So Chris Bosh doesn't think his Toronto Raptors should draft Andrea Bargnani with the #1 overall pick in the draft. He says they don't need another "soft 4" but instead a "banger". Bosh, an uber-talented 22 year old, is vital for the success of the Raptors franchise, and he, like most good NBA players, hold a noose around the necks of team management and coaches because of their guaranteed contracts AND the fact it's impossible to receive fair  value for a disgruntled superstar (just ask the Raps how that Vince Carter deal went). However, I still wouldn't give any player, be it Bosh, Lebron, Kobe, DWade or anybody else, a say in what moves a team would make or not make.

Why? Because players today are loyal to 1)themselves 2) themselves 3) their buddies 4) themselves and 5) their posses. Although they say they have the best interest of the team in mind, their only thoughts are "how can we help ME?" Further down in that article Bosh gives his reason for wanting a "banger" instead of a player in Bargnani who be the next Dirk Nowitzki...

"If we can get a big guy who is not going to look for many shots, who just wants to set screens ... and control the paint, that would give us a lot of flexibility,"

Hmmm sounds to me like he doesn't want to share the ball or the spotlight. He also took a shot at free agent-to-be point guard Mike James...

"I think it's very important to have a pass-first point guard, somebody who can make plays down the stretch of a game," he said. "When (he says) make plays, I don't mean making shots for themselves because I don't think that makes anybody better."

...which is funny because just a few months ago, Bosh was hinting that if the Raptors didn't resign the 31 year old James, that he wouldn't be resigning with the Raps. 

Another example is a player who has more service and clout than CB4 can hope to have, and that would be Minnesota's Kevin Garnett. I love KG, and after all he's done for the Timberwolves franchise over the years, if anybody deserves a say it was him (and if there's a GM in the league who needs more help- other than Isiah Thomas of course- than Kevin McHale, well I haven't seen him). However, it was KG who prodded the Wolves to hang onto pal Joe Smith (although the genuis decision to pay him illegally was all McHale and owner Glen Taylor, not KG), and it was also he who was upset when the team wouldn't resign his buddy Latrell Sprewell. That move to NOT resign Spree was one of only two (the other being drafting Garnett) good ones that McHale has made in his decade of incompetence with the Wolves (but because he's from Minnesota and a favorite of Taylor's, Wolves fan will have to endure another decade or so of McHale giving away #1 picks like carwash coupons or wasting the picks he actually does keep. Not that I'm bitter or anything).

So if a guy as respectable as KG can't be trusted to make personel decisions, I don't think anyone else should either. Granted, there's only a handful of GM's in the NBA that actually know what they're doing (Jerry Colangelo, Kiki Vandeweghe, Jerry West, John Paxson, Bernie Bickerstaff and...yeah that's about it), but the Raptors overpaid to get one of those guys in new President/GM Bryan Colangelo. If you're paying Colangelo all that money, to me HE should be the guy with the final say, not Bosh or any other player. If Bargnani (a guy by the way who actually WANTS to play in Toronto!!!!!!!!! Honestly besides mullet-wearing, MOlson-guzzling hockey players or an overweight, money-hungry 1997-version of Roger Clemens, who's the last guy who actually wanted to play in Toronto?!? Anyone?) becomes a good NBA player, and Colangelo can swing a deal for a center (hello Canadian Jamaal Magloire!) and/or point guard, Toronto will be a playoff contender in a top-heavy Eastern Conference. And building a winner the RIGHT way will keep the team, fans AND any NBA Superstar (and their egos and posses and bling-bling) happy.