When Bosh played with Jermaine O'Neal in Toronto he struggled more with his offense. Having a big man hanging around the paint reduced space and made it easier for help defenses to cover his drives. That is Bosh's bread butter — face up game from 14-17 feet — where he likes to use his quick first step to blow by his defender for a bucket in paint or to draw a foul (where he draws the majority of his fouls) or to setup his jump shot. Anyway, the spacing with Jermaine on the team was a problem for Bosh and made him less effective offensively. Bosh had a hot start in the first month of the season but if you back and check you'll find that most of his scoring came when Jermaine was on the bench and Bargnani was on the floor. When Bosh had free reign down in the paint.

Now, the situation won't repeat itself exactly with Yao. There were three other problems with Jermaine that Yao will be an improvement on (1) scoring efficiency in the post and around the rim (2) a quality midrange jump shot (3) passing skills. Oh, and also, Bosh has developed his post game more this offseason which has improved his scoring versatility which would help a Yao-Bosh combination too.

So, it won't be as bad for Bosh as it was with Jermaine but it will still be considerably less effective than the Bosh you're seeing with Toronto this season alongside Andrea Bargnani.

Luis Scola would provide a very good big man combination for Bosh. Nice mobility, solid defense, very good rebounding, solid jump shot an excellent cutter + finisher around the rim. A nice complementary weapon. Put Bosh at center and build a running game. Similar to the Rockets of this season. Bosh and Scola would give you great quickness up front and you'd still have all that speed out on the perimeter. They'd also give you a solid interior defense + excellent rebounding. And Bosh would be the 24-25ppg threat that he is in Toronto.

If Houston did acquire Bosh, I think they should start him alongside Yao but sub him out of the game around the 6 minute mark in the first and third quarters and then bring him back in to play with the second unit. He won't be able to fulfill his offensive ability alongside Yao but he will in the second unit. That would be the best way to fight against the diminished returns of Bosh's offense.

Ryan Anderson's shooting ability will allow the Rockets to space the floor to a better degree. Hence, giving Yao more room to operate in the post + more room for slashers (Martin/Ariza) and dribble penetration (Brooks/Lowry). Anderson would also give the Rockets more lethal weapon in pick and pops which opens up the pick and roll game further for Houston. And he's a quality rebounder + a continually improving defensively.

When Bosh played with Jermaine O'Neal in Toronto he struggled more with his offense. Having a big man hanging around the paint reduced space and made it easier for help defenses to cover his drives. That is Bosh's bread butter — face up game from 14-17 feet — where he likes to use his quick first step to blow by his defender for a bucket in paint or to draw a foul (where he draws the majority of his fouls) or to setup his jump shot. Anyway, the spacing with Jermaine on the team was a problem for Bosh and made him less effective offensively. Bosh had a hot start in the first month of the season but if you back and check you'll find that most of his scoring came when Jermaine was on the bench and Bargnani was on the floor. When Bosh had free reign down in the paint.

Now, the situation won't repeat itself exactly with Yao. There were three other problems with Jermaine that Yao will be an improvement on (1) scoring efficiency in the post and around the rim (2) a quality midrange jump shot (3) passing skills. Oh, and also, Bosh has developed his post game more this offseason which has improved his scoring versatility which would help a Yao-Bosh combination too.

So, it won't be as bad for Bosh as it was with Jermaine but it will still be considerably less effective than the Bosh you're seeing with Toronto this season alongside Andrea Bargnani.

Luis Scola would provide a very good big man combination for Bosh. Nice mobility, solid defense, very good rebounding, solid jump shot an excellent cutter + finisher around the rim. A nice complementary weapon. Put Bosh at center and build a running game. Similar to the Rockets of this season. Bosh and Scola would give you great quickness up front and you'd still have all that speed out on the perimeter. They'd also give you a solid interior defense + excellent rebounding. And Bosh would be the 24-25ppg threat that he is in Toronto.

If Houston did acquire Bosh, I think they should start him alongside Yao but sub him out of the game around the 6 minute mark in the first and third quarters and then bring him back in to play with the second unit. He won't be able to fulfill his offensive ability alongside Yao but he will in the second unit. That would be the best way to fight against the diminished returns of Bosh's offense.

Ryan Anderson's shooting ability will allow the Rockets to space the floor to a better degree. Hence, giving Yao more room to operate in the post + more room for slashers (Martin/Ariza) and dribble penetration (Brooks/Lowry). Anderson would also give the Rockets more lethal weapon in pick and pops which opens up the pick and roll game further for Houston. And he's a quality rebounder + a continually improving defensively.

luislandry – i think what makes brooks/martin so scary IS that they are out there together, so you can't break that up to spread it out.