No beating around the Bosh
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2010 Houston Chronicle
May 1, 2010, 11:36PMEverything the Rockets hope to accomplish this off-season begins with the acquisition of Chris Bosh.
Chris Bosh will open his front door at 12:01 a.m. July 1 and see a smiling Daryl Morey standing between Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming.
How's that for a first impression?
Morey will have a bag of other goodies, including a video showing off Houston and a testimonial from Rockets season-ticket holder Andre Johnson urging Bosh to join him in Clutch City.
There will be hundreds of Facebook and Twitter posts from fans, a Rockets jersey with Bosh's name on it and — I almost forgot this teensy-weensy part of the presentation — a contract worth $120 million.
At least, this is how it might go. The Rockets haven't decided who will accompany Morey to the presentation, but they have spent the last few weeks discussing how best to persuade him.
Here's guessing Rockets owner Leslie Alexander appeals to Dream and Yao to be part of the recruiting process and that they both agree.
At the heart of the issue is, first, persuading Bosh to play for the Rockets. If they're able to do that, everything else almost certainly will fall into place. That's why the Rockets are spending so much time and energy coming up with the right recruiting pitch.
What could be better than having this city's greatest professional athlete standing with one of the NBA players every other NBA player would love to play with?
Yao represents what the Rockets want to be about. He's a great teammate, a great person, someone who personifies everything Alexander believes his franchise should be about.
The Rockets are convinced Yao will resume his career next season. They're not sure how many minutes he'll play or what level he'll be at in the beginning.
The sales pitch
But they're confident his surgically repaired foot will hold up, and when Bosh stands there and looks up at Yao on July 1, he just might think playing with someone capable of sharing the load is a good idea.
And when Yao isn't on the floor, the Rockets want Bosh to know they're going to play fast, have fun and win.
They'll let him know there's no better coach to play for than Rick Adelman, and hope that when Bosh begins measuring other NBA franchises against the Rockets, he'll find there's no better owner than Alexander and no better general manager than Morey.
If Bosh wants a place where he can live comfortably, raise a family and call home, and if he wants a franchise that attempts to do everything right, he might just shake Yao's hand that night and say, “See you at training camp.”
He'll have options. The Bulls, Knicks, Nets and Heat probably will make offers. The Mavericks and Lakers might be in the mix as well.
What might separate the Rockets from those other teams is that Bosh is their first choice. Everything they hope to accomplish this offseason begins with the acquisition of Bosh.
There's no, “If LeBron says no, we'll be in touch,” or “Let us get back to you after we hear from Dwyane Wade.”
The Rockets believe putting Bosh beside Yao would give them the corner-stone of a team capable of winning a championship. And if the worst happened, and if Yao was injured again, the 6-10 Bosh would give them the low-post presence they don't have.
A rare breed
He's 26 years old and has averaged 20 points and 9.4 rebounds for his seven-year career. He's coming off a season in which he averaged 24 points and 10.8 rebounds.
(Zach Randolph and David Lee were the only other 20-and-10 NBA players this season. Yao has averaged 19.7 and 9.9 for his career.)
The Knicks and Nets are believed to be targeting LeBron James and perhaps Wade. If James re-signs with the Cavaliers before July 1, the New York teams will be focused on Bosh.
The Bulls are believed to be targeting Wade. The Heat could be mapping out a plan to have both Wade and James. Only one team is likely to have Bosh atop their list.
The Rockets can offer something else: The chance to win quickly. As attractive as New York might be, the Knicks and Nets have miles to go. The Bulls and Heat were playoff teams, but Bosh won't be their top priority.
The Rockets would have to surrender a package of draft choices and players to get him, but Morey has shown he can build a roster quickly and without mega-resources.
Bosh and Yao represent a foundation to build around. The Bulls and Heat do have the salary-cap space to sign Bosh. However, he'd have to take $30 million less to sign with any team except Toronto.
That's why Morey spent the past year acquiring talented younger players and an additional first-round draft pick. From the moment he learned he wouldn't have Yao last season, Morey began preparing for this summer's pitch to Bosh — and to the Raptors.
Ducks in a row
Nine of the NBA's last 11 max-contract free agents switched teams through sign-and-trade deals. So while Morey's first priority will be persuading Bosh to play for the Rockets, his other will be making a deal with Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo.
There seems little doubt around the NBA that financial issues will force the Raptors to trade Bosh.
If Bosh tells the Raptors he wants to play for the Rockets, the Raptors will make it happen. First, though, he has to decide, and that's why spending these next few weeks preparing for that first handshake is important.
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5/3/2010 3:39 PM
