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Bosh gains the most from Carter's trade: think the Raptors' trade of Vince Carter was all about attitudes and cap space? Think again. Toronto had a very big player to protect

Sporting News, The, Dec 27, 2004 by Sean Deveney

There are obvious winners in the settling of the Vince Carter sweepstakes. Raptors coach Sam Mitchell might count himself as chief among them now that he finally has useful bodies to replace the gimp-kneed Carter. And, certainly, the Raptors' ownership group is thrilled to have Carter's contract off its books.

Nets point guard Jason Kidd might think of himself as a winner, too, with the addition of a second scoring weapon on the wing opposite Richard Jefferson. And any of the handful of Nets season-ticket holders surely are feeling better about heading to East Rutherford to watch more of Carter's acrobatics and less of Eric Williams' fundamentals.

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But the real winner in the deal--Carter was shipped to New Jersey for Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and two draft picks--is a guy who, on the surface, has nothing whatsoever to do with the trade.

Second-year Raptors big man Chris Bosh is the central figure in this trade for Toronto, the player behind the Raptors' desire to bring in most of the Nets' front line in exchange for Carter.

Rewind to the preseason, when Bosh showed up bearing 20 pounds of extra muscle, prepared to bump and bully his way through a full year at power forward after playing out of position at center most of last season. Mitchell said, "We're going to try to keep (Bosh) away (from the center spot), but in case of emergency break glass." Well, the Raptors have been breaking glass nightly, with rookie center Rafael Araujo banished to the bench and Loren Woods, who is shooting a baffling 42.1 percent, getting the starting spot but not starter's minutes.

Those minutes have been going to Bosh, who has been playing too many of his team-high 34.8 per game at center. He is only 20, just nine months older than draftmate LeBron James. Bosh has not been able to make the big sophomore leap that James and Dwyane Wade have made, mostly because his development has been stunted by the Raptors' lack of frontcourt help. Bosh averaged 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds last season and is averaging 13.1 points and 7.4 rebounds this season.

"Chris has always looked at this as an opportunity to learn more about playing center," says his agent, Henry Thomas. "But there's no question that his position is power forward, and the more big bodies they can add, the more it will allow him to develop the things he does best."

Bosh outplayed Kevin Garnett last week in Toronto. He can be a terrific help defender, with long arms and good shot-blocking instincts. He still is not big enough to hold off bulky power forwards, but he is athletic and smart enough to guard versatile power forwards and even small forwards. He has shooting range to 20 feet, which allows the Raptors to create offensive mismatches--when Bosh is playing power forward, at least. At center, Bosh spends too much time confined to the paint.

True, the Raptors could have saved more money if they had traded Carter and Jalen Rose to the Knicks for Penny Hardaway and Tim Thomas. But that would have done nothing to help Bosh. In one transaction, the Raptors revamped their center depth, even if Mourning--who reportedly is seeking a buyout--doesn't play. Aaron Williams and Woods can fill in as the centers, and Eric Williams is a rugged small forward who can help on defense. Bosh, finally, can settle in at his natural position.

Mitchell promised he would break glass only in an emergency, but the fatigue that was setting in on Bosh clearly constituted a separate emergency--potentially, Bosh's chance to develop into a star-caliber player would be diminished.

The future of Carter and the Nets is the topic of discussion, but it's Bosh who should be smiling widest.

Let's be frank: The Nets still have problems

It was a swell story when Lawrence Frank took over the Nets last season and watched his team, which had struggled under Byron Scott, awaken and win his first 13 games as coach. Frank had the Nets running tight, precise practices and quickly cleaned up some of their sloppy tendencies on both ends of the floor-it was an excellent coaching job for a 33-year-old with a limited NBA background.

But if Frank thought taking over the Nets in midseason was hard, he now faces a tougher challenge. Sure, he has Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson on his side--a tremendous fast-break combo--but he lacks rebounders and defense in the frontcourt. Center Jason Collins is slow defensively and has been awful offensively, and his backups are rookie Nenad Krstic and journeyman Jabari Smith. Brian Scalabrine is the team's only power forward.

In addition to the frontcourt problem is the Carter problem. Will his softness and chronic injuries suddenly disappear now that he is out of Toronto? Not likely. And Frank now must deal with a bigger issue: increased expectations that come with adding Carter.

Frank is a good coach, and Kidd is good enough to lead a team almost single-handedly to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. But in adding Carter, the Nets have also added some real problems.

Bosh gains the most from Carter's trade: think the Raptors' trade of Vince Carter was all about attitudes and cap space? Think again. Toronto had a very big player to protect

Sporting News, The, Dec 27, 2004 by Sean Deveney

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