Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 at 11:57 am  |  112 responses

Top 50: Chris Bosh, no. 17

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

I had lunch one afternoon during the NBA Finals with a sports media person who doesn’t primarily follow the NBA. As soon as we sat down, the first thing he asked me was, “What do you think about Chris Bosh?”

Because Chris Bosh stepped forward with Wade and Bron, he was considered part of the Big 3, at least during that introductory press conference/celebration. But Bosh never seemed to fit in, as an aesthetic or as a personality. He hung out in the Hamptons before the season started. He read books in his locker before games. Wade and Bron did their press conferences together, while Bosh went dolo. When the Heat lost a late-season game and Spoelstra said there were tears in the locker room, Bosh was fingered as a likely suspect. When the Heat lost the NBA Finals to the Mavericks, YouTube lit up with videos of Bosh appearing to cry on his way to the locker room.

As the ‘10-11 NBA season moved along, it became apparent that Chris Bosh wasn’t Wilt or Russell. Which we all knew going in, of course. He was always just Chris Bosh, a dude with a nice step-back jumper and a great pump-fake, who played better facing the basket than he did down under the rim. It wasn’t clear exactly what the Heat were looking for when they signed Bosh, but they should’ve known what they were getting: Bosh left Toronto as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, so he’d done this before.

So I found it somewhat telling that when I sat down for lunch with a person who knows a thing or two about sports, it wasn’t LeBron or Wade or Dirk or Cuban that they asked about, but it was Chris Bosh. My answer to the question? I don’t know Chris Bosh personally, but I like anyone willing to speak their mind, choosing truth, sometimes even to his own detriment. I like people who are so invested in whatever it is they’re doing that they could be driven to tears when they can’t succeed. I like people who seem to be concerned with exercising their minds by doing things like—gasp!—reading.

What we know is this: Bosh will give you about 19 and 8 every night. Yeah, he might have some 1-18 games, but on the whole he usually shoots about 50 percent. He gets to the line a few times, bothers some shots inside, mostly stays out of foul trouble.

And that’s about it. Maybe if Bosh avoided the media at all costs and refused to say anything, we’d think he was just some stoic guy who was consistent and one of the better power forwards in the NBA. Maybe if he hadn’t signed along with LeBron and Wade but had instead showed up a month or so later, we’d think he was a perfectly competent piece of the puzzle for the Heat, but not the post lynchpin some expected him to be. Or perhaps he’s just too honest or willing to reveal too much.

For all as we know about Chris Bosh and who he is, to truly appreciate him, maybe what’s most important is having an understanding of just who Chris Bosh will never be.

SLAMonline Top 50 Players 2011
Rank Player Team Position Pos. Rank
50 Luol Deng Bulls SF 8
49 Andrew Bogut Bucks C 7
48 Ray Allen Celtics SG 9
47 Marc Gasol Grizzlies C 6
46 David West Hornets PF 15
45 Kevin Martin Rockets SG 8
44 Andrew Bynum Lakers C 5
43 Brandon Jennings Bucks PG 11
42 Lamar Odom Lakers PF 14
41 Gerald Wallace Blazers SF 7
40 Brook Lopez Nets C 4
39 Joakim Noah Bulls C 3
38 Carlos Boozer Bulls PF 13
37 Kevin Garnett Celtics PF 12
36 Eric Gordon Clippers SG 7
35 Tony Parker Spurs PG 10
34 Andre Iguodala 76ers SG 6
33 Al Jefferson Jazz PF 11
32 Al Horford Hawks C 2
31 Stephen Curry Warriors PG 9
30 Tim Duncan Spurs PF 10
29 Josh Smith Hawks PF 9
28 Manu Ginobili Spurs SG 5
27 Tyreke Evans Kings PG 8
26 Rudy Gay Grizzlies SF 6
25 John Wall Wizards PG 7
24 Danny Granger Pacers SF 5
23 Monta Ellis Warriors SG 4
22 Joe Johnson Hawks SG 3
21 Paul Pierce Celtics SF 4
20 Steve Nash Suns PG 6
19 Zach Randolph Grizzlies PF 8
18 LaMarcus Aldridge Blazers PF 7
17 Chris Bosh Heat PF 6

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Maurice Bobb, Shannon Booher, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Jon Jaques, Eldon Khorshidi, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Quinn Peterson, Dave Schnur, Abe Schwadron, Dan Shapiro, Irv Soonachan, Todd Spehr, Tzvi Twersky, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Ben York.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

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  • Yesse

    Really?

