Miami Heat: When Will Chris Bosh Get the Credit He Deserves?

Chris Bosh does not and has not gotten the credit he deserves for the role he plays in Miami and for the numbers he put up in Toronto.

This season, he is averaging 20 points to go along with eight rebounds, but his stat line does not tell the whole story.

Playing alongside two of the best wing men to ever play the game, Bosh struggled at first to figure out where he fit in.

In Toronto, to say he was the primary option is an understatement, as his team relied on him each game for scoring and rebounding, and looked to him as their leader.

Surely he was relieved when he made his own decision to join Dwyane Wade in South Beach, another superstar who has had little to no help for most of his career.

When LeBron came over and made it the Big Three, critics immediately came out and started to question whether or not Bosh was a true superstar like LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, a two-time regular season MVP and Finals MVP.

Superstar or not, Bosh has put up consistently good numbers throughout his career and continues to do so in Miami.

Throughout the Miami Heat's first season, Bosh heard a large amount of criticism as he tried to figure things out.

Miami Thrice was labeled the Big Two by countless critics and fans alike who waited for Bosh to come around.

Although he finished the season averaging only 18 points and eight rebounds, he made leaps and bounds from the beginning of the season to end as he progressed and proceeded to dominate against the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.

Yes, the Heat did fail to win a championship last season, but Bosh is not the one to blame.

Nevertheless, Spolestra sent some directions home with him during the offseason.

He told him to develop his jumper and put on some muscle.

Bosh came back to training camp with about 20 pounds of muscle put on and a smooth jumper expanding behind the three-point line.

Surely the Heat would love to have a better record this year and feel as though they have lost a few games they should not have.

Sitting at 9-4 with Wade battling injuries is not great, but it is acceptable.

The talk of the league has been how well LeBron plays when Wade is out, while Bosh continues to go unnoticed. 

When both LeBron and Wade were out, Bosh went off for 33 points and 14 rebounds, and he put up great numbers again last night in Wade's absence.

We forget that he is able to break out for 30 like it's nothing when he gets his touches.

As he prepares to match up against Pau Gasol tomorrow night, this made me think about a few things.

One being that Gasol is often hailed as one of the most skilled big men to ever play the game, while Bosh's skill level is continuously questioned. 

One could argue that Bosh has a more consistent jumper, and there is no doubt in my mind that Bosh is a stronger and better player in the paint and finishing at the basket.

Yet Bosh is rarely mentioned in the discussion of the best big men in the league.

Bosh is one of the most underrated players in the league, but it's time we start giving him the credit he deserves. 

Take him away from the Heat, and they will be nowhere as good as they are today.

He is a smooth lefty not afraid to bang inside and possess the ability to coexist with other great players.

He should and will play a bigger role for the Heat down the stretch.

That is if they want a different result this time around in the playoffs.