Time for Bosh to Say Adieu to Canada

It’s very rare that I feel sorry for someone who makes $15 million a year. I make an exception for All-Star power forward Chris Bosh. Not only does his team not perform, but he’s stuck in Canada for crying out loud. With all of the talk about the big name free agents in 2010, he seems to be the only superstar guaranteed to be on the move.

Bosh has proven himself to be one of the elite power forwards in this league. He averages 22 point a game and just over 10 rebounds. He would be a great addition to any team that has three point shooting due to the fact that he commands a double team on most nights. The problem is, I feel as though many general managers are looking past Bosh is hopes of nabbing Dwyane Wade or LeBron James in free agency. Newsflash… Neither of those guys are heading anywhere. Wade already has a championship ring. Yes his team is a bit weak right now, but they are young. Give them a year or two and they will be sitting right back on top of the Eastern Conference where they belong. As for James, he is playing on arguably the best team in the NBA right now. Why would he leave to go through the rebuilding process all over again? Teams need to start looking at the big man with the dreadlocks to not only fill the paint, but put butts in the stands.

The argument is always made that perhaps he loves the freezing cold temperatures of Toronto’s winters that he will stay put. Ha! There’s a better shot of seeing Charles Barkley turn down a burger. In addition to that, the Raptors have failed to put a winning team around him. They brought in shooters, defenders, veterans, and still can’t manage to win. This season alone the team was unsuccessful with stints with Shawn Marion and Jermaine O’Neal. More importantly, Bosh has superstar appeal. He is a character who comes up with creative YouTube videos and backs up his antics with his play on the floor. He has commercial appeal that will never fully be reached in Toronto. That’s the reason why both Tracey McGrady and Vince Carter left the team in years past.

So the question is: Where To? Tons of cellar dwelling teams are clearing cap space in order to land a big name. I highly doubt that Chris Bosh would want to leave one bad team for another. As I look to the top of the NBA and the teams who have the cap space and could utilize a player of his talent, I find the answer to my question.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are having a terrible season. They lost their point guard Chauncey Billups and got nothing in return from Allen Iverson. Rasheed Wallace is showing that he has very little interest in playing for the organization anymore. The teams’ president Joe Dumars, who is known for making big moves, will more than likely not resign Wallace or Iverson. That’s over $33 million coming off the books next year. With the remaining pieces of the team left intact (Prince, Hamilton, Stucky, etc.), that’s enough cash to sign Bosh and then some. A potential move like this one must have Dumars salivating at the ability to win another NBA title.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Who wouldn’t want to play with LeBron James? When the Cavs choose to cut ties with Big Z and Ben Wallace in 2010, Chris Bosh may have the luxury of playing alongside one of the game’s best. Bosh and James have been tied to one another since coming into the league as members of the 2003 NBA draft class. They are also very familiar with one another’s playing style after winning a gold medal together in the 2008 Summer Olympics. This move is the only opportunity available for Bosh to go to a team that is already competing for an NBA title on a regular basis. The Cavs would have a third All-Star, and let LeBron know that the organization is committed to winning for a very long time.

So for all of the GMs who are so amped to sign a big star and live happily ever after, your options are very limited if your stationary does not say Cavs or Pistons on it. Your time will be better spent attempting to find the next big thing from Europe or the kid stuck in a Division II college program that can really ball. As for Chris Bosh, you have one more year of me feeling sorry for you. After that, you get the same boos and heckles as any other highly paid athlete who graces the hardwood.

Celtics Even the Score

Twenty three years to the date when Michael Jordan scored 63 points against the Celtics in a playoff loss, Chicago’s Ben Gordon would turn in a stellar performance in a losing effort. Gordon finished the game with 42 points. His bucket with 12 seconds left was almost enough to lift the Bulls to victory, but Ray Allen’s jumper gave the Celtics the win.

Ray Allen provided the Celtics with a game winning shot with two seconds left to even the series with the Chicago Bulls at one win a piece.

