Part of what dissuaded Chris Bosh from signing with the Rockets was the prospect of forming yet another “Big Three,” this time with James Harden and Dwight Howard, and inviting the expectations that would come along with it, as Bosh tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
“I could see where people would think that’s an attractive site,” Bosh said of Houston. “They were trying to win right away. And I was really happy to be touted that I possibly could’ve been out there. But you know, that doesn’t guarantee anything, and I know that. All that guarantees is a bunch of pressure.”
The Rockets have been just fine without Bosh so far, Monday’s loss to the Grizzlies notwithstanding, while Bosh and the Heat broke out of a slump in a win against the Nets. Here’s more from South Beach:
- Among the myriad reasons Bosh chose to remain with the Heat was that he was simply used to living in Miami, as the big man explained to Berger for the same piece. “I’m familiar with people,” Bosh said. “I know how to get to work. And if there’s traffic, I know the shortcuts. It’s those small things that I really love about the city and I love about being comfortable that guided me back. And you know, if you can make a couple of dollars on the side, then it works out.”
- Shawne Williams had played just 61 NBA games in the three years before he joined the Heat this past offseason, but coach Erik Spoelstra has long been a fan of his new starting power forward’s game, notes Francisco Rivero of Heat.com. “I’ve liked him for three or four years,” Spoelstra said. “His skill set, his toughness, that in the right situation and the right commitment to his conditioning and his weight and strength, he could be a guy that fits in our style of play. And I think that’s what you’re seeing right now. He looks totally different. He remade his body this summer.”
- Much has changed in Miami, but the Heat remain a dangerous team thanks in part to their decision to bring back Bosh, Mario Chalmers and others from their battle-tested core, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post examines.