The NBA’s 30 best go-to players (#18: Chris Bosh)
Every NBA team has a go-to guy, and there’s really only room for one. And it’s not strictly who takes the last-second shot. It’s the guy who regularly gets the ball when things are getting tense in the fourth; the guy expected to calm things down when teammates are getting sloppy; the guy called upon to snuff out an opponent’s rally, or spark a rally of his own; the guy who’s not just supposed to make shots, but make the right decisions. Bottom line: Who do you want the offense to run through when everything is on the line? From #30 to #1 (one per team), these are the League’s best go-to guys…
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You know those girls that have all the elements of being fine, but for whatever reason, actually aren’t that fine? They could have good silky hair, smooth skin, nice body, the right idea of how to wear clothes and makeup; but when you really look closely, they just aren’t getting the job done. Think Aubrey O’Day or Trina and you get what I’m talking about.
That’s where Chris Bosh fits as an elite NBA go-to guy. Bosh has all the elements of a superstar: size (6-10, 250 after adding muscle this summer) and quickness, plus a pretty complete skill set for a power forward; ability to score from the post or mid-range (22.7 ppg), plus he hits his free throws (81.7% FT); he can rebound and block shots (10.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg), and isn’t a bad passer; his resume even includes a decent list of game-winners, crunch-time buckets and games where he’s simply dominated by himself.
But when you really look closely at Bosh, when it really comes down to it, do you trust him as The Man on your team like you would a D-Wade, Duncan or even Dirk?
As disappointing as the Raptors were last season, Bosh wasn’t bad as their focal point — and yet he wasn’t as good as his talent would seem to warrant. Per 48 minutes of “clutch time” (according to 82games.com) he produced 34.2 points, 19th-best in the League and ahead of guys like Danny Granger, Deron Williams and Andre Iguodala, and a mere percentage point behind Vince Carter. Bosh hit 45.8% from the field in the clutch, right in line with Kobe and Paul Pierce, and his 14.8 rebounds per 48 minutes of clutch was just outside the League’s Top-15. He had games where he hung 30 and 40 points on the NBA’s best post defenders (CB4 especially seems to have Dwight Howard’s number), games where he owned the glass (which should happen more often with the extra bulk), and games where he was as reliable down the stretch as any superstar. Bosh can also keep the defense off-balance by making the occasional three — and he actually hit 60 percent of the threes he took in crunch time.
Then there are other times where he finds himself bottled up on crucial possessions by defenders he should be dominating, or relying too much on his jumper when he could get easier shots closer to the rim.
This season, and more likely, this summer we’ll learn a lot about Bosh as a go-to guy. If he is the true Alpha Male type who wants to lead, he’ll either stay in Toronto or sign with another team where he can be The Man. If he’s more comfortable as a No. 2 or No. 3 complimentary player, he’ll team up with LeBron or D-Wade, or go somewhere else where the pressure is off.
It’s not an indictment of Bosh’s talent if he never becomes an elite go-to guy. There’s only room for so many of those types in the world, and some players just don’t have that kind of personality. Bosh has every element at his disposal to move up in the ranks, though, if he really wants it.
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19. Andre Iguodala
20. Tracy McGrady
21. Baron Davis
22. Michael Redd
23. Devin Harris
24. Kevin Martin
25. Al Jefferson
26. O.J. Mayo
27. Stephen Jackson
28. Nate Robinson
29. Boris Diaw
30. Rip Hamilton
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October 2nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Kobeef says:
The only problem with Bosh as a go-to guy is that…well, he’s not.
He is not the guy that takes over a game when his team needs a win. Sure, he’s an important part of the win, but so far, I can’t imagine his team is thinking “give it to Bosh, he’ll find a way”.
The truth is that the raptors didn’t have a go-to guy…that is why they signed Hedo.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:26 pm
doc says:
He’s Toronto’s go to guy.Hedos not.But he would be better in a second bananna role.Team him up with Bron or Wade and he becomes a Pau Gasol type force.U know,puts up good numbers on shitty teams alone but with a beast he can elevate his status.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:33 pm
BRUCE says:
Bosh have the skills but do not have the size to impose his skills or will.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Kobeef says:
@Doc
Yeah…I’m gonna have to say you are wrong about that one.
When it comes to the make or break play at the end of the game, the ball is going to be with Hedo more often than not. Hedo slashes, passes and shoots better than Bosh and will be the man with the ball.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
str8ganksta says:
too much talk about the raptors on this site this week. its as if they’re in a big market or something. :O
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Rizwan says:
I agree this is about right for CB4 but there is a valid argument for Derrick Rose to be here at 18 instead. He was a rookiewho did really well in the playoffs for 1 season. CB4 has been consistently doing it for the Raptors.
