Mar 28, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (1) is seen near the bench during the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 110-99. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
It’s been a known fact for quite a while that Chris Bosh is done in Miami, but he has always been perfectly clear that he intends to continue playing professional basketball. The natural response was, but where? Enter the Chicago Bulls.
How much of a parody can the Bulls become? Are they coming or going? Does purgatory exist? Is blue the name or the flavor of Gar Forman’s favorite pudding? Does he just really not know if it has a name like “Blue Raspberry” or “Blueberry” or “Young and More Athletic?”
Ah, there it is. I almost made it to the third paragraph of a story about free agency, trade rumors, or the future of the Chicago franchise before having to drop it in.
The Bulls swung awfully hard at the first pitch they saw this summer. Now, the mantra that Forman uttered himself, young and more athletic, is coming home to roost. Dwyane Wade’s play is sinking by the month and he is showing the decline of age. He struggled to even get up for a game against another floundering Eastern Conference team in the Atlanta Hawks after multiple days of rest on Friday night.
Rajon Rondo started, was as advertised and that is a bad thing. And then he made trouble, got benched and is mostly the sixth man for Chicago, backing up Michael Carter-Williams. Yup, 2017 is already lit.
So, what could improve this roster either later this year or next season when Rondo and Wade will both be younger and more athletic than ever before? How about Bosh?
Yes, Bosh rumors got kicked up over the past week that the Heat will likely wait to waive Bosh until After March 1 to make sure he can’t join up with LeBron or the Hornets or the Bulls or the Warriors or any other team that would gladly scoop him up. However, Marc Stein of ESPN says that the Bulls will be interested in him if he’s healthy enough to play.
Let’s start right there.
May 10, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) backs down Miami Heat center Chris Bosh (1) during the first quarter in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Is Chris Bosh Going to be Healthy?
Is there anything about sport in general that is bigger than life? No. I don’t care what the guy at your office says or how many Jim Rome takes he fires off at you, sport is amazing and fantastic and a human achievement, but when someone is at risk for their very life, maybe it’s time to step back. That was a very long sentence. Too long. But the point was worth making.
Chris Bosh’s life is much more valuable than his ability to dominate as a stretch-four with a visibly decaying Wade, whoever is point guard for the Bulls in 2017-18, and pissed off Jimmy Butler.
Butler sure could use the help, and he’d easily be an upgrade at the four, but the man’s life is worth so much more than a few measly wins.
And yes, allow me to clarify right now that Bosh should absolutely play power forward in any scenario that puts him with the Bulls. Robin Lopez is still more than capable to play rim protector and bang for rebounds. Cristiano Felicio is going to be, get this, the younger and more athletic Lopez soon, maybe even next year if he continues to progress.
But the point here, again, is about his health. If you Google “lung blood clots,” you’ll find that right away it explains that it can be a life-threatening situation. The medical term for blood clots in the lungs is Pulmonary Embolism. That just doesn’t sound good.
It can be aggravated by a host of things, included the exacting travel that NBA players are subjected to. If Bosh can come back to play in the NBA, there could be restrictions that he’ll have to deal with. And there doesn’t seem to be an exact plan or formula for a player in his position to navigate through this. Is he on a minutes restriction for the rest of his career and if yes, how many minutes? Does he become a home game only player to keep him off planes, in cramped spaces for hours at a time shortly after a game?
There are questions, perhaps there are answers, but if the answers are out there and point to him being able to play again in any sort of meaningful capacity the Heat don’t seem to be aware of it as they are preparing to waive Bosh after not playing him for almost a full calendar year.
Nov 15, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (22) and guard Dwyane Wade (3) and forward Jimmy Butler (21) and guard Jerian Grant (2) react after a dunk by Wade against the Portland Trail Blazers during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Does Bosh Make the Bulls Meaningfully Better
I alluded to this briefly on the previous page. If Bosh is healthy enough to go, or can convince doctors and teams, specifically Chicago, that he is ready to go, is it going to make a meaningful impact on the bottom line for the Bulls.
In short, no.
Bosh would be a massive upgrade, if healthy and in game condition. He can play the center position for Fred Hoiberg, which could be Hoiberg’s wet dream. A big, strong, athletic guy who has played both power forward and center throughout his career who could easily slot in next to a power forward and sneak out to the 3-point line and bomb away.
He’s a fantastic scorer and no slouch on defense. His impact would be immediate and would add wins to Chicago next year.
Right now, Chicago is playing like a team that figures to be about 41-41 when it’s all said and done. They might sneak into the playoffs as the eighth seed, possibly seventh depending on how much the rest of the conference wants to screw around and be generally awful, too.
