Chris Bosh Says LeBron’s Departure “Revitalized” His Attitude
The Miami Heat understand that they have a lot to improve after losing the league’s best player. Chris Bosh, who himself was close to leaving Miami this summer as a free agent for a deal with the Houston Rockets, spoke on his attitude following the departure of his teammate LeBron James in a Miami radio interview:
I think we have a very good team. Looking at the guys we’re bringing in, we have a chance to be very good. I know we don’t have the best player in the world; that’s an obvious thing. But teamwise, if we come together we can do a bunch of special things. We’re still going to be competitive. It gives us an opportunity to play with a chip on our shoulder. It has revitalized my attitude towards basketball a little bit. And I’m really excited.
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Bosh went ahead and re-signed with Miami along with Dwayne Wade after LeBron left. The guys they’ve since brought in are Josh McRoberts, Luol Deng, Danny Granger, Shawne Williams, and draftee Shabazz Napier, who Miami pushed to draft in hopes of appeasing LeBron’s desires.
If healthy, the Miami Heat still have themselves a basketball team. The scoring and playmaking does fall much more on Bosh and Dwayne Wade now. Wade says he has lost weight and is ready to embrace the challenge of being the go-to guy again, and I for one would love to see him make that statement, but that’s likely much needed in order for this Heat team to stay afloat. Plus, look around, the Eastern Conference is much improved.
Chris Bosh will now alternate between go-to and number two, which his game is still built for. Ultimately I see Erik Spolestra trying to emphasize more ball movement and depth to try and squeeze production out of his entire group. I think this added incentive of LeBron’s absence is already giving way for guys like Bosh and Wade, who are the most critical for the Heat in this process. Pat Riley says he’s moved on, and now his team is too.