Bosh says free-agency is 'scary but … exciting'

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) - Chris Bosh keeps getting asked about his future. He still doesn't have an answer...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Chris Bosh keeps getting asked about his future. He still doesn’t have an answer.

Appearing as a co-host on ESPN Radio Thursday morning, the Toronto Raptors’ All-Star forward and marquee piece of this summer’s sparkling class of NBA free agents did not offer any hints for his future, other than indicating that the anticipation for July 1 continues to grow.

“Nobody really knows what’s going to happen and the draft is a key part of it and there’s going to be a lot of teams doing a lot of things,” Bosh said. “So, I mean, this is something we’ve kind of been talking about for four years now. And the day is finally here. It’s kind of scary but it’s exciting at the same time.”

Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are the headliners of the class that’s expected to opt out of their current deals and become free agents on July 1, and each will have no shortage of suitors starting at 12:01 a.m. that day.

The No. 4 pick in the 2003 draft, Bosh averaged 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds for the Raptors last season. The Raptors hope to keep Bosh, but have said in recent days they are also preparing for the possibility of him joining another club.

“It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve just been trying to learn how to have fun with it,” Bosh said. “It’s been going well so far, but it’s getting closer. It’s just a week.”

Bosh said the waiting for free agency is harder to bear than the waiting to hear his name on draft night seven years ago.

“I would say it’s a little bit more nerve-racking … only because like it’s never really happened before,” Bosh said.

Bosh says he hasn’t talked with other players yet about the plans for July 1, saying those discussions are only between his “friends and family” and that most of the principal parties involved in free agency are “keeping their secrets close.”

He and Wade share the same agent, Chicago-based Henry Thomas, but added that he has not spoken to James about the looming process.

Still, he acknowledged, “You’d be kind of crazy not to want to play with a player like that.”

Bosh plans on taking some visits to various cities to hear their free-agent pitch, and doesn’t know if teams will try to lure multiple free agents in at the same time for those recruiting offers.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if teams really start pulling some tricks out of their sleeves,” Bosh said. “There’s no telling what’s going to happen. People have been planning on these meetings for years now.”

Much like James and Wade, Bosh is getting wooed from all possible angles, hearing from people in just about every NBA city about why he should sign there for the next five or six seasons.

At first, Bosh said, it was overwhelming. He’s made his peace with it in recent weeks.

“It’s just become part of my life, a part of my everyday life,” Bosh said. “It’s like you brush your teeth every day. That’s how it is for me. I know as soon as I walk out the door, somebody is going to ask me something about where I’m going next year.”

Bosh also offered his thoughts on two other major stories in the NBA, those being Phil Jackson’s future as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and the possibility that Chris Paul could be traded by the New Orleans Hornets.

Bosh indicated having a proven coach could play a factor in his decision about where to play next season.

“The coach, pretty much, is the leader of your team,” Bosh said. “And if you have a good coach, that gives you better chances in certain situations. I think a lot of guys want to play for a good coach. And to be put in the right position, that has a lot to do with it. You want to look at situations for winning and that’s one of them. So I think a well-led team is very important in the decision-making process.”

And on Paul, Bosh said: “He’s so good, you have to give him just his credit. Sometimes playing against him, whoever’s guarding him, it’s just like, well, try your best. I don’t know what to tell you. … He’s just so crafty. He’s one of the craftiest guys with the ball. He can finish, he can shoot, he can pass, he can pretty much do everything.”

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

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