When I was thinking what to write about today every topic has the same theme to it. They all are looking far ahead into the future. Let’s get started with the Raptor based one. There was a story that was written that suggested Chris Bosh would leave Toronto for Orlando in 2010. This for starters is ONE STORY does it really mean anything? It was not even written in Orlando or Toronto. Basically it all amounts to a lot of speculation based on nothing but logical guessing. Yes it is true that Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard are friends. They do play together on team U.S.A. The Magic in this article would have the money to make an attractive offer from a money stand point. There is nothing in this story that anyone is not aware of.
But there is no reason to think Chris Bosh is unhappy in Toronto. In fact the exact opposite is true. This organization even gave his brother a spot on their summer league roster. Chris Bosh also said when things were no so great here in Toronto that he wanted to be part of the fixing things in Toronto. So what part of making the playoffs for the last two seasons is the reason that Bosh is not doing that. Bryan Colangelo gives Bosh input into the building process in Toronto. Basically it is a good spot for Chris Bosh to be. Why anyone that has been a fan of this franchise thinks this story can be true is beyond me. Chris Bosh is not Vince Carter and is not in any hurry to leave the Raptors. In fact the latest trade that brought Jermaine O’Neal here seems to be one Bosh welcomes. He has great faith in Bryan Colangelo and I have no reason to think just because he has a good friend on a team in sunny Florida is enough to erase all that Bosh has done with the Raptors and that the Raptors have done for him
There always seems to be a panic that star players will leave and it seems to kick in earlier and earlier. Tracy did leave, Vince was traded away after demanding it but the speculation of both departing started long before that. Chris Bosh is a Raptor for 2 more years before any of this is an issue. So please anyone that is seriously concerned about that please calm down. Everything is going to be alright.
That leads into the insane Euro Rumours on 2010. I think Lebron James is going to have his face put on Euro Currency in the most recent James to Europe rumour. But seriously he like Bosh has 2 more years before any of this is an issue. Lebron’s future with the Cavs is something you may want to seriously consider as this point. But all this Lebron to Europe stuff has gone crazy. I am not here to say I know what Lebron James will do. I have said in this blog Europe could be an option. But the dollar figures and the non-stop speculation is insane. Do you think Lebron is going to say anything about this? I don’t expect him to do anything of the sort.
There has also been some talk of Kobe Bryant and him making a jump to Europe. Again this is based on nothing but speculation. Kobe did grow up in Europe and it would not be hard for him to adjust to the change at all. Still his Lakers just came off a run to the NBA Finals. The fact he has not won a title without Shaq may mean much more than any amount of money he could be offered. The fact that O’Neal was taking shots at Kobe this off-season will only mean more motivation to Bryant to stay and win a title.
The Next CBA
This all is not to say the NBA should not be concerned with trend of players signing to Europe. It is something that can become an issue moving forward. The next CBA should be interesting should this trend continue. The salary cap was designed to protect teams from over spending and make it a fair system for all teams to be able to have a level playing field. The idea of another league without a cap and having the money to offer contracts beyond the NBA Max level for a player was never considered. The idea of high school players heading to Europe instead of doing what they were told and going to the NCAA for a year was not expected. It would seem that the entire CBA could need some tweaking based on the events of this summer. But it would take one of those major names to jump to Europe to make it a major concern.
David Stern had several challenges as of late. He will have another one with this recent trend. But he has time to figure it out. Despite the stories of Lebron and Kobe heading for Europe. At this point they are just a story and not reality at this point. Stern has faced many challenges in his time as NBA boss. He has always found ways to fix problems. This problem is an interesting one and it may not have clear answer at this point. I can not see owners just throwing away the salary cap. But I can not see them being happy to allow star players to bolt for Europe. But this is not a problem that needs to be figured out by tomorrow.
Everything in this world seems to need to be placed on fast forward. I am not saying that any of these things should not concern you. Just that there is a lot of time in which what seems logical today may turn out not to be at the time when it matters. So like the title suggests please…Calm Down. Everything is going to be alright and worrying about it 2 years in advance is not going to change anything. To often people are so focused on looking to the future they forget to enjoy the moment that they are in right now. No one out there can predict the future and what it will hold. Sure people take logical shoots at doing it. But no one can tell what is to come that is a resident of this planet that I am aware of. So chill out and enjoy the moment.
Tags: CBA, Chris Bosh, David Stern, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, NBA
