Will He Stay or Will He Go?
June 29, 2010 by Black Ink Magazine · Leave a Comment
On April 30th Chris Bosh posted a couple of questions on his Twitter page:
“Been wanting to ask. Where should I go next season and why?”
“OK… Let me rephrase the question. Should I stay or should I go?”
This was yet another blow for Raptors fans hoping that the franchise’s star player will resign; those tweets were posted near the end of a disappointing season for the Toronto Raptors that did not include a playoff berth.
At the beginning of the 2009-10 season, it looked as though this might be the year the Raptors would emerge as an upper-tier team in the Eastern Conference with team manager Brian Colangelo making a big splash by signing forward Hedo Turkoglu to the marquee-free agent and former Orlando Magic for a five-year $53 million deal. Coloangelo also signed a host of other players. Many pundits felt that the Raps would significantly improve on their discouraging 2008-09 season.
Instead, the 2009-10 season was disastrous. Turkoglu, whose numbers are significantly down from last season, has not lived up to expectations on the court thus far; Bosh fractured his nose, forcing him to miss multiple games in the last stretch of the regular season; off court, Toronto players experienced tension and division among themselves, according to reports; and the Raptors did not make the playoffs.
So will this sub-standard season be the nail in the coffin for Chris Bosh leaving? That remains to be seen, but Bosh’s recent actions—and the timing of them in regard to his free agency— have me feeling less than optimistic about him staying in the “big smoke” past July 1st.
Cleone A. Jacob
Sports Editor, Black Ink Magazine
