NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Chris Bosh, Charlie Villanueva and More
The beginning of NBA training camps is about two weeks away, and a lot of teams are working hard to add players who can compete for spots on their 15-man rosters.
Finding the right combination of players isn't easy, and coaching staffs will try to find out which guys have the most talent and fit the best with the rest of the team and how it wants to play.
With the beginning of the training camps rapidly approaching, let’s discuss three players whose statuses are somewhat up in the air.
The Miami Heat have been rather quiet on the status of Chris Bosh ever since his 2015-16 season ended in February due to blood clots.
The team’s lack of transparency on Bosh's status caused many to worry that maybe his condition was worse than originally expected. That was only confirmed in May when ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst reported there was “fear within the Heat organization that Bosh’s condition will prevent him from ever being cleared to play by team doctors.”
However, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson delivered some positive news Sunday. He wrote, “There is growing optimism about Chris Bosh being cleared by the Heat to resume his career while remaining on blood thinners, according to a union source.”
If the Heat do decide to follow through with that decision, it’s definitely risky for Bosh. He may end up hurting his health long term by being so reliant on those medications, and his intense physical workload could cause the original problem to flare up even stronger than it did originally.
There is no question a mostly healthy Bosh significantly changes Miami’s season outlook, though. The team already lost Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng and Joe Johnson in the offseason, and Josh Richardson recently suffered a partially torn MCL.
Missing out on the services of its best player, Bosh, would almost guarantee a lottery season for Miami, but having him on the floor would provide the team with a steady, skilled veteran presence to help it stay competitive.
Charlie Villanueva
Give Charlie Villanueva credit for sticking around for 11 years in the NBA despite consistently declining athleticism and some serious injuries. He’s honed a deadeye three-point shooting stroke over the past several years, though his success rate fell to a career-low 27.3 percent last season.
According to basketball reporter David Pick, however, the 32-year-old unrestricted free agent is having to look overseas for work this offseason.
It’s not surprising that Villanueva is falling out of favor with NBA teams. Aside from the dip in three-point shooting he experienced last season, he’s also a below-average defender due to his slow feet and lack of vertical burst. Teams covet stretch 4s, but not ones who don’t make their threes or make a positive impact on the other end.
Perhaps Charlie V can become one of the several former NBA players who have succeeded in China, along with Stephon Marbury, Lester Hudson and Shavlik Randolph.
Cleanthony Early
Cleanthony Early’s first two years in the league have been tumultuous and injury-filled, to say the least.
Despite being considered a steal at the 34th position in the 2014 NBA draft, he’s hardly seen the court with the New York Knicks and has been unproductive in the playing time he’s received. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Early has accumulated negative-0.6 win shares in his two seasons with the Knicks.
Not surprisingly, the Knicks don’t seem to be jumping at the chance to keep him on the roster. Per the New York Post’s Marc Berman, New York hasn’t decided whether it will bring Early to training camp to give him a shot at a roster spot. That doesn’t bode well for his chances to crack the final 15-man roster, even if he does go to training camp.
Early is athletic and has defensive and shooting potential, as evidenced by his 37.3 percent mark from three and 1.8 makes from downtown per game in his final season at Wichita State. However, if he continues to be unable to transfer those skills to the NBA, his career will be done soon.
Per Today’s Fastbreak’s Charley Rosen, Knicks team president Phil Jackson said after the 2015-16 season that Early “still has the potential to be a valuable player.” However, that potential likely won’t be reached in New York.
