Sports

Miami Heat Rumors: Chris Bosh Hopes To Return Next Season, But Team May Block His Efforts And Set Up Potential Showdown

Published on: July 25, 2016 at 10:39 PM
By Nathan Francis

The Miami Heat could be headed for a battle with Chris Bosh, as the team may be planning to block the big man’s attempts to play after suffering his second serious blood clot in the last two years.

Fansided reported that Bosh is aching to get back on the court, and he worked with his doctors to come up with a solution that would allow him to play again by taking a medication that only stays in his system for eight to 12 hours.

As Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald noted, the phase-out period means that Bosh would be able to play without the side-effects that come from playing a rigorous sport while on blood thinners. But Jackson noted that the Heat may not be on board.

“As we reported last month, the Heat rejected that idea late this past season, angering Bosh,” he wrote. “And it’s unclear if Miami would be receptive to that now.”

Jackson noted that the Miami Heat haven’t given much information on whether Bosh could be cleared to play, but if they make a move to deny him, it could set up a battle with the players union.

“An NBA-employed friend says Bosh very much wants to play and believes he should be cleared. If the Heat fights him on this, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bosh takes this issue to the players union, unless Bosh again relents as he did during last year’s playoffs. Pat Riley said the Heat won’t make a decision on Bosh’s status until August or September.”

Bosh suffered his second blood clot in two years in February, keeping him out the remainder of the season. His absence sunk the hopes of the Heat, who entered the playoffs as a potential dark horse to win the Eastern Conference.

The injury was considered to be potentially career-ending, especially after how serious his first blood clot had been, Sports Illustrated noted. In the 2014-15 season, Bosh fell ill over All-Star Weekend and was diagnosed with a blood clot, one that led him to be hospitalized.

This year’s blood clot was caught sooner, but it was still serious enough to keep him out for the rest of the season.

There were signs of tension early between Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. Though there were rumors that the Heat were inclined to keep Bosh out, the forward said he was still working out with the team and would “remain positive I will be able to return this season.”

Chris Bosh also made it clear to the team that he had no intention to retire, the Miami Herald reported in April. He remains under contract for the next three years, and even if Bosh retired, it wouldn’t provide cap relief to the Heat until next summer.

But the Heat reportedly had no intentions to allow Bosh to play again, and ESPN’s Dan Le Batard reported at the time that team doctors would likely never clear Bosh to play.

There may be an interesting reason for the Heat’s caution with Bosh, the Sports Illustrated noted.

“Why were the Heat being so cautious? Well, they certainly care about Bosh, and there are also liability issues in play. If Bosh were to suffer a career-ending injury or worse on the court, a waiver would probably not be enough to save the Heat from the fallout. It’s also interesting to note that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was on the court as a player when Loyola Marymount forward Hank Gathers collapsed and died during a game, perhaps making the Heat even more sensitive to the Bosh situation.”

But the real motivation is likely a mix of concern for Chris Bosh’s health and a desire to wrap up the situation in the most cost-effective way possible. If Bosh isn’t able to return to the court for health-related reasons, the Miami Heat would be able to pay off his contract and still wipe his salary off the books, CBS Sports noted.

[Photo by LM Otero/AP Images]

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