Should I Stay Or Should I Go

By
Derek Boucher
Published: February 18, 2010Posted in: NBA, Non-featured
Should I Stay Or Should I Go

With the 3 PM NBA Trade Deadline approaching, some teams may be losing their last chance to deal a star player away if they feel they may bolt in the offseason. While LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were never thought to be on the trade block, fellow upcoming free agents Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire were at some point.

The Toronto Raptors have been on a role and are anything but buyers right now meaning they likely weren’t listening to offers for Chris Bosh. Stoudemire, a name thrown around in a lot of trade talks, is unlikely to be moved in the next few hours according to the Suns’ owner.

Soon enough the media focus will be on who is staying with their current club after this season and who will be moving on elsewhere. The consensus from the basketball media is that Chris Bosh is one player that is “sure to go”. Simply put, these are predictions based on absolutely nothing. After last season and the start of the 2009/2010 year, I’d say it was likely that Bosh would be leaving Toronto but as time goes on I stop and think — where is he going to go?

According to most fans of the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and Detroit Pistons, Chris Bosh has all but signed on the dotted line with their respective teams. Even the boneheads in the media that predicted Chris to leave the Raptors have supported such claims. It is beyond comprehension to me. Why would Chris Bosh leave a city he loves and is comfortable in? Well, the simple and only answer to this question is to win. He would have to want to be part of a better team to leave and I wouldn’t blame him for a second. But the possible destinations don’t make sense. Those teams don’t even offer a better climate or significantly better city life and those three teams are all significantly worse than Toronto.

I can see Bosh jumping ship to unite with Wade in Miami or teaming up with another great player that is a part of a team that is already quite good. However, Bosh has said several times that he wants to be “the man” and the focal point of a team.

I’ll predict that Wade, James and Bosh all stay put with Bosh being the most likely of the three to find a new destination. I think  Cavaliers win the Championship and LeBron stays and Dwyane Wade struggles to find a fit elsewhere and signs an extension.

The offseason’s top free agents will become Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson and Rudy Gay. They will become the next “Big 3″ rather than Wade, James and Bosh. This year’s free agent market could be rather disappointing to teams like the Knicks who are banking on signing a superstar.

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About the Author

Derek Boucher is a native of Toronto, Canada. He covers all sports for Pete Prose. E-mail him at derek@peteprose.com