Why is Bosh stuggling with the international game?
I have not seen much of Bosh in the NBA but by all accounts he is a great player. However, he does seem to be struggling to adjust to the international game more so than other U.S. players. Can someone enlighten me on what it is about his game that is making it harder for him to be effective? Or is he just low on confidence at the current time?
I have not seen much of Bosh in the NBA but by all accounts he is a great player. However, he does seem to be struggling to adjust to the international game more so than other U.S. players. Can someone enlighten me on what it is about his game that is making it harder for him to be effective? Or is he just low on confidence at the current time?
Hes far from a great player in the NBA, hes a good up and coming player but I think he gets alittle overrated because hes the best player on a bad team. Hes still good but hes not great yet.
He's doing well today because it's Senegal. There are NCAA bball teams that could beat Senegal. Against such weak opposition Coach K is able to substitute like the Dream Team used to, just throw anyone out there and whup ass. That said, it does point to Bosh's general problem: playing time. It's true that being on the floor alongside Wade, Melo, Bron limits his effectiveness but he'd still be able to get a few baskets if he was out there, even with them. But what Team USA needs most from it's bigs is defense, and with Bron playing a lot of PF that falls squarely on the center. Chris Bosh isn't much of a defender anyhow, and when he's put at center where he has a muscle disadvantage most of the time this is made worse. Dwight Howard and Elton Brand, conversely, are excellent defenders and not lacking in strength at all. And Brand is also a better offensive player than Bosh. It all adds up to Bosh not getting pt. If he was able to stay out there and get into a rhythm he'd do better.
Bosh is not a good open floor scorer, he is better at scoring in the half court with his great 17 footer and driving abilities, but his talents are not being utilized. Does it matter to me as a Bosh fan? No. Team USA does not need his offense, certainly not his defense, thus far. If he gets low PT, who cares if he struggles or not. He isn't effecting the team negatively while being on the bench.
Its not that he's heavily struggling in the international game, its just that there are other players on the USA squad that do more for the team as big men than Bosh.
As was said today's ESPN Insider article, Brand and Howard's defense, rebounding tenacity, and advanced low-post play, contribute more to the needs of the team than Bosh's mid-range driving game.
He shouldn't be discouraged, just concentrate on defense and rebounding more, then he could get more PT.
He shouldn't be discouraged, just concentrate on defense and rebounding more, then he could get more PT.
No, he doesn't need to concentrate on that, since those are his two biggest weaknesses. Unfortunately, we only have 2 guys on the US roster who can bring those two attributes, but that's what we have to work with.
By concentrating on defense and rebounding, Bosh is playing right into the hands of the opposition. Anybody who watched the exhibitions and WC games would have seen Bosh try to mix it up in the paint with bulky centers. you would have seen him get pushed out of position constantly for rebounds and you would have seen him not utilize his effective mid-range game.
I still think Bosh is being seriously mis-utilized here. Incorporate his mid-range game into the offense, and stop trying to force him into becoming a defensive/rebounding role player that he isn't.
I still think Bosh is being seriously mis-utilized here. Incorporate his mid-range game into the offense, and stop trying to force him into becoming a defensive/rebounding role player that he isn't.
Maybe mis-utilized, but also maybe just poorly selected for the team.
When you have the likes of Wade, Lebron, and Melo, who are all more prolific scores than Bosh, the big-men for Team USA should have relfected the fact that these three would have the ball in their hands and the scoring burden on their shoulders.
Bosh is an excellent mid-range scorer in the NBA for a big man, but Melo has proved to be a much more effective midrange scorer for Team USA.
Coach K isn't going to intentionally take plays away from his top scorer and team co-captain to attempt to involve the 11th man on the team, so in order for Bosh to be effective and actually play he's going to have to do something else for the team.
I understand your point about playing into the opposition's plans of taking away your strengths, but if he doesn't do something else he simply will continue to ride the pine.
Maybe mis-utilized, but also maybe just poorly selected for the team.
Yes, but there is absolutely nothing you can do about that any more. The teams selected. Even the original national team roster was seriously short on big men. Chris was selected for the final 12 because of that shortage.
Yes, but there is absolutely nothing you can do about that any more. The teams selected. Even the original national team roster was seriously short on big men. Chris was selected for the final 12 because of that shortage.
Yup and absolutely nothing you can do about the fact that his little mid-range jumper game doesn't have a place in the USA's offense.
I'd take an mid-ranged, baseline, Iso/Pick and Roll for Melo, Lebron, Joe Johnson, Elton Brand, Wade, Kirk Hinrich, over Bosh anyday.
But hey, nothing we can do about that, right? If only you were an assistant to Coach K.
Well i guess we're in the same boat then.... USA USA USA!!!!
On a side note....
Do you also get frustrated with how much people on this board think Chris Bosh is practically the savior for big men in the NBA? I've heard so many Kevin Garnett comparisions it makes me sick.
Sure he's a good player, an allstar, and a quasi-franchise player, but the extent to which people go to make him sound amazing is too far. In 5 years people will feel pretty ridiculous for saying Bosh will end up being better than Dwight Howard
Hes far from a great player in the NBA, hes a good up and coming player but I think he gets alittle overrated because hes the best player on a bad team. Hes still good but hes not great yet.
What are you talking about. Hes not far from being a great player in the NBA. He's already all star bound. He's a kind of Rasheed Wallace/Lamar Odom type of player. How can you say hes overrated, hes the star at Toronto thats the only title he had besides being an all star.
He was doing really well against Senegal. He was there finishing every play and cleaning up the glass when somebody missed. Too bad D-Wade didnt play...
I think 21 points was enough to tell how much Bosh sucks.
Last edited by kobedaman24 : 08-24-2006 at 02:11 PM.
He struggling because his skill level and court sense are far below that of his athletic abilities. That's fine for NBA play because play here is based more on "mini-games" ( 1v1 or 2v2). In FIBA play court sense and skill are just as important as athleticism.
Bosh doesn't understand/know when, where, or how to move without the ball. Due to that he can not be spoon fed the ball in spots he's effective with it.
His handle is only good enough to beat a slower defender on a drive to the hoop. FIBA, unlike the NBA, has no rules against zone defenses or defenders sitting in the lane. So help defenders arrives a lot quicker. This means that when he does get past his defender he is unable to beat the next defender coming at him.
I think the problem Bosh has is that USA wants to play small so when Bosh enters the game he has to play Center and thats where the problem is. Most of the other team's centers are big and much stronger than the skinny Bosh. The first exhibition game they had against PR, they started Bosh at Center. This move proved to be bad when the clumsy Daniel Santiago and clumsier Peter John Ramos where easily able to get to the basket because they could shove Bosh totally out of the way. Even in international ball, if your going to play inside, you still need some muscle.
Why is Bosh stuggling with the international game?
