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NBA Miami Heat

Chris Bosh’s Play Will Impact Much More Than Miami Heat Offense

Miami Heat

Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

“He’ll have the ball in his hands a lot,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of Chris Bosh after practice, “but that doesn’t mean necessarily that we’re going to be calling his number every time down the floor. That’s not how we’re going to play.”

Those are not exactly the words that one would expect to hear from a coach about a player that the organization decided to overpay by nearly $28 million. However, the more people talk, the more obvious it becomes that they may not feel like $118 million means that Bosh could — or even should — return to his Toronto days.

Spoelstra (“That won’t help us”) and Dwyane Wade (“I don’t want that Bosh”) made it pretty clear that the Miami Heat would much rather have a version closer to the multifaceted big man who has been platooning the perimeter on Biscayne Bay. The problem is, that guy has flaunted four years of being a passive third-wheel. That’s considerable contrast from the reported “always got to have an edge” speech that team President Pat Riley gave them yesterday.

Bosh has to put that edge on full display, because a combination of pretty numbers, aggression and winning are what the Heat will need to make Miami basketball look attractive to potential free agents Greg Monroe, Rajon Rondo and LaMarcus Aldridge in 2015 and Dwight Howard in 2016.

But Bosh cannot pull in help by forcing up 3-of-13 shooting games like he did against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. That type of play will justify Spoelstra going elsewhere for offense and players signing on in other states to chase championships. Still it was only one meaningless game in early October, so fans can keep the worrying at a minimum — for now.

Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.