5:06 remaining in the first quarter of a pivotal game 5.
The game started out as it should, Miami starting strong as Lebron and
Wade scored 12 out of the Heats first 14 points (classic). Suddenly,
the AmericanAirlines Arena erupts as their third heads to the scorer’s
table.
"Maybe he will put us over the edge to stop father time" says one ailing Heat fan. Or better yet "maybe he will be the consistent third scorer that James and Wade need when
their shots aren’t falling."
To the players, he is a competitive, quiet yet energetic dinosaur
that isn’t afraid to get emotional for the team. Some may say he’s as important as Wade or Lebron to the team’s
success.
Whatever you cast upon Bosh, if Miami can't escape this 3-2 hole against Boston, Chris Bosh will not be wearing a Heat uniform come next season.
You read that right.
For the record, I am not saying Miami should trade Bosh. I am only stating what I believe is the
inevitable.
Miami lost Bosh to an upper abdominal strain in game 1 versus
Indiana. In that time, Miami convincingly
beat the Pacers in six games, and have been adequately competing against one of
the NBA’s hottest teams.
Over the past nine games without Bosh it has become clear that the
Heat do not need him on the court.
Without Bosh, Lebron and Wade are free to do what they thrive at, isolation plays. When you have two
of the best isolation players in the game, why would you want to hold them
back?
With so few defenders in the league that can consistently stop Wade or
Lebron off the dribble, why wouldn’t the Heat utilize their abilities every
game? With Bosh on the court, the
Heat’s game plan suddenly changes to compliment Bosh and this is not how it
should be. When Bosh is on the
floor, he should be complimenting the game plan: running with Wade and Lebron
while being a high-energy player under the basket.
The Heat need a power forward that is willing able
to run with Wade and Lebron. I
replaced willing because I am sure we all are willing to run with them, but how
many of us, or in the NBA, can honestly say they can keep up with those two on
the break? That’s what I thought. Given a forward that fills these requirements, the already unstoppable
break of the Heat would be even more unstoppable, and the Heat would have more
options other than Haslem for garbage buckets and put backs.
They also need someone with an inside presence and the willingness to
bang for the boards. Besides Wade
and Lebron, no one on the Heat, especially their front line, is athletic to
bang with the norm of big men in the NBA. Plug in a high energy forward instead of Bosh and you get a consistent
rebounder who is willing to defend the opposing teams best big.
You may not want to hear it, but Bosh is expendable. Put him on 25 other teams and he would
be a key player, but this just isn’t the right scenario for him or the Heat as
a team. His offense can be replaced (his 15 ft jump shot has become a norm for most power forwards), and his defense can be upgraded. Combine that with Pat Riley’s no nonsense
attitude, and the fans and medias constant claims that Miami should be well on their way to their second Larry O’brien trophy in a row, and we'll see the moveable Bosh packing his bags this
summer since Lebron and Wade clearly don’t need him.
Magic Johnson had it right during the
game 1 pre-show, "I’m
picking the Heat because of Lebron and Wade. They’re both playing their best basketball, probably because
of Chris Bosh. Lebron gets to be
the way he was in Cleveland and Wade gets to be Wade."
Tell me,
do you want to be the one stopping Wade from being Wade and Lebron from being
Lebron? I didn’t think so.
#FreeWade&Lebron
JTU
JTU
