Chris Bosh had a brief conversation with his role model during the N.B.A. playoffs, and it was exactly the kind of understated exchange he could appreciate.

"I admire your game; I like watching you play," Bosh told the player, Spurs center Tim Duncan, on the sideline during the Western Conference finals in Dallas, his hometown. Duncan said thank you and had to run.

"He's just a cool, calm guy, and that's the same way I am," Bosh said yesterday at the N.B.A. Store in Manhattan. "I don't like to show emotion, it's just not me. Most of the time when you show emotion, you show anger and that's showing weakness."

Bosh, a lithe 6-foot 11, 225-pound power forward who left Georgia Tech after he was named the A.C.C. freshman of the year, has as little use for weakness as he does the spotlight. Now, he is about to be thrust into it.

Many league executives consider him the No. 4 pick in tomorrow's draft, a spot the Knicks are trying to maneuver into from their position at No. 9. None of the hype, intrigue or exposure that surrounds the projected top three picks - LeBron James, Darko Milicic and Carmelo Anthony - has trickled down to Bosh. Which is just fine with him.