Canadians are supposedly nice people. But while spending seven years in Toronto, Chris Bosh found out that's not always the case.
“Until you throw a hockey puck on the ice, until you play sports, man, they turn,’’ he said.
Bosh knows all about that. After playing for the Raptors from 2003 to '10, the forward bolted to Miami as a free agent to Miami.
When Bosh returned last season for the first time, he was booed vigorously during a February game. Fans held up unflattering signs, including one calling Bosh “Catwoman’’ to LeBron James' “Batman’’ and Dwyane Wade's “Robin.’’ Another, using the letters of Bosh's last name, proclaimed called him a “Big Overrated Sidekick Hoopster.’’
Bosh returns again to Toronto on Friday night. He’s not sure if the fans will boo, but he will be ready for it.
“Emotionally, I’m a much stronger person, so I’ll just be able to go in there and play basketball,’’ he said. “I’m a different person. It doesn’t matter (what the fans do).’’
The boos didn’t seem to affect Bosh last season. In his Feb. 16 return, he scored 25 points in a 103-95 win. In the Heat's second visit, Bosh, along with James and Wade, sat out the April 13 season finale to be more rested for the playoffs.
James, who also bolted to Miami as a free agent in the summer of 2010, knows all about being booed in return appearances. The former Cleveland star didn’t downplay the significance of Bosh playing again in Toronto.
“It’s a big deal for him, for sure,’’ James said. “He played seven years of his career there. He wants to play well. We need to play well for him. So I look forward to it.’’
Perhaps Raptors fans also are looking forward to it. The 17-34 team hasn’t had much to play for lately, being hopelessly out of the East playoff race.
Toronto forward Andrea Bargnani wouldn't speculate on how the fans might treat Bosh. While he sidestepped a question about whether it might be time to stop booing Bosh, Bargnani spoke well of his former teammate.
“He’s a great player,’’ Bargnani said. “He played seven years in Toronto. It was great to play with him. That’s the way I look at it, in a good way. I respect him a lot. He gave a lot to Toronto.’’
Soon, it will be seen whether Raptors fans are still just giving boos to Bosh.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