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose did not have quite as strong of a game as he had in Game 1. He was held to just 10 points and seven assists. Rondo on the other hand, abused the Bulls defense and was able to amass a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists.

With the game completed and the Celtics in celebratory mode, injured power forward Kevin Garnett could be seen jawing expletives at the Bulls bench.

The Celtics continue to be hampered by the injury bug. Rajon Rondo missed some significant time in the second quarter due to a rolled ankle on a fast break. Leon Powe missed the second half of the game due to an unknown injury. He made his way to the locker room in the second quarter and never returned to the action. There is no word as to whether or not he will be forced to miss any games.

With the series tied 1-1, the action will continue Thursday night in Chicago. The Bulls are 28-13 at home this season.

LBJ for MVP

Many of you are going to say that I have a bias when it comes to LeBron James as my choice for MVP this year. Sure I have two pairs of every shoe he wore since coming to the league. Yes I DVR the Cavs whenever they are on. And sure I make an effort to get to the games when they come to town to take on my Sixers. But no man crush will stop me from thinking rationally, and there is no other rational choice for MVP but LeBron James.

People have been throwing a lot of names into the hat for MVP candidates. Chris Paul made NBA history by leading the league in assist, steals, and being a top ten scorer. Dwyane Wade has single-handedly made the Miami Heat a playoff contender by dropping fifty whenever he pleases. Brandon Roy has not only put the Blazers back into the playoffs after a five year hiatus, he even managed to land home court advantage despite a disappointing rookie season by Greg “Bowie Bound” Oden. There is just one problem for these guys…there are only on average playoff teams. Since the inception of the MVP Award in 1955, no one has ever won the award without being one of the top three seeds in their conference. That leaves just a few worthy candidates left to battle it out: LeBron, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant to be exact.

Dwight Howard is having a superb season. Averaging 20 points and nearly 14 rebounds he has Magic fans saying “Shaquille who?” He will be responsible for the resurgence of big men in the NBA, and perhaps he should get an award for that; however, their will be no MVP trophy going on his mantelpiece this summer. Howard was too inconsistent to achieve such a high accolade this year. He will have 32 and 21 against the lowly Pacers, then turn around and be a no-show against the Rockets with just 13 points and 9 boards. Inconsistency put a red “X” right over his name.

It all comes down to a two-man battle to etch their name in NBA history. Kobe could take home the hardware of the second consecutive year. LeBron could join Bill Russell as the only player to win the award at age 24.

Numbers wise, both of these individuals are well deserving of the award. LeBron averages just two more points than Kobe per game. Both players have their teams sitting atop their respective conference. The Cavs have a better home record, although the Lakers are one of only two teams to beat them at home this year. I can’t possibly chose between the two based on the criteria listed. I am forced to bring in the tie breaker…Which player is more “Valuable” to their team. The answer is clearly LeBron.

If you take Kobe and his contribution off of the Lakers’ roster you still have a solid team. You have two unstoppable big men in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Combined they average 33 points a game and 17 rebounds. Derek Fisher is a veteran point guard who rarely makes a mistake. Lamar Odom, the team’s sixth man, would be a starter on any other team in the NBA. Not to mention that Kobe has the luxury of playing under the Zen master Phil Jackson and his six NBA rings. Looks like Kobe is playing with a full deck plus the Jokers.

With that being said, it makes perfect sense why LeBron James is worthy of the award. Minus ‘Bron, the Cavs struggle to make it into the playoffs as an eight-seed. Sure Mo Williams has turned out to be a great addition to the team, but no one knew who he was during those four seasons with Milwaukee. If it wasn’t for James’ performance this year, we wouldn’t even mention Mike Brown’s name for Coach of the Year. Not enough to change your mind? How about LeBron leads the Cavs in points, rebounds, assists, blocked, shots, and steals?

I know hardcore Kobe fans are probably think I’m an idiot. Despite being wrong, they are entitled to their opinion. One thing is for sure. Kobe will be looking to prove that he should have one MVP if these two meet in the NBA Finals.

Sixers Seal Their Fate?