How many wins does he add? Five? 10? Are the Bulls, with a 36-year-old Wade, no useful point guard, Butler, Bosh and the rest of the returning roster really a 50-win team? Doesn’t seem likely. 45-48 wins might be in the ballpark, but even then, they still aren’t better than the Boston Celtics and neither squad would be able to touch the Cleveland Cavaliers – an ongoing problem for everyone in the East.
To answer the question, Bosh doesn’t make the Bulls meaningfully better next year if we are agreeing to define meaningfully better as a team that can compete with the best in the East and truly challenge for a trip to the Finals. It also doesn’t make them meaningfully better if we are defining that by saying Bosh is a key addition to build around Butler for the future. He has a very real medical condition, and Butler is the only sure thing Chicago has in their arsenal.
Oct 14, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Paul Zipser (16) is congratulated for scoring by forward Bobby Portis (5) during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the United Center. Chicago won 118-108. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
What About the Rest of the Roster?
If you add Bosh, you must pay him. He’s not looking to take some huge discount to risk his health and flounder in NBA purgatory.
Chicago’s pursuit of Bosh would probably mean a couple of things for sure when it comes to the current roster.
First, Taj Gibson is as good as gone. Gibson, who is having close to a career year, is averaging 11.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and one block per game in 27.5 minutes. Bosh can probably give you a little more than that if he’s medically cleared, but how much more? Maybe 16 or 17 points, nine rebounds and match the one block? That seems fair. Bosh averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 0.6 blocks before having his season cut short in 2015-16. He offers more scoring, similar rebounding and similar defense to Taj.
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Gibson is earning just $8.95 million this season. Bosh is on the books for $23.74 million and his contract, if it would have made it to the end, would finish at $26.8 million in 2018-19. 2006-07 was the last time Bosh earned less than what Gibson is getting this season. He also probably can’t be had for anywhere near as cheap of a deal as what Gibson is on right now.
Next, Nikola Mirotic is gone. That one probably doesn’t hurt at all. As much as I could be convinced that Mirotic could still be a good NBA player, he hasn’t shown it in Chicago and he’s likely getting a raise this summer. If Wade sticks around and they need to pay Bosh, even the relief of Rondo’s contract being only partially guaranteed doesn’t leave all that much room to re-sign a player that hasn’t earned a raise but will be getting one.
If Bosh would primarily play the four, is Bobby Portis ready to become the primary backup to a player that has major health concerns? Seems incredibly risky. Unless they find a trade for Lopez that nets them a good power forward in return and move Bosh to center and keep Felicio in the mix as the backup. And that still leaves them short of cap room and talent on the current roster. Dangerous combination, though I’m sure Forman and John Paxson don’t see it that way.
Jan 4, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams (7) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Channing Frye (8) during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Does Bosh Even Want to Play in Chicago?
One thing that fans, and writers, are supremely good at doing when considering trades and free agency moves is ignoring what the player wants.
I can write all the DeMarcus Cousins to Chicago pieces I want and it doesn’t mean that he’s any closer to wanting to play here. Same for Russell Westbrook, though I can dream.
Free agents generally don’t like the idea of playing for the Bulls. At least, that’s what history tells us. And a lot of writers opted for the angle that the Wade signing was somehow good because even if he proved to be an aging player that didn’t turn Chicago into a competitor, he could be a great public relations piece in the effort to lure more lucrative free agents to the Bulls in the future.
I don’t buy that at all, but that’s just me. Players like warm places like Los Angeles and Houston and income taxless places like Miami. It would be great if Chicago was the premiere destination, but that just hasn’t proven to be true per history.
And after the rumors started to gain traction and people started to get their hopes up, the Bulls laid an egg against the Hawks on Friday night. I think Jon Greenberg of The Athletic probably nailed it with this tweet:
Honestly, there isn’t a compelling argument for Bosh wanting to play basketball in Chicago – if he wants to win.
If Bosh wants to get one more payday before bowing out, then maybe. I’m not exactly sure how his salary and waive situation will work since it will be for medical reasons.
If Bosh wants to hang out and play some YMCA-level hoops with his old buddy Wade for a couple of years, regardless of chances at a championship, then maybe.
If Bosh wants to join a win-now squad that has the front office management, the head coaching acumen, and the 1-14 roster depth and skill to challenge the best of the best and make a run at a ring, he’s never answering the phone call from Gar. Ever.
There are a lot of factors to consider in this saga, but most of them are all up in the air until it is determined that Bosh can continue his stellar career. And his health is the most important thing.
Chris Bosh, it would be great to see you back on the court. It would be great if it was somewhere other than Chicago for your sake and for the sake of the Bulls. Either way, stay healthy and stay alive. That’s more important than anything else.
