NBA All-Star Game: Did Chris Bosh Deserve to Make the East Roster?
With All-Star weekend coming up, it's time to take a look at whether or not Chris Bosh, the power forward for the Miami Heat, actually deserves to be on the Eastern roster.
This is Bosh's sixth selection to the NBA All-Star team. Six selections is impressive when you remember that in the early days of 2003 Bosh was still just a freshman for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
But for the first time in a while, Bosh's name on the All-Star roster might be a little bit out of place. He's having a fine season, but is it really an All-Star-worthy one?
Let's take a look.
Yes: His Stats Are Impressive
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The first things that anyone looks at are the numbers. After all, as the saying goes, stats don't lie.
Through the first 50 games which he's played in, Chris Bosh has been on the court for an average of 35.7 minutes per contest in 2010-2011. During that time, he's averaged 18.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.8 steals per game.
Only 29 players in the NBA have scored more points on average than Bosh and only 18 players have cleaned the glass better.
Are they All-Star numbers? Maybe so.
No: His Stats Are Down From Last Year
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Remember how I said that stats don't lie? Well they do when you don't look at all aspects of them.
When looking at Chris Bosh's stats, it's important to look at them with perspective. Bosh is actually playing much worse this season than he has throughout his career.
Out of all the numbers I mentioned on the previous slide, the only one where Bosh matches his career average is steals per game. He's scoring less points, grabbing less boards, dishing out less assists and blocking less shots than he has over the duration of his career.
When you compare his numbers to last season's, it looks even worse. All of his percentages have dropped and the only number that has gone up is that pesky steal total.
One would think that making the transition from unquestioned superstar in Toronto to third fiddle in Miami would make Bosh play more efficiently, but that simply has not been the case.
No: He Isn't Living Up to Expectations
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Before the season, I was doing a fantasy auction draft with a bunch of friends to see who knew their basketball best. I'm not going to get into how the season has gone for me because I'd rather not think about it, but I am going to tell you a story.
Chris Bosh was nominated for bidding and my friend Michael just lit up the space for chatting. He guaranteed that Bosh would average at least 25 points and 15 rebounds per game. In fact, it wouldn't even be close. All the attention that Dwyane Wade and LeBron James demand would make things unfairly easy for the power forward, he said.
Yeah, about that.
In 50 games, Bosh has broken the 25-point barrier just four times. The most rebounds he's had in those four games has been 13. Bosh has actually pulled down 15 rebounds...drum roll...one time so far this season.
Needless to say, we've been giving Michael grief throughout the season. We even started calling him Mr. 25/15 at one point.
But the thing is, Michael wasn't alone. Tons of people expected big things from Bosh this season and he's simply been underwhelming.
Yes: He Plays for the Miami Heat
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Take a look at that picture for a second. Isn't that the kind of thing you want to see in an All-Star Game, just with both players wearing the All-Star jerseys?
This showcase is simply that: a showcase. We want to see the games biggest stars come and play.
No team has been more galvanizing, generated as much publicity or inspired so much hatred as the Miami Heat. When LeBron James uttered the now-famous line about taking his talents to South Beach, the bullseye was placed squarely on the Heat.
People follow them and thus Chris Bosh is made into more of an All-Star. The fact that they've been successful only helps his argument.
No: He Plays for the Miami Heat
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Take a look at this picture one more time.
Honestly, who do you think earned this high five? Was LeBron James congratulating Chris Bosh on throwing down a dunk or was he receiving the congratulations from his underling after completing yet another highlight-reel play?
To be perfectly frank, I have absolutely no idea, but I would be willing to bet that it's the latter.
Chris Bosh may play for a great basketball team that generates a lot of publicity, but that should come back to bite him as well.
On a team like the Boston Celtics, it's perfectly valid for four players to make the All-Star roster. Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett all contribute largely. Anyone can take over a game on any given day.
But when was the last time you heard about Bosh taking the team on his back?
Yes: He Doesn't Play Defense
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Chris Bosh has done a lot of standing around on the defensive end this season. There's no way that a big power forward in a good defensive system should be averaging just 0.7 blocks per game.
Bosh has averaged over a block per game throughout his career. The average has steadily gone down throughout his career, but this is far lower than ever.
Fortunately, that just means that Bosh will fit in with the All-Star team. It's not like defense will be played in Los Angeles, anyway.
No: He Doesn't Play Defense
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I chose the same picture again here for a reason. That kind of standing around is just unacceptable.
I may joke about it like I did on the previous play, but the truth is that Bosh could be doing a lot more to help his team.
He's not blocking shots and he's really not rebounding at the same level he's accustomed to throughout his career. It may be the move to a different system, but a periodic lack of effort could be the culprit here as well.
In my opinion, a player that doesn't play defense well doesn't belong in the All-Star Game unless his offensive prowess makes up for it. Bosh's offense most assuredly does not.
Yes: He's One of the Elite Players at His Position
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There's a reason that Chris Bosh did indeed make the roster.
After all, the All-Star Game is about putting together the best players at each position, and there really aren't that many better power forwards in the NBA, much less in the Eastern Conference.
If people are asked to think about the elite players in the NBA, Bosh's name is going to come up at least a few times.
But then again, people aren't exactly infallible. If they were, Kevin Love wouldn't have been snubbed for Tim Duncan and Yao Ming.
No: Josh Smith Is Better
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If there's even one superior power forward that was left off the Eastern roster in favor of Chris Bosh, then it automatically means he doesn't belong in the All-Star Game.
As you've probably guessed by now, Josh Smith is that one player who fits the role.
The Atlanta Hawks forward is averaging 16.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. He may be scoring two less points per contest, but I'm pretty sure his superior numbers in every single other counting stat make up for the difference and then some.
John Hollinger's PER agrees with me as well, since Smith's 19.56 is slightly higher than Bosh's 19.38. The difference is only marginal but it's still in Smith's favor.
And that should put the nail in the coffin for this argument.
Overall: No
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Josh Smith would absolutely have been a better choice for the East. Chris Bosh simply doesn't belong this season.
He's been limited at the defensive end, his reputation is boosted by the fact that he's a member of the Miami Heat, and, while impressive, his stats are not up to his normal standards. They're not really up to Smith's standards either.
Bosh may play well this weekend, but he probably doesn't deserve the opportunity to do so.
