Will a Bosh/Bargnani Front-Court Ever Be a True Winning Formula?

Every great team in recent memory save the 08-09 Lakers and 90s Bulls (with their ridiculous talent) have had a great defensive presence in the post. Tim Duncan and the Spurs, KG and Perk of the Celts, Sheed and Ben of the Pistons, Shaq of the Heat and Lakers, Dwight and the Magic, even Diop and Dampier of the Mavs, the list goes on.

So, the question has been beaten to death by Raptors fans. Will a starting front court of Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh ever be a true contender for an NBA championship? From where I stand, the short answer is no and the long answer is maybe. Neither Bosh nor Bargnani is a defensive stud. Bargnani has shown flashes of brilliance on defence. Bosh seems to be regressing on D. This may be OK for a first round playoff team. Not so for a true contender.

To reach the next level, the Raptors need a big body at the 4/5 position that will force teams to think twice about driving to the hole. Currently, that is not the case with the Raptors. Ideally, this defensive presence will be home-grown, i.e. Bosh or Bargnani develops into a defensive stalwart.

Splitting up this tandem would be a shame given the offensive mismatches they present. They can truly be special on the offensive end, but seeing as neither looks like they'll be changing their defensive stripes now, it may be time for the Raps to 'cut their losses' so to speak.

In the long term, a trade of Bosh for a true defensive 5 and another asset would be in the best interest of the team. The Raps would be losing their best player, a great player, yet would not be losing an irreplaceable superstar. Given their recent additions, they would be better equipped to replace the scoring Bosh would have given them. Getting an Oden/Fernandez, Chandler/Wallace, Biedrins/Ellis, Gasol/Gay type of package for Bosh would put the Raptors on track for a championship within a few years.

All conventionally great teams, unless they have an other-worldly talent like Kobe or MJ (and even they had great talent around them), have a great defensive big anchoring their D. The Raptors lack that. To compete with the Garnetts, Howards and Shaqs of the East, and the Tim Duncans and Pau Gasols of the West, the Raptors need their own 5 to match up with them.

If Bosh or Bargnani becomes that defensive anchor, then fantastic. But that seems unrealistic. Hence a Bosh trade. Lose a great player, build a great team.