NBA Free Agency 2014: Recapping a Hectic Day

Jun 12, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) talks with center Chris Bosh (1), guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the second quarter of game four of the 2014 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Bosh Stays in Miami

For days we thought a James departure would equate to a Bosh departure. It made too much sense. He’s amidst his prime and by joining up with the likes of Dwight Howard, James Harden, and Chandler Parsons (if Daryl Morey matched), that Rockets team would be a threat to the league thanks to Bosh’s two-way ability.

Instead he stayed down, which, when you think about it, shouldn’t be as big a surprise as it came. Maybe because there were reports of Bosh inching closer to commitment to Houston. Maybe because Daryl Morey pressed the trigger on a trade that sent Jeremy Lin and a future 1st-round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers, freeing up the cap space needed to offer Bosh a max contract. Maybe because Miami’s future began to look bleak without the player that carried them to four championship appearances.

But through the constant set of signals in which Bosh made it know he wanted to be in Miami, we ignored them. Now on a max contract (5-years, $118 million) and presumably paired with Dwyane Wade for the next four years, he’ll have a chance to prove he was better than the player we saw these last four seasons (it was the role, not his play).

In a weird way, Bosh is the inverse Carmelo Anthony. We expected him to put contention ahead of comfort. He chose the opposite route.