There appears to be good news emerging for Chris Bosh and the Miami HEAT regarding Bosh’s chances of playing again. According to the Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, “ There is growing optimism about Chris Bosh being cleared by the HEAT to resume his career while remaining on blood thinners.” Jackson had covered Bosh’s ongoing health struggles, the last bit of news occurred on August 31, 2016, when it was noted that Chris Bosh was becoming increasingly “frustrated” with how the Miami HEAT organization was approaching the process.
Chris Bosh has been dealing with blood clot issues in his lungs for two consecutive seasons. Bosh played in only 44 games during the 2014-15 season, and he was unable to finish the final 29 games, and his absence was a large part of why Miami missed the playoffs. The 11 time All-Star didn’t have better luck the following season, unfortunately. In the 2015-16 season, Bosh’s season was done after playing in 53 games. The past two seasons were awfully similar for Chris Bosh, and his 2014-15 season was finished after Miami’s 52nd game of the year and his 2015-16 season was done after Miami’s 53rd game of the year.
The Miami HEAT desperately need Chris Bosh for their team to achieve their goals. Now that Dwyane Wade is a member of the Chicago Bulls, Miami simply does not have a legitimate first option on their team outside of Bosh. According to RotoWorld, Miami is projected to have Josh McRoberts, Derrick Williams, Udonis Haslem, Luke Babbit, and Stefan Jankovic, as the backup power forwards behind Chris Bosh. None of those power forwards are even close to the caliber of player that Bosh is, so it is crucial for both sides that Chris Bosh is back on the court for the long haul.
It is truly the dawn of a new era in Miami for Chris Bosh. Ever since he left the Toronto Raptors in the summer of 2010 to join the “Big 3” along with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh has never been a primary offensive option. Looking forward to the present day, LeBron James is now back with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwyane Wade is a member of the Chicago Bulls. Chris Bosh isn’t alone, he still has effective supporting talent with the likes of Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside, Justice Winslow, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson, and Dion Waiters.
Despite his ongoing battle with health issues, Chris Bosh was performing at a high level. In the 2014-15 season, Bosh averaged 35.4 minutes, 21.1 points, 7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 2.2 turnovers (via Basketball-Reference ). Now, in the 2015-16 season, Bosh averaged 33.5 minutes, 19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.5 turnovers (via Basketball-Reference ). These two seasons earned Chris Bosh an All-Star appearance in both seasons, so that should show how effective he truly was during this time.
At 32-years-old, Chris Bosh should physically have plenty of basketball left to play. If the blood clot issues can be contained, there is absolutely no reason why Bosh cannot undergo a career renaissance as the leading man with the Miami HEAT. Playing as a complimentary player in Miami for essentially as many years as he was a primary offensive option in Toronto should give Chris Bosh all of the attributes of offense that he needs to be an efficient franchise player since he can attack the defense in a very versatile manner that is unmatched by many.
Chris Bosh will be able to not only get the touches he needs to isolate and make plays with the ball in his hands, but he has talent around him to set him up for complimentary attempts. When he is making plays on his own, Bosh will be able to attack from the post and he can drive the lane by utilizing his ball handling ability. Bosh has a unique ability to create quality jump shots by clearing space off the dribble too. As for complimentary touches, whether that is in the pick-and-roll, spacing the floor, or cutting, there are plenty of ways that Goran Dragic and the other HEAT players can create shots for Chris Bosh when he isn’t making plays himself.
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