The teams are about eqaul with the Raps perhaps shading it so why CB4 at 18? D Rose could be awesome but is perhaps overrated at this point in his career. I mean his D last year was quite bad at times. D Rose has to be next. I do not want to see Deron Williams or Danny Granger here at 17.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Rizwan says:
I’m gonna have a go naming the remaining players as they should be ranked:
17 – Derrick Rose
16 – Danny Granger
15 – Deron Williams
14 – Joe Johnson
13 – Gilbert Areans
12 – Amare
11 – Dirk
10 – Tim Duncan/Tony Parker (couldnt choose between them)
9 – Kevin Durant
8 – CP3
7 – Brandon Roy
6 – Paul Pierce
5 – D12
4 – LBJ
3 – Carmelo
2 – Dwyane Wade
1 – Kobe
About right?
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Rizwan says:
I was leaning towards pushing Amare higher if hadn’t been injured last year.
Go Suns!
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:54 pm
doc says:
We can agree to disagree kobeef.I just know better and Bosh gonna get more touches than Hedo this year.Book it!Thats why Hedo wont be on this list.Just because you can slash pass and shoot dont make you the go to guy.Thats why Big Als the guy in Minny.Thats why Bosh is here.And why Andre Miller wasnt ours last year.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
flyp says:
‘Melo or Billups?
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:59 pm
doc says:
@Fly P-Melo
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:59 pm
doc says:
And Rizwan its Timmy by a mile dog.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:07 pm
doc says:
Looking at the list yall disrespecting Big Al.If Durant aint come up yet and they won 2 games last year.How is Al so low.I seen dude have 40 and 20 games last year.Who can do that ranked ahead of him so far.Nooobody.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Rizwan says:
@ Doc
I’m not sure its that clear cut now. Tony Parker runs the offense more often than not.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:26 pm
doc says:
No he dont riz.Tim gets that thing down low and Tony plays off him.San an cuts and spot up off of Tim and they get that ball whipping around and when Tony gets it he can go.The ball goes to Tim whenever he wants it.Not Tony.Its clear cut Tony just average his most points last year and people hype it up like he the man of the team.If Manu healthy he’s not even averaging that again.And the question is whos second out of them 2.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:29 pm
doc says:
The whole reason they got merked in the playoffs last year was Tim wasnt healthy.And Tony showed he can score.But didnt we know that already?Where did he show he could run that team though.CP3 ran through the same team he lost to as THE MAN the year before.I know Dallas switched coaches but please,a healthy Tim and that series is going more than a punk ass 5 I know that.
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Shit its Timmy by 3 frickin miles..
First Tony aint even seen what he can be clutch wise without Timmy cuz in the clutch Timmy is the focus..
And for a PF who nevers shoots outside of 10-15 ft to hit 15+ jumpers when he HAS to says it all for me.. The shot before Fisher’s .4 was STUPID.. He even admitted he couldnt see the rim cuz Shaq was coming at him he just let it go and cashed out a good 17-20 footer with Shaq FLYING at him and with under 2 seconds left.. CRAZY..
the Suns 3ball cemented him as the best PF to ever touch ball IMO.. That shit was so unreal.. I mean come on open or not i think it was the first 3 he hit all year.. and he did it under those circumstances??
Sad to see people sleeping on Timmay just cuz Tony is young stud..
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Dagomar says:
The ball will be in Turk’s hands in the fourth quarter. He’ll be called upon to make the clutch buckets more often than not. As for Bosh . . . the guy’s a lot better than this ranking indicates.
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:57 pm
NC says:
@ AB – Raps fan here … I agree with this article. Love Bosh on the Raps, but he’s not top 10 … yet.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:05 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
@ Doc yeah that’s a hard one. I say Tim used to be the go to guy but is passing the torch to TP. Tim only has maybe 3 or 4 seasons left and at the latter part of those seasons he will be like Hakeem on his way out. But when he leaves his is totally TP’s team.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:57 pm
utahJZZ says:
Bosh is the best young PF in the league, the only kid at PF with more potential is probably Blake Griffin. Is he worth Kobe or Wade money? NO, 14-18 mill a season is more then reasonable.
Anyways I think this is Andrea Bargnani’s team IF he can finally grab a decent number of boards per contest.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 pm
sh!tfaced says:
D-How over Pierce? Howard couldn’t shoot his freethrows even if his own life depended on it. Paul has at least beat the Lakers, while D12 never has…
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Ian says:
lakeshow
u r right in the clutch between timmeh and parker is timmeh but the ball is in manus hands in crunch time no doubt about it.
doc
parker is the best pg in the league what the fuck is that paul comment. the reason the spurs lost wasnt tims health it was manus health btw what more do u want from parker in that series? u wanted him to win 1 on 5?? did u see mason , finley and the rest of the spurs in that series pathetic.
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Ian says:
big shot
tim wont suck like hakeem at the end at least i hope he goes out like the admiral instead of the dream or ewing.
that torch was passed in the 07 finals this is tps team.
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Josh says:
@Rizwan
I personally think a go-to guy needs to be able to hit his free throws. That makes Dwight’s ranking way too high.
And Deron at 15 is just disrespectful. He’s way more clutch than Joe Johnson.
