Sidelined around the All-Star break due to an undisclosed health issue, Miami Heat big man Chris Bosh ended up missing the majority of the season and playoffs for the second straight year. Repeatedly saying he was capable of playing, Bosh wanted to make a return in the postseason and even attempted to get the NBPA to help his case. Yet after serious discussions with the Heat, both the team and the big man decided that it would be best if he didn’t make a return, especially since his health is more important than anything else.
Bosh reached out to the NBPA at the time because his team reportedly didn’t like how the Heat were handling the situation. And according to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, this disagreement centered around Bosh being able to play while taking blood thinners:
According to a team source, the Bosh camp spent considerable time exploring the idea of Bosh continuing to take those blood thinners, but at a time of day (such as early morning) that the medication would be out of his bloodstream by game time.
Someone with knowledge of the situation said blood tests indicated the medication was out of Bosh’s system after 8 to 12 hours, which would significantly lessen the risk for Bosh playing. But the Heat and team doctors rejected that idea.
This is not that surprising, the Heat are being very cautious with Bosh and don’t want to see him play through any kind of serious health risk. And like any player, Bosh is confident in his abilities and wanted the opportunity to showcase them. However, this doesn’t mean the Heat and Bosh aren’t seeing eye-to-eye.
They both put out the statement that he would not play in the playoffs and have stood by him. The Heat reportedly do fear that Bosh may be “forced into a medical retirement” and even team president Pat Riley has called the Heat All-Star’s health an “X-factor” this offseason. With Bosh’s condition so delicate, it is the right move for the Heat to be cautious. Besides, there’s more to life than basketball.
