Chris Bosh Leaving Raptors for the Miami Heat Was a Blessing in Disguise

As long as you weren't locked in a cave all summer, you have probably heard that Chris Bosh left the Raptors to make a superteam down in Miami alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

This left the Raptors with no star and getting very little compensation in return for Bosh.

Taking a look at the Raptors record at 13-31 shows that they aren't exactly have a successful season without Bosh, but believe me, Bosh leaving Toronto was a good thing in the end.

Here's why Chris Bosh leaving was a good thing in the end.

Youth Development

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ATLANTA - DECEMBER 02: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on December 2, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, U

With Bosh's departure, it forces the younger players to step up, and this increases the speed of their development.

DeMar DeRozan has been roasting defenses lately, and Andrea Bargnani is putting up a career high in points.

DeRozan recently stepped up and said he's sick of losing and wants his team to step up, which is a great sign.

With Bosh gone, it has also opened up a role for Ed Davis, who has potential to be a top power forward in this league.

The Raps are a very young team, and without any leader forces players to become leaders, which is what Toronto needs at this point.

Rebuilding Properly

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 22: Jerryd Bayless #5 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles past Eddie House #55 of the Miami Heat during a game at American Airlines Arena on January 22, 2011 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by

Every year, Bryan Colangelo tried to bring in new players to fix the team. It never worked.

Charlie Villanueva turned into T.J Ford, which turned into Jermaine O'Neal, which turned into Shawn Marion, which eventually turned into Hedo Turkoglu.

If you ask me, most of these players were duds. If Colangelo had kept O'Neal, the Raps would have had enough cap space to offer two max contracts in the summer of 2010.

Colangelo was always impatient because he knew how much the fans wanted to see a winner, but now that Bosh left, it forced Colangelo to rebuild properly and start over.

He traded Hedo Turkoglu away, and this is a very young team, and regardless if they make the playoffs or not, they are still a rebuilding team.

Bosh Was Not a Franchise Player

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NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Chris Bosh #4 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket between Wilson Chandler #21 and Al Harrington #1 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2010 in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly ackn

Don't get me wrong, Chris Bosh is a great player. He's a fantastic offensive player, a great rebounder, and premier power forward in the game.

However, he was not good enough to be a franchise player. When the Raptors had Bosh leading the way, they were just a mediocre team. Bosh proved that he couldn't take over down the stretch of games, and he just didn't have the stuff to make the Raptors a contender, regardless of who you put around him.

Now, the Raptors need to find a new franchise player. It could be DeMar DeRozan if he keeps improving, it could be Andrea Bargnani if he improves other areas of his game, or it could be through the draft.

It's always harder to build around a big man, but Bargnani and DeRozan compliment each other nicely, so there doesn't have to be a clear cut number one option yet.

Bosh Was Not a Leader

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TORONTO,ON - APRIL 24: Chris Bosh #4 of the Toronto Raptors shows his excitement against the Orlando Magic in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on April 24, 2008 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors defeated the Magic 10

While on the court Chris Bosh may seemed to have put up good stats, according to Jay Triano, Bosh was not a good locker room leader.

You could even see it on the court. He wasn't vocal, he didn't get into teammates' faces, and he just didn't seem like the leader of the team the way LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, or even Dirk Nowitzki, is.

Fresh Start

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 22: Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors shoots a jump shot during a game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on January 22, 2011 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downl

With Bosh gone, this marks a fresh start in Toronto, and it didn't seem like the Raptors were going anywhere with Bosh leading the way.

This time, Colangelo is starting over and will try and build this team as a contender to last.