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:11 am
Ricky says:
I think Al Jefferson should be higher too and Dwight ain’t the go to guy for Orlando, it’s going to be either vince or jameer. If dwight ever touches the ball in a close game you know the other team is going to foul him, and what is he like 60% at the line?
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:47 am
the cynic says:
Turk is a way better crunch time player then Bosh, but he hasn’t played a game with the raptors. I don’t think you can be a go to player for a team when you have not even played a game for said team.
Tim Duncan is the go to player for the spurs. The only time Parker is the go to player is when he over handles the ball, which is when the spurs suck(not saying parker stinks, he is a great player)
October 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
bdk23 says:
looooooooooool @ this idiot putting lebron # 4….what game of basketball are you watching moron
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
dial up says:
lebron was on the fourth best team last year. So, sounds about right.
October 3rd, 2009 at 3:27 pm
kevin k says:
Bosh is just like KG. Very similar frame and game style. More of a finesse player than a banger. Only difference is KG has that mean streak and dominates the boards and D while Bosh is softer. Give Bosh a go-to player like D-Wade or Lebron alas KG with Pierce and Ray, and he it’s a guarantee Chip.
October 3rd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
The Real Tyrone's Baby Momma says:
@bdk3
you’re the moron who is buying into the hype of lebron. he is awesome but give me a plausible case of why he should be ahead of Carmelo, who is one of the best pure scorers in the league, whilst Dwayne Wade and Kobe do not need me to write about them here, any fan should know. which you obviously do not know, so I cleared it up for you.
@ Josh
I’m gonna wait for this season before I rank Paul Pierce higher than D12. Why? I wanna see who takes thier team further. I’m a huge fan of Deron but lets face it, its only his team now. Before Boozer was the go to guy at the end.
@ shitfaced
So what if Pierce has beaten the Lakers? The list is dependent on their clutch ability not their accomplishments otherwise Durant would not be so high and a few others would not even make the list.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:52 pm
DMat says:
@str8ganksta
You’re an idiot!! straight up. Raptors was in the top ten for attendance in 2009. I won’t even get into the size of the city or number of major media companies or diversity or population cause that might be over your head
October 4th, 2009 at 10:09 am
bdk23 says:
@ dial up so then what your really saying is that lebron is 4th best player in the league? which would make you an even bigger fool that I thought you were to begin with
and
@i think you better call TYRONE ..buying into what hype? loool, this is the first year that lebron actually has a legitimate team! and look what that really consists of
(moon + parker who really didnt do squat in toronto for 2 years while either or both were daily starters and the big aristotle who actually will contribute but even less significantly than he did when he won a championship with wade. I still can’t believe you retards on here who still do not believe lebron is the best scorer/all round athlete in this game of basketball today!If he had half of the amount of attention diverted from him that kobe does(a la gasol,odom,bynum) or melo(chauncey,nene) he would average 40+ every single game EASSSSSILLY!!!
October 4th, 2009 at 10:10 am
bdk23 says:
or should i say @ tyronesbabymommma lol
October 4th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Rizwan says:
What, you didnt find tyrone’s baby momma funny?
BDK23, you make some good points and no one disputes LBJ as the best athlete and player in the league but I would still want Kobe or D Wade with the ball for the final 5 minutes lets say. The other 37 would be with Lebron but Kobe and D Wade are better scorers.
And as to your point about teams around them, you contradict yourself. Gasol has been there for 1 full season, as has Chauncey so saying LBJ has a team around him now is not really an argument. D Wade had a horrible team last season so defenses are all over him yet he still led all scorers. I think its a tough one to argue cuz I’m a huge LBJ fan but I’m a a huge Kobe fan also!
October 4th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
bdk23 says:
dumbass how am i contrdicting myself…without gasol taking pressure off kobe and chauncey taking pressure off melo they arent able to score as easily as someone like lebron who really plays 1 on 5 on offence for the past 6 seasons!!!wade had shaq that year and yes he won a championship why???because he was able to score much easier because a ton of pressure was lifted off of him from shaqs arrival. Look at how much BOTH teams changed with the arrivals of GASOL and CHAUNCEY…they went to contender status in a day from being mediocore. PERIOD
If lebron was in either place of kobe or melo he would have had 2! championships by now….BELIEVE THAT….Kobe would win on denver but not in cleveland and melo would lose on both horribly!!!!
October 5th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Rizwan says:
I didnt realize the teams got better, thanks for pointing that out(!) but what I meant was that having the teams around them is not the issue.
Dwayne Wade had no team last year but led scoring so he has to be in the top 2 because they were in the playoffs also.
Kobe is the a predator so he was inevitably gonna be no 1.
LBJ is 4th but he could be third but he isnt above DWade and Kobe.
October 5th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
karizmatic says:
Chris Bosh is the new KG…and Trina is fine as hell.
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:43 am
Chris Botch says:
Chris Botch…the name says it all.botch has popcorn butter grease slathered all over her hands come 4th qtr.