White Chocolate Blog

Reports are out that Chris Bosh won't be returning to the Raptors next season.
This should not be a surprise to anybody that follows the team. Chris earned the right to choose where he wants to play and has never been anything but a professional during his time with the Raptors.

Bryan Colangelo however, did not seem too impressed with Bosh during his interview last night on Fan590. Colangelo said Bosh has been "persona non grata" lately. I truly believe Colangelo thought that Bosh was going to keep him posted on where he wanted to play next season and if that wasn't with the Raptors he would tell him and allow him the proper time to make a move in order to bring something of value back to the Raptors via Sign and Trade. Colangelo stated that Bosh has been consulted on every major move the team has made since he arrived as the GM. I think Colangelo expected that respect to be repaid by Bosh during this off season. And clearly that has not been the case.

But as we all know, sometimes life is not fair. Colangelo should know that by now.

All that said an interesting rumor (I stress rumor) was reported late this afternoon. It says that Colangelo is working hard with the Lakers to push a sign and trade with Bosh. The Lakers, according to the rumor are on board but Bosh obviously would have to sign off on it. The trade would see the following happen:

Toronto Trades

Chris Bosh (signed to a max contract )
Jarret Jack

Traded to the LA Lakers for:

Lamar Odom
Andrew Bynum

Now with salaries and such needing to match I would presume there would be other pieces involved here but the meat of the deal are those 4 players.

Reports state that the Lakers are one of the teams Bosh is willing to play for however we all know the rumors are rampant that LeBron James and D Wade want to play with Bosh as well.
Bosh has also stated that he wants to play Power Forward wherever he signs and with Bynum gone Bosh would have to play center as Pau Gasol isn't going to handle those duties. That, to me, is what makes this deal a real long shot. However the lure of playing in Hollywood with the 2 time defending champs vs a team with 3 all stars and 8 min salary players has to be tempting. Not to mention still being able to play with one of his best friends Jarret Jack. If I were Bosh I would seriously consider this.

This trade would also set the Raptors up as a team that could potentially contend for the 6-8th seed in the east. Considering the top 5-6 seeds are likely to be Chicago, Miami,Orlando,New York,New Jersey, Boston.

The roster would look like this baring any other transactions

Starters

PG - Jose Calderon
SG- D DeRozen
SF - Lamar Odom
PF - Andrea Bargnani
C - Andrew Bynum

Bench

Hedo Turkoglu, Amir Johnson (resigned), Ed Davis,Sonny Weems, Marco Belinelli, Reggie Evans, Marcus banks

Presumably Hedo could run the offense with the 2nd unit and his play making skills would be in full effect with the absence of a true Point guard on that unit. The team would be young and instantly better defensively in the post with Bynum vs Bargnani at center. Johnson and Davis bring athleticism and youth off the bench. Evans brings some muscle when needed. Weems showed promise last season and proved he can also have an impact. Bargnani could slide to his natural position at forward and Odom's versatility could also help by playing and defending multiple positions.

This team wouldn't win any titles but it could compete.

This is likely a long shot and at the end of the day I can't see the Lakers making this deal simply because Bosh is too similar to Gasol. Not to mention disrupting the chemistry of their team.

I'm sure there will be a bunch of people saying its time to rebuild but with Bargnani and Hedo signed long term I'm not sure that is really an option. I also understand that some would think that Odom may not enjoy going from LA to Toronto. I certainly see the merit in that argument. Odom has long been a player who believes he can be a go to guy and not a 5th option. He may surprise and accept a more prominent role on a team and if he doesn't then certainly you can get value back in a trade.
What do you think?