  • http://www.slamonline.com UNFROZEN CAVEMAN LAWYER

    UH OH. THIS MIGHT BE LIKE AN OLD POST UP COMMENTS SECTION

  • bashmo

    I think Chris Bosh played excellently last season considering that he plays with Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, and shot around 50 percent from the field. Less touches obviously means less points. Man is still a hell of a ball player and has time to improve still.

  • ctkennedy

    18n9 as a 3rd wheel …as the main guy he would avg no worst than 22 n 10 with the same shootin percentages …he would have more victories than Griffin,Westbrook,or Love as the franchise player ..so u can make a case he too low

  • http://www.slamonline.com UNFROZEN CAVEMAN LAWYER

    HE DOES NEED TO GET THE BALL A LITTLE MORE.

  • http://360special.blogspot.com dev0

    That’s right. People give him flack, but I’d take him back in Toronto any day. His footwork is incredible for a big man and he stretches the defense to allow Wade and LeBron to do their thing in the lane and get to the rim. He’s more valuable than most people think; look at this as evidence – http://www.82games.com/1011/ROLRTG5.HTM

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    I know I already said this but, Blake Griffin made one hell of a leap into the standings…

  • http://www.thehoopscene.com lawlow

    better than Z-bo and L.A?? no freakin way

  • Marx

    The write up is dead on. As someone that dreads through Raptors seasons every single year, he has never changed to be honest. Outside of scoring and putting a lil bit of muscle going into the 2009 season he aint changing. He is good and at times a game changer but for the most part a second level all-star. he will never be voted in by fans as a all star and will never honestly be consistently be “the guy”. he gets you a few wins but never a title. But with that i think that at times he was underutilized in Miami and spo needs to check out some old Raps tapes. to rely and Bosh to rebound all the time is friggin stupid and they need to invest in a rebounder/low-post scoring to right the ship

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Wow.
    Kevin Love better not be on this list AT ALL.
    No way he’s better than Randolph, Aldridge OR Bosh.
    Seriously!

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Told you Slam would have him as a top 5 PF. smh

  • http://www.Jcolemusic.com Showtime

    I still take bosh over love…and also no playing d-fence or rebounding amare. He top 15 to me.. He not better than Dirk but him and gasol is neck and neck with that face up finesse game.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    CB’s better than LA but not better than ZBo.
    Let’s start with LA. CB’s a better rebounder, better defender, better scorer, slightly better mid-range shooter and better from the line while LA’s a better low-post player and more durable.
    This list confuses me. It states that “rankings are based solely on projected ’11-12 performance”. If that’s the case, why is CB ranked ahead of two players that are go-to guys on their respective teams and will undoubtedly have better numbers than him?

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    I know Gasol struggled in the Playoffs but he’s still better than Amare/Bosh/BGriff. Add that to the fact of a new coach emphasizing more of an inside-out game for the Lakers, I could see him improving on his ’10-11 season (as long as Kobe’s on board).

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Aldridge is a better defender. I don’t see how anyone thinks Zach Randolph is better then Aldridge, someone needs to explain that to me. Doesn’t make any sense at all.

  • http://www.Jcolemusic.com Showtime

    Most people are using the rule of eye.. they really didnt see the work of LA , he’s that quiet 23 & 10. And with all the noise memphis made in the playoffs, so that why they perceive him to be better cause he was the face of the griz when rudy got hurt and out played an aged tim duncan and probably the 3rd best front court defense in OKC.. but he not better list should have been. 1.Dirk.2.gasol.3 Bosh 4.LA.5. Griffin 6.Zack 7.Love 8. Amare

  • chingy

    Z-Bo should be higher than both of LA and Bosh. And K-Love should be below all three. And I’d put Griff just ahead of K-Love behind these three guys. Rmb Griff has done it for a year only. Guys will start to get familiar with his game and adjust and play to his weaknesses. Let’s see how he does before we appoint him the best thing since toilet paper.

  • chingy

    Showtime, OKC with the 3rd best front court defense? What’s the other two?

