The Miami Heat are locked in a tight playoff series against the Toronto Raptors but they are missing one of their most battle-tested veterans.
Chris Bosh would have been one of the vital cogs in their run and he has already stated that he wants to get a shot at his former team. However, after a meeting with the players union and Miami Heat team officials, Bosh has given up the fight as the Heat issued an official statement that Bosh is out for the season.
This has led to some speculation as there wasn't any official reason given for the decision to shelve him. Bosh is not a marginal player, he could really make a difference in the playoffs and the Heat are paying him a max salary.
Thus, Heat media like team fan site All You Can Heat can only speculate.
"On the one hand, Bosh fighting to play opened the door to the idea that perhaps he did not throw another clot," Allana Tachauer of AYCH said. "Maybe he did indeed strain his calf, and the doctors were merely afraid it would lead to future health complications. So they put him back on blood thinners.
Tachauer shows the back and forth speculation because of the lack of information. "Of course, there is also the option of Bosh having experienced another blood clot, which again lead to dealing with blood thinners ."
Now, there's the recent comment from Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, as told to 560 WQAM with very ominous words in this tweet.
The Miami Heat is actually doing the right thing in erring on the side of caution with regards to Bosh's condition. They are a better team with Bosh but they cannot risk his health.
Playing professional sports while on blood thinners can be fatal as most doctors would reiterate. Thus, despite Bosh's insistence to play, the prudent decision for Miami is to say "no,"
In case of retirement, the scenario is illustrated by CBS NBA Insider Ken Berger: "If Bosh's condition is deemed to be career-ending, Miami would be able to waive Bosh and apply for a medical exception that would wipe his salary -- $23.7 million next season -- from its books. The medical determination would have to be made by a physician jointly selected by the league and the union, according to the collective bargaining agreement."
There is a caveat though since Bosh played more than 10 games this season: "The team cannot apply for the exception until the one-year anniversary of his last game. In this case, that would be Feb. 9, 2017," Berger added.