Image is everything
"I'd rather do it myself," Bosh said. "I know myself better than anybody else or anybody that I could hire knows me. You can hire someone to mould you and shape you but this is one I can take in the direction I want to go. Someone could tell me I want to go this route and it may even be good for me but I don't think I would have as much fun doing it."
For Bosh, control is key. He has taken the opportunity that playing in Canada, out of the mainstream NBA spotlight, to make sure he is in control of his image.
East gets best of West
Led by LeBron James, who nailed down his second all-star game MVP title in the past three years, the East came out firing early and often building a nine point lead by the half on their way to a 134-128 win.
Nevermind that only five teams in the Eastern Conference are above .500 at this point in the season, while in the West there are only five teams below than .500, the East came looking for some payback and got it.
The Star
East tames beast of West
Had it not been for the brilliance of LeBron James, Paul could very well have carried the Western Conference to a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the NBA All-Star Game that would have capped a New Orleans weekend perfectly.
Basketball notes
Under new terms of the deal, Kidd and Malik Allen are headed to Dallas, with Keith Van Horn and Trenton Hassell now in the deal from the Mavs to replace Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse.
The Globe
Big Easy the big winner
"Given the nature of the situation that the city had to fight through, the tragedies that happened in the past, this is a little more special because this is part of the rebuilding process," said Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh, who started in place of injured Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett and scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in 21 minutes.
"You have to start somewhere and I think this game brings a lot of attention to the city," Bosh added.
James named all-star game MVP
He danced along with a jazz band playing during pre-game introductions, then went down the line and high-fived the rest of the East players at the completion of the national anthem.
"The East did a great job man, we got a big lead in the first half and we withstood their run in the fourth quarter," James said after accepting the MVP trophy from NBA commissioner David Stern. "We made plays down the stretch."
Kidd trade to Dallas back on
The new deal