Chris Bosh (photo. Nike)

Around the time it became clear Chris Bosh was not going to spend his entire career in Toronto, two seemingly natural destinations for CB4 were Dallas and Houston. Bosh would be looking for a franchise with more exposure, he’s a Texas native, and both of those teams could use a big man — especially Houston, since Yao Ming‘s legs are as sturdy as a LEGO skyscraper. But after the Rockets took on Kevin Martin and Jared Jeffries‘ salaries in the T-Mac trade (about $18 million combined for next season), it seemed Houston was out of the race for any big-time free agents. Not so fast, though. While Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo‘s comments yesterday that Bosh is “likely” leaving T-Dot are no surprise, it was kind of a surprise to hear the Rockets and Mavs are still trying to bring Bosh home … On paper, the Rockets stand a better chance. They have some solid pieces to offer the Raps in a sign-and-trade, and they can give Bosh what he wants as a kinda-sorta No. 1 guy — or at least 1A/1B with Yao — along with exposure unlike any market in the League. New York is New York, but seriously, why do you think Chuck Hayes has a sneaker deal? It’s not because all the kids want to shoot free throws like him … Scariest rumor in the world if you’re a Phoenix fan: Billy King is one of the candidates for the Suns’ vacant GM job. That may be enough to stamp Amar’e Stoudemire‘s ticket out of town and force Grant Hill into retirement, and then King would spend the cap space signing Hakim Warrick to a $54 million deal … The bigger question is who will replace Rod Thorn in New Jersey? The Nets’ shot-caller is reportedly preparing to retire, but will stick around for the beginning stages of free agency. Still, ID’ing his replacement may play a big role in whether the Nets can land big-time free agents. Their owner has a boatload of money, so there’s no shortage of high-profile candidates … Chris Paul is in London doing promo work for Jordan Brand, and has agreed to give Dime exclusive access. Here’s the first entry in CP3′s travel diary, where you can get a look at his new signature kicks … When damn near everybody is going to be a free agent, it’s tough to gauge the value of certain players. Shannon Brown, for example, is reportedly going to opt-out of his $2.2 million deal. Is he due for a big raise? He was a contributor on a championship team, but is he more flash than substance? Is he a breakout starter just waiting for his shot, or is he a shorter, buffer Gerald Green? Then there’s Raja Bell, who will be getting interest from contenders. Bell told us that Miami is an ideal spot for him, but at 33 years old and coming off an injury, does he have room to get picky? … The Gilbert Arenas-to-Orlando trade rumors aren’t going away. Do you think this could actually work out in the Magic’s favor? The reason they got Vince Carter was they needed somebody who can create their own shot and takeover in crunch-time, and Gil can definitely do that. Plus Arenas gives you a little more versatility in the backcourt, as he can play the one or the two. But on a team where the two best players (assuming Vince is part of the trade) are notorious goofballs like Dwight Howard and Arenas, who will be the vocal leader and locker-room enforcer? They already have Patrick Ewing on the payroll; they might have to coax Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason out of retirement just to hang around and shoot threatening looks at people … Did you see the clip of Argentine soccer player Gabriel Heinze smacking a cameraman? Celebrating a goal in the World Cup, Heinze ran face-first into a camera that was hovering around, then went all A Pimp Named Slickback. If you ask us, dude is lucky he only got slapped. If Heinze had a little more Dennis Rodman in him, he could have gone lower. And an elite-level soccer player’s foot to the groin could burst your grapes … We’re out like Billy King running another team …