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On Friday, two separate tweets originated from Chris Bosh's account that set the Internet ablaze. The first one read, "Been wanting to ask. Where should I go next season and why?" and the second one read, "Ok... Let me rephrase the question. Should I stay or should I go?" These tweets seemed to come from out of nowhere and led people to speculate that somebody had hacked into Chris' Twitter account. I figured I'd wait a few days before passing judgement.
Yesterday, there was a follow-up tweet that read, "My first time making ESPN or ABC this year! Thank you Mr. Wilbon and Mr. James." This apparently refers to Michael Wilbon asking LeBron James about Bosh's tweets (I didn't see this clip, but I read about it). At this point, it's evident that these tweets did come from Chris and that he's having some fun toying with the emotions of Raptors fans and drawing attention to himself. What's the harm in that?
Well, aside from the fact that he's fucking with the Raptors and their fans for his own amusement, I consider these tweets to be a sad cry for attention from a guy who desperately wants to be more famous than he is. I started to get this sense about Chris when he released that "First Ink" DVD in December that reportedly featured a bunch of skits and showed him getting his first tattoo. I say "reportedly" because I never watched it and you could have given me a free copy and I still wouldn't have watched it — not because I don't like the guy, I just don't give a shit about his corny skits and what kind of tattoo he got. I can't even find a picture of the tattoo on Google Images so it would seem that most people share my sentiment.
One of the reasons I've gone against the grain and predicted that Chris Bosh would probably re-sign with the Raptors was that I assumed he understood that no other city would embrace him and make him a star quite like Toronto would. It now seems like I may have underestimated his lust for fame — he's already big-time in Toronto, now he wants to be a superstar in the U.S. — hence his last tweet about being talked about on ABC and ESPN.
If that's truly what matters to him, then he can go wherever he wants and I won't miss him at all. I want to root for players who care first and foremost about winning an NBA championship. I'm sure he would say that's what he does care about the most, but if that's the case he's doing a piss-poor job of portraying it.
I'm not sure when Chris got it in his head that he needed to become some kind of media mogul and entrepreneur. I have to assume that insufferable douchebag, Hadi, had a lot to do with it. That's what these celebrity hangers-on do — they put shitty ideas in the celebrity's head while inflating their egos and convincing them to waste their money on bad business investments. "You're not just an NBA All-Star, Chris! You're a brand!" And what is that brand, exactly? He's the best basketball player on the only Canadian team so he gets some Canadian endorsements. How is that brand going to sell if he continues to fail to win playoff series while playing for a mediocre American team?
Here's what I think Chris doesn't understand about his situation: He will never be more famous than he will be over the next couple of months. He will never be the best player on an NBA champion, and if he does win a title it will be as a second banana, at best. He's never going to be as famous as LeBron James or Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal. He'll never be as good as they are (or were in their prime) and for a number of reasons related to his looks and personality, he'll never be as marketable as them even if he was on their basketball level. He's at his summit, fame-wise. After he signs his next contract, it's all downhill from there.
Soak it up while you can, Chris. Right now, you feel like the belle of the ball — of course, the main reason all these suitors want to dance with you is that you seem like the most attainable "hot girl" at the dance. Every one of them would drop you on your ass mid-dip if LeBron or Wade offered to cut in.
Regardless of the fact that he's not a top-10 player in the league and many NBA commentators don't even think he's top-15, he's probably still going to get a max contract in July. I've been ambivalent about whether he should get that contract from the Raptors, but his recent behaviour has tipped me to the side of letting him go. If Bryan Colangelo doesn't get a good enough sign-and-trade offer, I hope he's got the balls to call Chris' bluff and encourage him to sign with somebody else outright — I'd prefer that to getting David freakin' Lee in return.
Please understand that I'm not mad at Chris Bosh. I didn't catch hurt feelings from these ridiculous tweets, I've just come to the conclusion that he isn't worth a max contract on this team. If he does surprise everyone and re-signs with Toronto, how long will it take before he demands a trade? Two seasons, at most? I say no thanks to that.
I expect to read more attention-seeking tweets and interviews over the next couple of months, but I've conditioned myself not to care and I recommend that all of you try to do the same. Nothing any of you say or do on Twitter is going to have any input on his ultimate decision, so don't let him play you like that. The only thing more embarrassing than these cries for attention are the people who respond to them in earnest. Let him go. If he does remain a Raptor, we can sweep all this under the rug and pretend it never happened. See you in October, Chris, wherever you end up. 
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