Chris Bosh, Heat Reportedly Clashed over PF Possibly Playing on Blood Thinners
Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh attempted to devise a strategy that would have allowed him to play during the 2016 NBA playoffs, but team doctors reportedly rebuffed him.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported Sunday that Bosh wanted to take his prescribed blood thinners early in the morning so they would be out of his system by game time. The theory was it would lessen the likelihood of the All-Star forward having complications if he were cut or suffered an internal injury during a game.
Heat doctors rejected the plan, and Bosh sat out the entire playoffs. The 32-year-old missed the last 29 games of the regular season after being diagnosed with blood clots. It was the second straight year the condition, which can be life-threatening, forced him off the floor.
Michael Wallace of ESPN.com reported May 17 that Bosh and the team disagreed over how to handle the situation. The National Basketball Players Association launched an investigation into the matter on Bosh's behalf.
The Heat were steadfast in saying Bosh would have to be 100 percent before coming back. At his end-of-season press conference, team president Pat Riley said Bosh would only return "in a way that we all feel good about," per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
"We are very encouraged by trying to find a way over the next two or three months to find a protocol and program to get him back playing," Riley said, per Winderman. "That's always been our objective. It's the X-factor in everything we're trying to do this summer."
ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reported May 16 that Bosh may be forced into a medical retirement if the condition cannot be managed. His status looms large in an offseason that may shape the franchise's next half-decade.
Center Hassan Whiteside, plucked off the scrap heap and one of the NBA's best bargains over the last two seasons, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Heat do not have his full Bird rights because he signed a two-year deal, which means they will likely be capped out if they bring him back. Dwyane Wade is also a free agent and should lock into the type of deal that could carry him to retirement.
Bosh, signed through 2018-19, returning at full strength would be the best thing for everyone involved. He was the Heat's most productive two-way player before going down, averaging 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. No one Miami could find on the free-agent market would bring his versatility or adaptability; a player with his game should also age gracefully.
But Bosh's health has and always will be the priority.
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