’t everyone else in the NBA think that?
Bosh: Well, I think anytime you get a chance to play with a great player, it’s pretty sweet. You know, most of the time, it’s like, “Man, what if, what if, what if? I wish I could play with this guy, I wish I could play with that guy.” Very seldom is it a reality. That’s something we talked about with [Team] USA. That’s something that LeBron said himself. He was like, “Man, I always wish I could play with Dwight Howard, I wish I had Chris Paul as my point guard.”
So that’s something that guys always wish for. You know, every now and then you actually get the chance to do it.
Cowherd and Bosh went on to talk about Bosh’s off-court humor, the NBA Finals, Dwight Howard, Twitter, and other non-free agency topics.
Cowherd: Give us a verbal “Twit.” Tell people what you’re doing right now. Where are you sitting? Where are you at?
Bosh: I’m actually driving to an appearance I have right now.
Cowherd: Are you driving in Toronto?
Bosh: Yeah, I’m in Toronto.
Cowherd: By the way, you just keep going, you’ll end up in Cleveland.
(Both laugh)
Bosh: What, did they pay you in Cleveland?
Cowherd: I am an objective journalist. I meant nothing by that!
(Laughter continues)
Cowherd: Well, you are a great guy and a great player, and anybody who gets you, including the Raptors, is really, really lucky. Chris, good luck to you, bud.
Bosh: Appreciate it. Thank you.
Cowherd: Yeah, just keep on driving to Cleveland, pull up right next to Quicken Loans Arena, go inside, take a look around, and sign a contract.
Feels good to be on the other side for once, doesn’t it?
Bosh averaged a career-high 22.7 points to go with 10.0 boards in 77 games last season for an underachieving Toronto team. Bosh has averaged at least 22.3 points per game in each of the last four seasons dating back to 2005-06 and is as solid of a 20/10 guy as there is in the league today.
Plus, he’s only 25. He’ll be 26 if he’s on the open market next summer.
Make that “when” he’s on the open market.
That’s because on top of the interview with Cowherd, a media report came out on Friday saying that Bosh has no plans of signing a contract extension this summer and wants to test free agency.
The Raptors franchise player sees no point in signing an extension
and is prepared to enter one of the most coveted free-agent classes in
NBA history next summer.
“(When) I signed a three-year (extension in 2006) I had a goal
in mind and that was to put myself in the best position (in 2010),”
Bosh told reporters yesterday as he served as guest drawmaster for
Sunday’s Woodbine Oaks.
“I’m thinking I just want to stick to my goal, stick to what I
was doing. That’s a part of the plan. I just want to address things
(after) next season. There’s a reason why I did things the way I did
them back then.”In the little Bosh did have to say on the topic of his future in
Toronto, the most compelling was the revelation that there is going to
be no hometown discount.
In other words, it’s a max contract or no deal as far as Bosh is concerned.
Asked yesterday if he felt he was worth such a contract, Bosh
didn’t hesitate. “Without a doubt. I really don’t see any negotiation
about that part.”
As it stands right now, the Cavs only have Mo Williams, Delonte West, Daniel Gibson, J.J. Hickson, and Darnell Jackson committed to contracts past 2010. LeBron James has a $17 million player option, which we all know he’ll decline. Anderson Varejao is the only free agent for this summer that the Cavs intend to keep.
Even if Varejao get a deal giving him $8 million a year (which would be sorely overpaying for him, but you know all about this guy’s antics), the Cavs’ payroll would be projected at about $29 million for that summer of 2010, giving them about $25-30 million in cap space.
In fact, it might be in the Cavs’ best interest to have LeBron wait for free agency in 2010, where he can actively recruit a guy like Bosh to join him in Cleveland. If James signs this summer, that would be a massive contract, and the Cavs would be limited in their cap space in ‘10. The best bet would be to sign Bosh to his max deal, then use the “Bird Rights,” rules that allow teams to go over the cap to re-sign their own players, to give LeBron his max.
Or they could trade for him this summer. But looking at this roster, who the hell would Toronto want for their franchise player?
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