I Just Sighed

James+Bosh to Miami rumor gave me a sigh of relief this morning.

I understand that if LeBron/Bosh/Wade team up in Miami, it might be one of the most riveting teams to watch that I’ll ever lay my eyes on.  For the first few games.  But I can’t help but believe that fatigue will set in for NBA fans, and soon after they hoist their championship trophy in front of adoring crowds, within days they will become the evil empire. The tides will turn quickly after people have seen that the experiment worked, and there will be a sense that we’ve seen all we needed to see. They'll turn into the obstacle instead of the saviors.

And it wouldn't be a standard 21st-century restless “On to the next one” type of response, the reason being that this wouldn't be a team birthed from some imperfect world.  This would be a team that would have already answered all of the foregone conclusions of what the end of the story will read.  There will be nothing exciting about seeing them win a championship again (and again), because there will be no legitimate antagonist in the story if they play their cards as painstakingly measured as they always have.  I don’t see how rooting for them after 1 year will give any sort of joy. Only some sort of obligated cheer for a team that is now a hazy embodiment of a misappropriated dream.  

In fact, the only rooting interest will be for anyone that has a punchers chance at dethroning them.  That will be where the drama and excitement will lie, and the LeBron/Wade/Bosh trio will become a villainized caricature of its former self, with every NBA fan projecting their harshest critiques upon them. 

And will the Miami fans still have anything to root for?  I mean, I know their team will be winning, but is this the way you really wanted to win?  (If the Shaq championship left you feeling empty, then you will sink to even lower depths)  And do you really want your team to be viewed as gluttony incarnate?  I can’t see that being a highly sought after state of fandom when rooting for your local squad.  Lets hope 3 of our greatest superstars aren’t swallowed by an unintended narrative.

What will remedy an impeding lack of future?

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that my team is about to get hijacked?

News today about LeBron reportedly having made up his mind about coming to the Bulls and bringing Bosh with him made me want to throw up. Literally. (figuratively)

Real talk. Chris Bosh coming to the Bulls is a must, and obviously our site takes that seriously, hence the name... But the stakes are too high to let him ride in on LeBrons coat tails with his eyes drawn to the ground every couple seconds. And what sort of dynasty is being promised as a result of this magical elixir?

By the way, living with dynamic tension in life isn't a bad thing. That tension is a natural force of life, it doesn't go away when a lesson hasn't been learned. Anyone looking for LeBron to swoop in and begin his natural destiny of multiple Championships is standing in the middle of the Red Sea looking at the shoreline in the distance with a false notion that they will soon be able to lay their bags down. Failure will not elude the Bulls if the King makes Chicago his choice destination. And when faced with that reality, it will be harder to stomach when it happens, knowing we gave up an authentically flawed team that was on the brink of unlocking eternal life. Purgatory in Egypt seems to be the rhetoric of most Bulls free agent commentary these days though. Lets not run away into the arms of half satisfied future.

A Plea From A Raptors Fan (Yes, We Exist)

OK I admit it, I’m not the greatest fan of the NBA or WNBA for those sensitive types out there but here’s what I know: if Chris Bosh, or as we in the Great White North spell it, Boush, were to leave the Big Smoke for greener pastures to the Bulls or Lakers, Raptors fans shouldn’t be surprised but they should be bummed. If Bosh departs, we’re looking at the new Clippers and who wants that on their conscience?

If Raps GM and well dressed-man Bryan Colangelo loses Bosh for nothing to a higher bidder and sends “Turkish sensation” Hedo Turkoglu packing (The brackets around Turkish sensation was as close as I wanted to come to slander. Not sure how the internet deals with that sort of thing so I played it cool and kept it tame.) Then surely he’ll have as much explaining to do as the BP Marketing Department.

The Raptors can’t afford to lose CB4…for his nickname alone. The guy is as entertaining off the court (see: You Tube videos, potential baby abandonment in Texas) as he is on the court with his flair that’s best described as a combination of the flair of an Apocalyptic rant from Pat Robertson and the grace of a swooping eagle with dreadlocks. The Raptors would be crazy not to give this guy max money and he would probably sign no question if he had someone like Kobe or in your Chicago Bulls case, Derrick Rose playing alongside him. But they don’t. Here’s who Bosh may be leaving behind:

Andrea Bargniani, a decent but so far not explosive player who needs Bosh to stay just as bad or else he’s the man. Turkoglu, he’s as good as gone and really would anybody say they noticed? Colangelo could try and get a pick back for him but with his huge contract, any deal he’s taking some money back for sure. DeRozan proved he could play in the NBA last year and I think he is someone to build upon, along with the pick in this year’s draft, but he won’t convince Bosh to stick around. And the rest of the cast isn’t much better.

So here’s the rub for Bosh…he can’t leave. Hey he can but let’s look at how two former Raptor employees who “needed to leave Toronto” fared. Vince Carter left. Look what happened. No more slam dunk awards, no more Gatorade ads (or sweet Milk ads here in Canada), no more love for Vince. And if you really want to look at past Raptors ghosts let’s look at the storied career of Isaiah Thomas. Boy I bet he wishes he never left T.O. (or falsely accused his daughter of overdosing…just thought I’d throw that out there.) All I’m saying is I don’t want to see the Raptors become the new Clippers. Can’t that be enough? So if Bosh leaves, hooray for him, go enjoy your money and Kobe’s shadow. But if he stays… good for him and real good for the Raptors, they are the team that needs him the most.

So this is a Bulls site and you just had your time wasted by a Canadian Raptors fan. So I should mention some Bulls opinion as well. Here it is…enjoy LeBron James.

Post by Cal St. Eau

Happy Thanksgiving! Bulls hire Tom Thibodeau as Head Coach

Video is not of our new coach, but this guy has a similar name.

Somehow Thibodeau possesses the qualities that allow him to be both a players coach and also a master strategist, which is unique because most NBA coaches usually possess one or the other. I feel like the young guys are going to be really excited to have a coach that they can be sure is light years ahead of them in basketball knowledge; they won't have to shallowly recite that "coach knows best" and have to honorably deter themselves from looking deeper inside to validate whether he really does know best. I'm already dreaming up Tom's first encounters as he initiates contact with the Bulls players. I can picture in my head Noah's long first phone call with Thibodeau where he excitedly cites how his work ethic is surpassed by none and can be KG without irrational focus, and throws in a comment about how basketball reminds him of reggae music. I can picture Rose's abrupt first call with Thibodeau where he mumbles his excitement for a few sentences and ultimately realizes how bored he is at the moment and decides that he needs to get off the phone and go shoot hoops in his backyard.

It's beautiful. I'm quite happy about our new Bulls coach.