WORLDSPORTS
DECEMBER 2013
SAME OLD ROLE
James will remain the take-charge
guy for the Heat.
gled with plaguing knee injuries. So has
Bosh, to a lesser degree.
Oden is the younger of the two by
four years and any wise front office is
looking at succession ahead of LeBron
James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh
becoming free agents in the summer
of 2014. Fasten your seat belts for that
circus expedition.
Bottom line is this: Anyone is
dispensable. Even Derrick Fisher was
let go after being a chief part of the Los
Angeles Lakers winning five titles during
his career alongside Kobe Bryant. Admittedly, he’s not a big man, but he was part
of a core championship-winning team.
IS IT TIME TO
BREAK THE
‘BIG THREE’?
To Bosh’s credit, he does have a
sweet mid-range jumper. Upon closer inspection, he was decimated on the boards
by Duncan and Hibbert in the postseason. Both rival players averaged more
points and total rebounds, 10.2/18.1 and
9.9/17.0, respectively, than Bosh's 7.3
rebounds and 12.1 points per game.
Oden’s role on the team will definitely add length to the Heat and offer a
valuable option off the bench when Bosh
needs a rest down the stretch. It also
gives Miami the option to go big with an
Oden-Chris “Birdman” Andersen tandem
to prevent easy buckets from drivers in
the paint.
Sure, Greg Oden hasn’t been in the
game for several seasons and has strug-
Mind you, the Lakers were bent on
going young at the point guard position
and looking ahead. I get that.
That’s just the point and why Chris
Bosh -- the most replaceable member of
the Big Three – should be given a closer
look when Heat starters are assembled.
Perhaps, not even Birdman and Oden
are not the wisest choices for the team’s
starting center. However, Bosh wouldn’t
be high on my tiny list of candidates.
Last season’s close call was too much
to bear. THE GAME
BATTLING TO STAY FIT
Wade will face the challenge
of keeping free from injuries.
sports magazine t h e g a m e
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