Bosh on Rockets flirtation: All that was guaranteed was pressure

The Miami Heat are off to a decent 6-5 start in the first year of the post-LeBron James era, thanks in large part to Chris Bosh's re-emergence as a primary offensive option.

It's interesting to wonder how these Heat would've looked without Bosh. One of the most underrated defenders in basketball, Bosh has stepped his offensive game back up near his pre-Miami, Toronto Raptors level. He's a deadly shooter and, despite a cold start from the floor, is averaging 19.9 points with a healthy 21 player efficiency rating.

He's been very good. The Houston Rockets, with whom Bosh was very close to signing this offseason, have also been very good at 9-2. If Bosh was a Rocket, they'd be surefire championship contenders and even more lethal at both ends. He'd be a great basketball fit, and it very nearly happened.

It was also Bosh's expected landing spot after James left, both because of the on-court fit and the perception that Houston was a much better bet to contend for a title than Miami. But a better bet to contend may not hold the same value for every player.

Bosh explained his decision to Ken Berger of CBS Sports in an interview published Tuesday:

I could see where people would think that's an attractive site. They were trying to win right away. And I was really happy to be touted that I possibly could've been out there. But you know, that doesn't guarantee anything, and I know that. All that guarantees is a bunch of pressure.
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It's incredibly difficult to win a championship. I know that, and I know it's a whole process.

It's understandable that moving from one intense pressure situation with The Big Three in Miami to another in Houston would be unattractive. The constant attention, scrutiny and expectation seem exhausting, and faulting Bosh for evaluating more than just a percentage chance at a third ring would be unfair.

Bosh, who handled a good deal of his own free agency by phone from Africa in the offseason, outlined a familiarity with the city of Miami, the people there and his business interests as other reasons that factored into his decision. Stepping away from the win-at-all-costs environment and getting to once again be his own player factored in, too.