Is LeBron/Bosh to The Bulls Good For NBA?
LeBron and Bosh would play on a team together, but they would have to be the only 2 stars. Bosh has clearly reconciled himself to the fact that there are worse things in the world than playing second fiddle to LeBron and competing for titles. That said, how will a player who openly expressed his desire to be the centerpiece of a top-tier team cope with playing in the shadow of not one, but TWO superstars?
Make no mistake, with Bosh and LeBron on the Bulls it would still be the LeBron and Rose show. Besides, Rose's youth makes him a more marketable sidekick than the already seasoned, and not ridiculously accomplished Bosh. I don't see Bosh voluntarily playing Odom to LeBron's Kobe and Rose's Pau. Noah might even cut into Bosh's popularity as the Bulls' no-nonsense energy guy. Bosh is still in the prime of his career which makes me question the idea of him choosing to play in Chicago and becoming just another face in the crowd.
The problem with constructing these stacked line-ups is that they actually detract from the success and overall appeal of the NBA. I believe that the dearth of good, exciting teams in the league has made the NBA dull and uninspiring, thus hurting ratings. Rose and LeBron should not be on the same team--both guys are franchise players in an era in which that type of ability is rare. As a fan of the game I would rather see them battle each other every postseason on vastly improved teams, than to cut through a weak and talentless eastern conference.
With the Celtics done (this time for real), there are no more exciting teams left in the East. I respect Dwight Howard's game, but that doesn't take away from the fact that the Magic are not that much fun to watch. Their most lethal offensive weapon is a late-career Vince Carter... enough said.
Instead of making the Bulls so incredibly talented that they have no competition (imagine how dull the playoffs would be), free agents should disperse. The Bulls should spend their money on Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson, LeBron and Bosh should take the Knicks' money, and Boozer and Rudy Gay should go down to Miami to make the Heat a threat in the playoffs again.
None of these teams would be guaranteed a championship immediately, but wouldn't that make the playoffs (and even the regular season) more dramatic, and worth tuning in for? We would have real rivalries instead of having to to suffer through a 7-game Hawks and Bucks series, or look to free agency to provide the theatrical elements the games themselves lack. If New York, Chicago, and Miami all became contenders in one offseason, that's a major coup for NBA--three large markets buzzing over basketball.
Lost in all of this talk of championships and contenders is the underlying reality that the NBA is currently in a poor position. With ratings low and a lock-out imminent, there are bigger issues at stake than getting LeBron a ring. Excuse the hyperbole, but the game itself is in jeopardy. Outside of the free agents and their very myopic, simplistic handlers/hangers-on there has to be a contingent of bigger picture people pushing the logical agenda of having the talent spread out. Fans of NBA basketball should hope so.
