Failed physical clouds Bosh’s future
Sources say blood clots have returned; team can’t say when forward might
Miami Heat All-Star power forward Chris Bosh has failed his team physical and is unable to return to the NBA due to a recurrence of blood clotting, the Sun Sentinel confirmed Friday through sources.
Bosh has missed the second half of the past two seasons due to clotting episodes but had been pushing for a return, despite ongoing concerns of the Heat’s medical staff. Now, with sources saying clotting continues to be an issue, it is possible that Bosh’s NBA career is over.
The Heat issued a statement about Bosh’s status Friday without directly addressing an actual medical setback.
“The Miami Heat and Chris Bosh, in consultation with team doctors and other physicians, have been working together for many months with the mutual goal of having Chris return to the court as soon as possible,” the statement read. “Chris has now taken his preseason physical. The Miami Heat regret that it remains unable to clear Chris to return to basketball activities, and there is no timetable for his return.”
Bosh traveled to New York, according to aparty close to the process, to meet with the NBA’s medical staff. NBA clearance would be required for a return. According to a source, the Heat’s findings were confirmed by the NBA at that meeting.
Bosh had spent the past week using social media to chronicle his attempts to return to the NBA, while the Heat declined comment on the issue until the statement Friday.
As part of their statement, the Heat on Friday said, “We are not able to comment further in light of Article XXII, Section 3(e) of the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, which precludes a team from releasing certain medical information without a player’s consent.”
Bosh had been scheduled on Friday to release his latest video chapter detailing his attempted comeback, but that video was not posted at its scheduled 2 p.m. release time.
Interactions between Bosh and the team have been limited through this process, with Bosh not immediately offering comment
on what transpired Friday on any of his social-media platforms.
Should Bosh be unable to return, his salary would come off the Heat’s salary cap on Feb. 9, the one-year anniversary fromhis most recent regular-season appearance. In the interim, the Heat are expected to choose among options at power forward including Josh McRoberts, Justise Winslow
and Udonis Haslem.
Bosh is expected to remain inactive on the Heat’s 15-player regular-season roster, which would therefore not create a roster spot for an additional player.
In a self-directed video chapter on LeBron James’ Uninterrupted digital media
network that was released Wednesday, Bosh spoke of skepticism toward Heat medical officials when it came to their findings in February.
“Seeing the team doctors,” Bosh said in the video, “they told me that my season’s over, my career is probably over and, yeah, this just happens, this is just how it is. I felt right away that Iwas written off.”
The Heat’s report on Bosh’s health apparently mirrored those findings seven months later.
According to a source familiar with Bosh’s medical history, a plan had been considered to use a regimen of scheduled blood thinners and possibly a protective mesh to allow Bosh to return to the court.
Those plans apparently have been put on hold.
Bosh is not expected to be at media day Monday at American-Airlines Arena in advance of the start of training camp Tuesday in the Bahamas.
Bosh has been able to travel, and the latest occurrence is not believed to be life-threatening, according to a party familiar with the situation. However, the source said it could require Bosh to receive renewed treatment, although Bosh’s stance on such an approach is not known.
Bosh had been scheduled to attend the fundraising event of former Heat teammate Shane Battier on Thursday night but did not appear. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and Heat President Pat Riley were at that event but were not available for comment.
Of the 20 players under contract to the Heat for training camp, only Bosh and guard Josh Richardson, whois sidelined with a knee injury, have failed to take the team’s required conditioning test.
It was one year ago that Bosh held a news conference expressing confidence that there would not be additional clotting episodes.
Bosh is not expected to be at media day Monday at American-Airlines Arena in advance of the start of training camp Tuesday in the Bahamas.