Why Bosh is a better fit than Anthony in Houston, and how his Miami departure would affect the NBA
With the Rockets offering Chris Bosh a reported four-year, $88 million contract, the nine-time All-Star might just be the prize that gets the top tier of NBA free agents rolling this week, as we continue to await word on LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.
Bosh was always a better fit for the Rockets than Anthony, as Houston doesn't need another ball-dominant, prolific scorer who neglects his defensive responsibility on the other end of the court. In Bosh, the Rockets would still get a capable, All-Star quality scorer who can punish teams inside and out and space the floor for Dwight Howard to operate, but they'd also acquire a big man who has become an excellent defender over the last four years in Miami.
A Bosh-Howard frontcourt would immediately become the best two-way bigs combination in basketball, and complimenting that frontcourt with one of the best and most efficient pure scorers around in James Harden would further improve a Rockets team that already won 54 games in Harden and Howard's first season together.
The Rockets would have to dump some salary - notably Jeremy Lin - but it would be well worth it to form a Harden-Bosh-Howard Big Three.
For Bosh, we're about to find out how serious the big man is about testing the waters outside of Miami. Given LeBron James' understandable insistence on a max or near-max contract that would pay him roughly $130 million over five years, and the Heat's attempts to land a fourth star (or at least a better supporting cast) to partner with James, Bosh and Wade, it seems unlikely that Pat Riley and co. would offer Bosh anything in the ball park of the Rockets' $88-million offer.
Add in the fact that Bosh is a Texas native and that the Rockets would still give him an opportunity to play with two fellow All-Stars on a contending team, and with potentially an even greater role than he had in Miami, and there are certainly very compelling arguments in favor of Houston.
If Bosh were to accept the offer and made the move out West, the ramifications would surely be felt immediately in 2014 free agency, in Miami and across the Association next season.
Knowing Bosh is out of the mix could spur the Heat to get involved in the Anthony sweepstakes or to more aggressively pursue the lower-tier of big name free agents like Luol Deng and Pau Gasol if Anthony isn't in the plans. Heck, since the report of the Houston's offer, the Heat have already agreed to terms on deals with Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger.
But might losing Bosh without a truly worthy replacement be the final straw for James in Miami? And if this Rockets offer is the beginning of the end for the Big Three Era Heat, how wide open is the Eastern Conference going to be this upcoming season? A disbanded Heat team and Anthony either staying in New York or heading West himself could see teams like the Raptors, Wizards, Nets, Hornets and Hawks joining the Pacers and Bulls as pre-season Conference Finals contenders.
Right now the Rockets' reported offer is just that - a reported offer. But it's a mighty compelling one for Chris Bosh to consider, and if the All-Star big man accepts it, you can expect a chain reaction of events that may have already started with McRoberts and Granger.