The long, unfortunate and bizarre saga between Chris Bosh and the Heat and whether he would be cleared to return to the team has finally come to an end.
Pat Riley confirms Chris Bosh's career with Heat is over: "We are not working toward his return" https://t.co/mBCibck7kK pic.twitter.com/HuwX1qadvz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2016
Team president, master recruiter and smooth-talker Pat Riley announced that Bosh was all but done with the organization on Sunday. It appears the Heat do not want to put Bosh’s health in jeopardy.
Bosh has missed roughly half of the past two seasons as he has been dealing with blood clotting issues. In order to counteract the blood clotting, Bosh has needed to be on blood thinners which can be extremely dangerous to take while playing a very cardio-intensive sport such as basketball. This is why the Heat have not cleared him to return since February.
Bosh appears to be unfazed by the Heat medical staff insistence that he not play and the call by many for the 32-year-old power forward to retire, and seems committed to the idea that he has not played in his final NBA game.
Here he is ddressing his situation with the Heat on Uninterrupted:
An official statement from @ChrisBosh.#BoshRebuilt pic.twitter.com/loOaxiL1kB
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) September 24, 2016
It’s unknown what will happen next for Bosh and the Heat and whether there is a buy-out or termination of his contract. Will he become a free agent available to be signed by another team or will the NBA not allow him to be re-instated or eligible to play for another team until league doctors clear him for play once again?
It may be a blessing or a curse for Chris Bosh’s life and career prospects. Considering how two of the Heat organization’s executives were closely related and affected by the two cautionary and tragic tales in basketball history, Hank Gathers and Reggie Lewis.
Erik Spoelstra was on the court and a few feet away when Hank Gathers, suffering from a similar issue, collapsed and died during a Loyola Marymount and University of Portland game on March 4, 1990. Alonzo Mourning was also on the court on April 29, 1993 when Reggie Lewis collapsed during Game 1 of the 1993 NBA Playoffs first round series between the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets. That would be Lewis’s final game as he passed away while training in July of 1993.
Seeing the dangers of playing with this sort of health issue first hand left a mark on Spoelstra and Mourning and one would assume this is part of the reason they wouldn’t allow Bosh to put himself in the same danger on their watch.
From that perspective, being a member of the Miami Heat with these unique circumstances at the time that this health issue happened may be a blessing for Chris Bosh as it could have been the catalyst for the basketball world to not experience another tragedy.
It is hard for a player of Bosh’s caliber (potentially a hall of famer even if he never plays again) to let the game go in the midst of his prime will he still feels he can be an elite player, but that difficult decision may the correct one whether made of his own accord or by the league.
Chris Bosh is an incredible basketball player and a very engaging and intelligent human being by all accounts. I hope he is able to find a way to continue his NBA career in a safe and healthy manner, but not at the risk of becoming another tragedy.
