I saw some other questions where people said that Toronto probably won’t keep Bosh because it’s a small market, nobody wants to play in Canada, and that the team should move to a place like St. Louis or Minneapolis (dunno because Minnesota already has a team). Is Toronto that unattractive for NBA players to play in?

First of all, I’m not somebody who overhypes Toronto – locally there are some people who have this TO = centre of the world mentality, like the condo marketers who say Toronto is on par with New York and London – that just makes me roll my eyes. But on the other hand I think people are shunning Toronto too much – it’s still one of the bigger markets in North America. Maybe Bosh would rather be in NY or LA, but Toronto is much bigger than Cleveland or St. Louis at least. I’ve heard that a lot of international players want to play for the Raptors because they find it easier to get adjusted in Toronto, and that some players like it when they visit the Raptors on the road because Toronto is a party hotspot.

Sure, Steve Francis refused to sign with Vancouver because he didn’t like Canada, but do you think most NBA players really dislike playing in Toronto/Canada, or perceive it as a small market?