NBA Miami Heat

Chris Bosh Not Living Up To His Preseason Vow For Miami Heat

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By @ShaneRantSports

Getty Images

Getty Images

Given little notice before LeBron James‘departure, the Miami Heat and Pat Riley had to scramble for a Plan B because there wasn’t one. After paying close to no attention to Chris Bosh and nearly losing him to the Houston Rockets, the Heat threw a bunch of money at him and begged him to stay. Roughly half a year later, Miami is left with a below .500 record and an empty promise.

The gigantic shadow cast by James and his media entourage was finally gone and Bosh no longer had to sulk in the darkness as the third wheel. Instead, he would be the Heat’s leader, the head honcho. With the opportunity to prove himself again, Bosh made the promise to be the front man and perform like a player deserving of a $120-plus million contract.

For the most part, it is hard to argue with Bosh’s production this NBA season. The power forward/center is averaging 21.1 points and 7.5 rebounds. However, after spending four years as the scapegoat of the “Big 3″ and an easy target for the media, you would think Bosh would be a man on a mission. Yet, it has not felt that way with Miami’s current record of 21-26, barely making the playoffs at the moment.

Before the season even started, I said that Bosh must average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds if the Heat even wanted to have an opportunity at the playoffs, let alone compete in the East. He has not lived up to those standards in the rebounding department and is only shooting 47 percent from the field, the second lowest mark of his career. To top it all off, Bosh has also been somewhat inconsistent.

As Dwyane Wade remains sidelined for an extended period, it will be interesting to see exactly how Bosh plays over the next few weeks. For the first half of the season, he has failed to fulfill his promise to South Beach and to himself. However, Bosh should not worry about proving anything to Miami or the media. Proving yourself to the fans and basketball universe is one thing, but proving to yourself that you don’t need James to win because success is the best revenge.

Shane Phillips is an Lead NBA Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Shane on Twitter @ShaneRantSports, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also email Shane at [email protected].

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