Fans are right to be disappointed in Chris Bosh's exit from Toronto.
Chris Bosh will walk into the Air Canada Centre tonight and it will feel different. He won't make the same turns and walk up the ramp to the Raptors locker room. Instead, he'll walk down the hallway and occupy a stall in the visitor's dressing room.
It will be interesting to see if he gets one of the two "guest of honour" spots in the opposing dressing room with Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. It will feel like visiting the house you grew up in before you moved on. It will look the same but, there will be reminders that it's not your house any longer.
Make no mistake, in these eyes, Chris Bosh gave everything he had to the franchise on the court and did his best to keep house the right way. He worked hard to improve his game and became an all-star and represented the city well. Bosh did it all the way it should be done, until the end, and that's where fans have their issues.
Nobody will argue that the NBA is a business and after seven years, he was entitled to leave after giving it his best shot. However, he may not have meant to take the route he did, but it ended poorly for him in Toronto in the eyes of many fans.
No question there is a better chance to win a title in Miami with Wade and James. You can debate whether he checked out after the all-star break last season or if he should have played after breaking his nose during the final critical portion of the season. But what he said after the season ended, on Twitter, then after signing with the Heat. Those are the things that the fans will remember and those are the things that sting them the most.
The process was respected during the entire season by the locals. There was chatter about what Bosh would decide but nobody harped on it or dared pose the overruling question to him about what his ultimate decision would be. And then, there were flippant comments on Twitter and utterances that had the Toronto fan base asking "Is this the same guy?"
To his credit, Bosh did his best to make things right with the Toronto fans by doing interviews and in his eyes, clarifying the situation, but some fans still aren't, and never will be, in acceptance.
Disappointed is the word from this chair. Disappointed in the way it ended and the precipitous erosion of the relationship with the fans.
What will happen tonight? Some fans will cheer, and he deserves those cheers but others will remind him of the things he said when he left and tell him he isn't welcomed any longer. The fans don't boo all former Raptors. It all depends on what you say on the way out the door. Just ask Morris Peterson or Matt Bonner. Granted they're not star players but they are still welcomed back.
In some respects, fair or not, Bosh will get the Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady, and Vince Carter treatment. As much as players say the boos don't impact them, I've talked to them, and it does. But Bosh will have his teammates beside him and as James said having undertaken the same issues in Cleveland upon his return, he is ready to support Bosh.
Personally and professionally, Bosh grew up in Toronto and was good for the city and the franchise but his time has come and gone, and because he is a member of the other team for that reason only, the boos should outweigh the cheers.
