Miami emerging as leader in Bosh hunt

According to what we can gather from reports around the net (ESPN, Stephen A. Smith and more) and Bosh’s own words, Miami has emerged as the leader in the Bosh hunt.

Stephen A. Smith’s report:

Teams in consideration

1. Heat
2. Bulls
3. Lakers
4. Nets

These seem to be the 4 teams he is considering if/when he decides he is ready to move on from Toronto.

Miami has emerged as the favourite for a few reasons, one major one being the unloading of Daequan Cook and the 18th pick for future considerations. This gives them enough space for two max free agents and $11 million more for another superstar, or for complementary role players. Their roster is a little bare right now with only Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley and draft picks DeSean Butler, Latavious Williams, Dexter Pittman and Jarvis Varnado.  The Heat are likely to be forced into a sign-and-trade to have a realistic chance of signing Bosh however and it appears that the Raptors were have limited options. We are not sure what a machination would look like as Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo is said not to be very high on Micheal Beasley despite his immense potential.   A sign and trade with the Heat would likely involve Micheal Beasley and DeSean Butler or Latavious Williams.

Why Would Bosh Choose Miami over Chicago?

One reason, he does not want to be known for following LeBron James.

It stands to reason that Chris Bosh’s ego will allow him to ‘join’ good friend Dwayne Wade in Miami, while somewhat opposing, as mentioned above making a free agent move that would likely confirm the sentiment that he needs to ‘follow’ a big name free agent to be successful. If Dwayne Wade remains in Miami, Bosh does not have to ‘follow’ anyone anywhere and will instead be viewed as one of Miami’s prized free-agent acquisition.

Chicago seems like an ideal landing spot for Bosh as they have the defensive presence and all-star point guard that Chris Bosh needs to maximize his abilities, however this is LeBron’s most likely destination and as posited above Chris Bosh does not want to ‘follow’ anyone.

Bosh will choose Miami, because deep down he knows he has to attach himself to a star to win a championship, if he just wanted to be the ‘man’, Toronto would be an option.

Also one can not overstate the fact that Chris Bosh is better friends with Dwayne Wade than LeBron James and this will be a key factor in his free agency decision, he said in January that he would rather play with Wade than James and there is no reason to believe that preference has changed.

I still find it hard to believe Bosh will choose Miami over Chicago as the Bulls have the superior team but even Chris Bosh’s good friend former Raptor Charlie Villanueva says Chris Bosh is going to Miami:

“Sorry to break Toronto heart, I love that city, but Chris Bosh is heading to Miami”

Yet another reason Bosh would choose Miami over Chicago is that if LeBron also chooses the Bulls than Chris Bosh will be no better than the 3rd best player and biggest star on the team, a far cry from his ‘the man’ status in Toronto, something that he seems hesitant to give up. Wade and Riley will likely look to convince Bosh that it will be Wade and Bosh, a duo, rather than Wade than Bosh, as in Batman and Robin.

Here are Chris Bosh’s comments to the Miami Herald:

“”Miami is in top contention,” Bosh said during a quiet moment at DJ Irie’s charity golf tournament in Miami Beach to the paper. “With the money they have, the cap space they have, the rights on Dwyane [Wade], him possibly staying. And just having a good organization; they are known as a first-class organization. Dwyane is going to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game when it’s said and done.”"

With his latest comments and his latest over the last month it stands to reason that Bosh will choose Miami unless LeBron chooses New York, in which case things become a little more wide open. The Knicks now realize they have little chance at the ‘big 3′ and have scheduled to meet with Joe Johnson and Amare on July 1st.

Lets also remember the Heat have the space like Stephen A. Smith suggested to sign LeBron James as well and if they dont will have the space to add players like Ray Allen and Raja Bell likely coming in at the ‘championship contenders discount’ so there team is not as barren as Chicago fans may like to point out.

How do we feel about a Michael Beasley acquisition?

I would be absolutely thrilled with Micheal Beasley despite his character concerns. He can smoke all the good kush he wants if he can come to the Raptors and realize his immense potential.

I am salivating just at the thought of a starting lineup of Ed Davis, Andrea Bargnani, Michael Beasley, DeMar DeRozan and Jarrett Jack. Michael Beasley is a perfect fit at the small forward position because he can play both small forward and power forward.

Micheal Beasley’s rebounding skills would help to compensate for Andrea’s inability to rebound at a high clip and would bring some semblance of balance to our team because of this.

I am sure I do not have to convince any of you that Michael Beasley is an immense, if troubled talent and that he would instantly become our teams top scorer and most talented player.

I believe with the addition of Beasley we will have completed a virtual instant rebuild and that we may actually be a better team than we were last year.  Next to Bynum, Beasley is the only player discussed as a sign-and-trade option that, arguably, has more long-term potential than Bosh, and he is the only player with the potential to be a true #1 option.

Character issues do exist with this outstanding talent but the same can be said with some of professional sports’ brightest talents, Beasley is still a young man and will mature with age. The fact he may or may not smoke a little ‘weed’ should not stop the Raptors from acquiring Michael Beasley if Pat Riley makes him available.

Beasley is too good to say no to.

I am not sure what you think of Beasley Toronto, leave us a comment below and let us know if you would be happy with this sign-and-trade deal.

Raju Byfield is a Senior Sports Writer for Raptors Digest.

Raju Byfield also writes for Win My Fantasy League as a Senior Sports Writer/Fantasy Sports Analyst.