Chris Bosh’s future with the Miami Heat has been in doubt since the All-Star break, when he was once against placed on the sidelines due to a blood clot issue that, yet again, kept him shelved for the rest of the season.
Some have speculated that Bosh has, in fact, played his last game for the Heat, perhaps the NBA in general. But the Heat themselves expect him back in time for next year. As ESPN’s Dan Le Batard said (via ProBasketballTalk):
What I know of private medical history, which is to say I have partial information because so much of this is private and guarded and protected, I don’t know what’s going to be different in six months about what’s so right now. Bosh is going to think, six months from now, he’s also going to be able to play. And the recurrence of clots is still going to be something that’s problematic and that doctors might not clear him on.
And so I’m sitting here looking at this, and everything that was the wrestling match during the postseason about getting Bosh back out there, I think it’s going to exist and then, later on down the road, this is going to get messy where the Heat, I think – now, keep in mind, I’m saying this with partial information – but I think this is going to end up in a place where they’re fighting over whether or not he retires.
I just got a text saying that Bosh should be able to play next season. So, the Heat expect Bosh to be able to play next season.
What I’m telling you is that Bosh is committed to getting back, and the Heat are hopeful that that can be so.
This is good news, even if you’re not a Heat fan. If Bosh is going to be healthy enough to play next season, or even try to play next season, it means that his overall quality life is secure. And that’s what’s most important, far more so than basketball.
On that basketball front, though, the Heat need to figure out how Bosh fits within their pace-and-space model they’re progressively leaning toward. Can both he and Hassan Whiteside be on the floor? Is Bosh now that much of a floor-spacing 4? Or will their minutes have to be staggered, assuming Whiteside returns in free agency?
And how does this impact the Heat’s free-agency plans? Bosh’s salary was going to be on the books no matter what this summer, so their flexibility hasn’t changed. But what about their desire to actually hold on to Whiteside? Does that waver if Bosh is healthy?
Questions abound. But these are questions the Heat will be happy to answer, because it means that Bosh, both the player and person, is close to okay.