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Milwaukee, Chicago, LA & Boston all played better D in the front court. (Yes even Boston, without Perkins) Ibaka is a great help defender, great. But he is just average on the ball. Perkins knees were shot last season, gotta give him credit for even playing, but he was anything but an elite defender.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    @Chingy – probably Chicago and Boston.

  • http://www.Jcolemusic.com Showtime

    Umh yea 4 got about Milwaukee, but yeah chicago and the L.A. but i wouldnt put boston Aged Garnett and hobbled J Onealor kristic vs Ibaka and Hobbled perkins , i just got with the younger Garnett still does his thing but eeeh i see why u can go that way.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    nbk, apart from defense and mid-range, what other areas is LA better than ZBo in? ZBo’s a superior rebounder, scorer,and low-post threat. They are equals in terms of efficiency and getting to the line.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    How is ZBo a superior scorer? They score at the same rate, with the same %.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    The difference between the 2 in terms of effectiveness is purely defensive. Each team (Memphis & Portland) are reliant on having each player in the game on offense. 7 less points per 48 minutes without Zbo, and 9 points less per 48 minutes without Aldridge. But defensively, the Grizzlies are actually .1 Point Per 48 minutes better without Randolph, while the Blazers are 6.0 Points Per 48 minutes worse without Aldridge on defense. That’s a 7 point swing per 48 minutes without Randolph for Memphis and a 15 (do you see that big giant number) point swing for Portland without Aldridge.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Because he’s avg. around 21ppg for the past 5 seasons and avg. close to 24ppg in 06/07 while this is LA’s first season avg. 20+ppg. I know he’s been playing next to BRoy for the past few season but facts is still facts. ZBo’s a better scorer (I didn’t say superior, that was for his rebounding).

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    No Zach Randolph is a more accomplished scorer. Aldridge just averaged 21.8 a game for 81 games, Randolph has topped that number just once, 5 years ago. Aldridge is getting BETTER, Randolph at best, is not getting any worse. This is a projection for next season, not a lifetime achievement list.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Everyone agrees that LA’s the better defender, so what are you arguing about? When I mentioned “efficiency”, it was strictly on the offensive end.

  • BAWSE

    ZBO is lower than Chris Bosh? Are you serious. This man sucks. He was with a Toronto team and couldnt make the EASTERN CONFERENCE playoffs the past year with Dwade single handly leading his last place Heat team ( the previous year) to the playoffs. Chris Bosh is the true version of a numbers guy. Very rarely have I seen him dominate. He SHOULD NOT BE A TOP 20 PLAYER. Slam dropped the ball on this! Game 6 the third best player on the team in the 4th quarter was Chalmers after D wade and Haslem ( Lebron chocked and hid along with Chris Bosh). Chris Bosh is just a above average jump shooting big man who isnt a major factor.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Of course LA has a higher PPG avg because he took damn near 2 more shots from the field than ZBo. Portland offense revolves around LA while ZBo has a little more competition for touches in Memphis (Gay/Gasol/Mayo/Conley).

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Outside of Offensive Rebounding Rate their offensive efficiency is the exact same.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    Per Minute they score at the exact same rate as well. on the exact same amount of shots. (15.9 Per 36 minutes for Aldridge, 15.8 Per 36 Minutes for Randolph)

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    You do know that Wade had 17pts in GM6, 1 less than Mario Chalmers?

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Please, don’t go the Lakeshow route and start using those “per 36min” stats to validate your point, please! LA played 3more mins, so of course his FGA will be similar to ZBo’s (who played 36mpg) in a “Per 36min” context.

  • MUBWAR

    wooow really? love is then zbo la n bosh? okkkk

  • SwissArmyKnife5

    Z-Bo is a better than LA it’s not even close. I want somebody to name me one post player that can guard Zach…Take your time not going happen dude is a monster. I think he gets knocked because of his past, but all I know is Z-BO gave everyone one he played the blues in the playoffs. LA doesn’t come close to rebounding like Zach, and I’m not even going waste my tiime explaining why he’s better than Bosh.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    I used there actual numbers but you brought up that Aldridge shoots more shots….which is only because of the minutes he played. You can’t discount PER 36 minute numbers if you are going to speak out against Aldridge’s 2 more shot attempts per game. He plays 3 more minutes. Pick one or the other man. Either way, Aldridge is literally identically productive on offense, and way way way better on defense. (He is a better defender then Bosh as well, that’s what I was originally saying)

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    nbk, that’s why I said they are “equals” in terms of efficiency.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    offensively they are equals in everything but rebound rate.

