Fresh from a five-year, $118 million max-contract with the Miami Heat, Chris Bosh is now the No.1 option for the Miami Heat - something that he has known in the past in his entire career with the Toronto Raptors - after LeBron James decided to come home and play for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"I think sometimes you miss it," Bosh said recently, according to ESPN.com's Tom Haberstroh. "You wonder if you can still do it and step up to the challenge. I haven't had to be that guy. I played with the best player in the world. I didn't have to be the alpha. But now, I get to see if I have it in me, and not many people are going to believe I have what's necessary. But that's what makes it exciting."
But it is completely unknown whether or not Bosh will thrive as the No.1 option in the Heat. LeBron Jame's departure has obviously blessed Bosh with a new and better opportunity but it remains to be seen how exactly he will respond to this big role and pressure. And Bosh is far from his dominant years in Toronto and he knows this very well.
Bosh added, "You know, I'm not the same player that I was when I was 25, the last time I got to [be the No. 1 option]. I'm more mature, my game is more mature and I can do a bunch of things on and off the court to fully maximize this team's potential."
Bosh's numbers throughout the years have also slowly declined. He averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds on 2009-2010 with the Toronto Raptors - a season before he signed with the Heat. In his last season with Miami, bosh averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds a game which is clearly far from his production 4 years ago with the Raptors.
But Bosh declining numbers can be attributed to being the third option in Miami and LeBron Jame's dominance on every facet of the game. With the Heat, Bosh was mostly utilized as a perimeter threat and the team rarely made a play designed purely for him. Back in Toronto, he was posting up and the offense revolved around him.
When he is constantly outside the paint waiting for a pass from LeBron to shoot the ball from deep, he will naturally have fewer rebounds because it means he will have less opportunity to grab offensive rebounds because his so far away from the basket. James is also a strong rebounder which further lessen's Bosh opportunity to grab rebounds.
Now, do you think Chris Bosh will thrive as the No.1 option in the Miami Heat now that he is 30 years old and has been utilized and has grown accustomed to being a third option? We will know soon find out when the 2014-2015 NBA season begins.
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