Free-agent-to-be Chris Bosh said the Knicks are one of the teams he’s considering, with or without LeBron James.
And Bosh said he won’t wait to see what James will do before making his own decision.
“Anytime you have the opportunity to play with certain guys, you have to take that into consideration. When it all goes down, he’s gonna be one of the all-time greats,” the Raptors forward yesterday told SNY of playing with the current Cavaliers superstar.
“At the same time, I can’t just sit around and wait. I have to be proactive with my choices and what’s gonna make me happy. I have to make sure I take my time and make the right decision.”
Bosh said the Knicks — who have salary-cap room to sign two top-level players — are “definitely a team I’m considering.”
“There are a lot of teams out there I’m considering including my home team, the Raptors,” Bosh told SNY. “It’s gonna be crazy and confusing and I’m looking forward to it.”
Bosh also was asked to compare the Nets to the Knicks.
“I think each team has its own advantages over the other,” Bosh said. “New Jersey has a young core, so does New York. The coaching styles are a bit different. A lot of people are excited about the new [Nets] owner [Mikhail Prokhorov]. It’s interesting. Everybody is pretty much excited about the makeup of the team and the direction the Nets are headed.
“It might work out, it might not. You always have to consider a lot.”
Bosh, part of a free agent class that could include James, Dwyane Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire and Joe Johnson, told ESPN 710 Radio in Los Angeles he hasn’t talked about the future with those players, going out of his way to avoid the topic.
“To be honest, everybody is laying low. Nobody is expressing or talking in depth,” Bosh said, according to a transcript from SportsRadioInterviews.com. “It seems like it’s a poker game, and nobody is folding and you can’t see their cards.
“So far there hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about it. I’ve seen some guys, but they don’t say much. I kinda respect it because I get that question all the time, and I don’t like thinking about every day. The last thing I want to do is bug [them]. There will be a time and place for it.”
The group can begin to test the market July 1. Bosh told SNY the stars were unlikely to get together before then, if at all.
“I don’t think that’s gonna happen,” Bosh said.
It’s thought teams able to sign two top-level free agents would like to pair James or Wade with Bosh.
Bosh, like almost all the other free agents, said winning is his priority over money.
“Winning is very important to me,” he told ESPN Radio. “Just being in the situation, you can’t get it all. Sometimes you can. Maybe you can, but you never know.”
Asked by ESPN Radio if he would agree to a sign-and-trade deal, or stay with the Raptors, Bosh replied, “I’m still processing everything out. I’m pretty much testing free agency like LeBron says and everybody says. Just testing free agency.
“You look at every situation closely and see what situation best fits you,” he said. “Toronto will have certain advantages over other teams, and other teams will have certain advantages over Toronto. It’s just what works better for me.”