  • SwissArmyKnife5

    Zach tells Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka that they can get the bozack as he wheels and deals on ‘em so nasty that their teammate, Kevin Durant, is left with the clear idea that Zach’s the best power forward in the League (KD’s words, not mine…well, my words, too).

    I guess Kevin Durant saying that you’re the best means nothing right. I don’t here any stars saying that about LA, or Bosh.

  • SwissArmyKnife5

    Zach is one of maybe 10 NBA players who can go into Unstoppable Mode. He’s got more moves down low than any player in the game and the featheriest touch at the cup, to boot. Plus he can J you from 18 to 22 feet. Yeah, that’s unfair. He renders squads helpless. AND he’s getting those huge mitts on a slew balls that clang off the rim.

    KLove? Please. KLove couldn’t wash Zach’s jock strap. In fact, while we’re at it, Chris Bosh and LaMarcus Aldridge can hop in the backseat, too. Zach’s more unstoppable and he’s not soft. Blake Griffin? That’s a joke, right? One day, sure. Right now, the young fella’s game is Similac and you know Zach’s is straight Remy. Check his head-to-heads with Love, Aldridge, Griffin and Bosh. They don’t want it with Zach. They know that. He knows that. Do you know that?

    Hey SLAM you said it best.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    KD hadn’t played Dirk the playoffs yet. Or Bosh, KG, Duncan, Stoudemire, Griffin, or Love. All the other top 10 PF’s in the NBA. He has only played Pau Gasol outside of Randolph, and Gasol crushed the Thunder.

  • ctkennedy

    ZBo better to me on Offense …based on when he gets it goin my team gon be n fair trouble …he gon demand the ball each time down ..we have to double n so on …Aldridge if he havin a big game cuz he makin ALOT of jumpers he dont have enuff fear factor for me…but he did step up his inside game last yr though

  • For Real

    What?!?!?
    All I have to say is this article is more about feeling sorry for Bosh than it is his talent, he is not better than the last 3 PF’s.

  • ctkennedy

    foul not fair…smh

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Nobody is upset with how Amare is ranked? I mean, honestly that is as puzzling as the Kevin Love stuff to me.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    me 2, but I’m waitin to go off on Amar’e's page. He’s a knick now, lots of crazies probably going to be on that post talking about how he is the king of the world. So ya know, I’m lookin forward to that argument.

  • Armando

    OK… the “better as the main guy” argument has its flaws. Bosh was better as the main man on the Raps than Love as the main man on the Wolves… but who are the other players on those teams? I’d say any of the Raptors teams sans Bosh would’ve whupped ’10-’11 wolves ass… But it’s close between these PFs anyway… Bosh is a funny dude, soft but nonetheless a good player. Suitable 3rd wheel. IMO Aldridge will be a better player next season. @Swiss, I partially agree with you… but name one post player Randolph can guard (I know, but I just had to)… No 1 is Dirk, 2-7 is close. I’ve said Griffin, Gasol, LA, Amar’e, Z-Bo, Love, Bosh, in that order before (Griffin because he might blow up Karl Malone in NBA-Jam style and put up crazy stats as EG improves and the clips go sth like 41-41).

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    To me, Amare being ranked this high is not nearly as crazy as Kevin Love.
    That is just bananas to me, that a cat who can’t lead his team to 25 wins is somehow a top 5 PF and at least a top 16 player in the NBA.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    I would take K-Love over Amare…
    1.Dirk
    2.Pau
    3.Z-Bo
    4.LA
    5.Bosh
    6.Love
    7.Amare
    IMO

  • http://www.Jcolemusic.com Showtime

    From the way the list is shaping up .In the top 10 they’res 3.Sf>Lebron>KD>Mello They’re 2.Pg Cp3>Rose They’re 2. Sg wade>kobe One Center Dhoward and 2.Pf Dirk>Gasol. So the next group is steady diet of Pf and Pgs. me thinks griffin will be way to high 11. as well as Amare probably 14. Love probaly go 15 i thinking next spot is westbrooks or rondo.

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