Bosh, dealing with blood clot issues, out for playoffs
Chris Bosh’s hopes to play in the NBA playoffs this year were officially put to bed Wednesday afternoon, as he and the Miami Heat released a statement confirming he won’t play this season.
“The Miami Heat and Chris Bosh announce that Chris will not be playing in the remainder of the 2016 NBA Playoffs,” the joint statement said. “The Heat, Chris, the doctors and medical team have been working together throughout this process and will continue to do so to return Chris to playing basketball as soon as possible.”
Bosh and his wife, Adrienne, had made a push on social media this past week to have the13-year veteran rejoin his team. He had not played in a game since Feb. 9, after his bloodclot issues resurfaced.
Earlier in the day, Dwyane Wade, Bosh’s longtime teammate, said that neither Bosh’s presence with the team nor his short-lived battle to return this season were distractions to the Heat.
“It hasn’t been difficult at all. We’re not concerned with what’s going on, on the outside,” Wade said. “We dealt with Chris being out since February so we know the dynamic there.
“All we care about is one of our leaders is helping us in the best way he can. Coach (Erik Spoelstra) al- ways talks about leadership at all levels. It doesn’t mean just on the basketball court. (Bosh) has been leading us on the bench, he’s been doing an unbelievable job of being another coach in our ear and someone who’s been through it that can help these guys.”
The Heat took care of the Charlotte Hornets in a seven-game series in the first round and managed to win in overtime in Tuesday’s Game 1 against Bosh’s former team, the Toronto Raptors. Wade said Bosh’s situation has reinforced a sense of postseason urgency in him.
“I feel for him and that makes me want to not take (any) of this for granted,” he said, after scoring 24 points, with six rebounds and four assists, in Game 1’s overtime battle.
“I already don’t want to take them for granted because I’m 34 years old and I’m not 24. I’ve got one of my best friends not able to be out there and I know he wants to be out there.”
“He’s doing an amazing job being a great teammate, but I’m sure it’s killing him to not be out there.
“After taking a crushing blow (to go to) overtime, it makes you come out in overtime and just do a little bit more because you’ve got someone who would kill to be out there to do anything, to be on the floor. I take that into every game with me.”
Bosh averaged 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds before his season ended.