With last nights’ loss to the Boston Celtics, the Sixers may have ended their hopes of advancing to a six-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Celtics were able to edge the Sixers by a score of 100-98 without the help of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Allen was serving a one game suspension for a hard foul against the Cavs, and Garnett has been sidelined with a strained knee since March 25^th. Paul Pierce carried his team to victory with 31 points. The Celtics received major contributions from reserves Tony Allen and Leon Powe who combined for 28 points.

As for the Sixers, Andre Iguodala led the team with 25 points. Second-year forward Thaddues Young returned from injury to contribute 18 points. A win would have allowed to Sixers to take the sixth seed from the Chicago Bulls and put them in a position to play the Orlando Magic in the first round. In order to advance in seeding, Philadelphia must defeat the Cavs tonight and the Bulls have to fall to the Raptors.

The Sixers had several opportunities to seal the deal in this game. They executed a 22-5 run early in the game, but the Celtics were able to close the gap to a 58-50 game by the half. The team responded well to a verbal lashing by Paul Pierce during a timeout in the second half. Down 11 in the fourth quarter Boston went on a rally that included a clutch three-pointer by Stephon Marbury that pulled the team to within three. Marbury would again get into the mix by coming up with a lose ball and dishing it to Mikki Moore for the lead. Boston would never look back. With seconds left on the clock, Philadelphia had one last chance to take the lead. Iguodala unsuccessfully went one-on-one against Paul Pierce as his off balanced floater fell short.

If the Sixers fail to move to the sixth-seed, they will be suiting up against the Boston Celtics once again for the first round of the playoffs. Philadelphia is 0-4 against Boston during the regular season. Boston expects to have Kevin Garnett back for the playoffs, although it is uncertain whether or not he is in game-shape due to having not played in almost a month.

Bobcats’ Playoff Hopes Grim

Heading into the season, very few people thought that the Charlotte Bobcats would have a shot at clinching an Eastern conference playoff spot. Apparently, the team’s owner Bob Johnson was on that list of naysayers. Prior to the start of the season, Johnson scheduled the team’s last four games to be played on the road in order for a horse jumping competition to take place at the team’s arena. Three games behind the Detroit Pistons for the eight seed and just four road games to go, the Bobcats’ playoff hopes are slim to none.

Their head coach Larry Brown was quoted by the Associated Press stating, “I knew the end would be difficult.” I’m not sure if he was ready to embark on such an arduous task.

According to STATS LLC, the Bobcats are the first team in twelve years to complete the season with a four-game road trip. The team’s slim chances are not helped by their dismal 12-25 road record. The only opportunity for the them to make the playoff would occur if they win their remaining games and the Chicago Bulls finish 1-3, or the Pistons blow all four remaining games.

The team’s playoff push was spurred by a slew of trades in December and January that brought the likes of Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and DeSagana Diop to the roster.

The Charlotte Bobcats are an expansion team that came into the league in 2004. Notable owners of the franchise include BET founder Bob Johnson and former NBA star Michael Jordan. The team has yet to make the playoffs since its existence in the NBA.

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Sports' writing has played a vital role in keeping fans interested in the game of basketball over the years. In the 60's and 70's, when games were not broadcast on TV, fans could read in great detail what happened in an overtime game between the Lakers and the Pistons. When the news broke that Michael Jordan had retired to pursue a career in baseball, there was an article available in every paper that covered the story in depth. Most importantly, the art of sports’ writing offers commentary and analysis that fans can openly discuss. It’s always interesting to read the argument of Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain as the greatest big man of all time.

Just as the NBA game itself has changed with the relocation of teams and new superstars gracing the hardwood, so has the media’s coverage. Detailed accounts of games are often swept under the rug for highlights and off-the-court issues, and the days of true commentary are being pushed to the side. With ESPN and Sports Illustrated beat reporters becoming well known these days, their opinions often become law in the eyes of many fans as opposed to a starting point for debate. NBA Spark Notes seeks to bring NBA reporting back to what it once was. Readers will have the opportunity to read quality sports’ critiques and develop an opinion based on their findings.