Final Interviews: Triano Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Bosh Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Turkoglu | Jack | Calderon | Bargnani Discuss It On: Twitter | Facebook | RaptorspaceMike Ulmer - raptors.com April 15, 2010 He’s thinking.
That’s the message Chris Bosh has for a world whose population includes more than a few people curious about the future of the Raptors’ captain.
Bosh met the media yesterday showing no ill effects of the broken nose that ended his season with five games to play. The club went 5-8 overall without him and Bosh could do nothing to stem Sunday’s devastating 104-88 loss to Chicago.
He is coming off his best ever season, 24 points, 10.9 rebounds, at precisely the moment he can opt out of his contract and offer himself around the NBA. By some coincidence, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are coming free this summer as well.
So has Bosh played his last game as a Raptor? He insists he is not sure.
But he does understand the obsessive effect of the question.
“It’s a unique situation, me as well as LeBron, Dwyane as well as Joe Johnson. These guys are very good players, the staple of their teams and they could possibly not be there. The possibilities are endless. People say ‘you are going here, going there. Why? When?’
“It’s good barbershop talk.”
Bosh insists anyone talking about his situation in any barbershop is out of the loop.
“Nobody knows. That’s something that only the future holds. Everybody keeps looking for answers. There are no answers. The only answer is time.”
The dynamics of the decision are fairly simple. Bosh wants maximum money. The Raptors would gladly give it to him. But he also wants to play for a winner and the Raptors have missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. The best path to a winner and top dollar might be a sign and trade.
Not much has changed from this season to last. It falls to GM Bryan Colangelo to convince his best player that sunnier days are just around the corner.
“That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day,” Bosh said.
“I just want to win basketball games. I have been playing seven years. It’s time to start thinking about that.”
As for this season, Bosh saw what everyone saw.
“I think we lost (confidence) down the stretch. It came down to Sunday (against the Bulls). It was the most important game of the season and we were never in the game. I don’t think they (the Bulls) are that much better than we are on paper.” He is unromantic about next season.
“It’s not like we are building on success. We had a disappointing year. I don’t know what changes there will be, whether they will be major or minor, but I think some tweaks or changes will happen.”