Mike Ulmer: Enjoy Bosh

gtanev · 03-18-2010, 04:24 PM

I have really gained some respect for Mike Ulmer since he has joined the Raptors blog team.

This article just adds to it.

Quote:

Let's Go Back To Enjoying The Guy...
March 18, 2010 - 11:05 a.m.

I’m not going to kid you, this is a great gig.

My paycheque is signed by the same people who sign Chris Bosh’s cheque and there is no difference in their size: both fit into a standard-sized envelope.

But every job has its pitfalls. The people I work with are bright, energetic and committed to their job. When I write about the failings of the Leafs or Raptors, part of me feels as if I am working at cross purposes with the very colleagues I so admire.

That said, I am accountable to the reader and to my view of the truth. My workmates and superiors understand and are wholly supportive.

There, I have declared my bias so I can say this.

I am confounded with the fascination, even obsession people have with Chris Bosh’s future.

I get that basketball, far more than hockey, is dependent on one transcendent star. I understand the impact of Bosh’s decision to stay or go. I know how important that decision is.

But when I do a Raptors chat, one question in five is about Bosh’s plans which, as everybody has heard, are known only to him.

When he plays poorly, it’s his swan song. When he doesn’t acknowledge the standing ovation for his 10,000th point, he is signaling his decision to leave. If he waved to everyone in the house and the Raps lost, he would have been castigated for putting his interests over the team.

There seems to be no enjoying the guy, even as he hit a marvelous 20-foot basket to beat Atlanta, Wednesday night.

I don’t think this reflects on our Canadian tendencies as much as the history of the Leafs and Raptors. The Leafs have a rich history of bringing free agents from other places. Once upon a time, the Blue Jays did too.

But the Raptor fans have seen generational stars such as Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady, Antonio Davis, and of course Vince Carter write their own ticket out of Dodge.

And so people fret. They fulminate. They read things into gestures or non-gestures until the conversation stops being about a player’s worth but about whether he is staying.

And that’s silly because if you lose sight of the value of a person and player, why would you worry about his future?

If these are the final days of Chris Bosh as a Raptor, so be it. Here’s hoping he goes out with a bang. The sign and trade option remains and Bryan Colangelo will bring value to a team that still needs a shakeup even after last season’s overhaul.

If he decides to stay, that’s great too.

But either way it’s time to go back to enjoying the guy because if there’s one thing we all can agree on, it’s that he’s one fine basketball player.

And maybe, at least until the season ends, that can be enough.

RAPTORS: Mike Ulmers Blog

Sick, Wicked and Nasty! · 03-18-2010, 04:28 PM

Good read. I dont' agree that everyone agrees he's one fine basketball player though

jeffb · 03-18-2010, 04:32 PM

That last part sounds like a naration to the end of an after school special.

Do after school specials still exist? Oh, but i agree fully with this article.

RAPMAN · 03-18-2010, 04:43 PM

I hope Bosh stays, but if there is a sign and trade, BC has two big strikes on his count. The JO trade was wrong, and the Hedo sign & trade has been a big BUST. If BC does a sign and trade with our franchise player, this maybe his last strike.

CB4Real · 03-18-2010, 04:50 PM

god damn it i hate mike ulmer but article is right

gtanev · 03-19-2010, 12:55 AM

Colangelo's rep gives him more than three strikes.... He is the best GM this team will ever have unless some miracle happens...

Smokeythesmokebear · 03-19-2010, 02:55 AM

We dont need Bosh , lets hope Herb Pope make it to the second round... hes the kind of player this team needs

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03-18-2010, 04:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
Sick, Wicked and Nasty! adoring his baby girl. Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Canada eh? Posts: 3,278 Representing:	Good read. I dont' agree that everyone agrees he's one fine basketball player though

03-18-2010, 04:32 PM	#3 (permalink)
jeffb is the baby faced assassin Banned Join Date: May 2008 Location: YO MAMMA Posts: 81,104 Representing:	That last part sounds like a naration to the end of an after school special. Do after school specials still exist? Oh, but i agree fully with this article.

03-18-2010, 04:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
RAPMAN is pounding the rock! Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,816 Representing:	I hope Bosh stays, but if there is a sign and trade, BC has two big strikes on his count. The JO trade was wrong, and the Hedo sign & trade has been a big BUST. If BC does a sign and trade with our franchise player, this maybe his last strike.

03-18-2010, 04:50 PM	#5 (permalink)
CB4Real KABOOOOOOOSHHHH straight out of COMPTON Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1,279 Representing:	god damn it i hate mike ulmer but article is right

03-19-2010, 12:55 AM	#6 (permalink)
gtanev alive. Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: OT Posts: 398 Representing:	Colangelo's rep gives him more than three strikes.... He is the best GM this team will ever have unless some miracle happens...