It isn't a stretch to say that the Miami Heat would have been a better team had Chris Bosh been healthy.
Heading into the All-Star break, Bosh was arguably the team's best player. He was in the midst of yet another All-Star campaign and had been leading the team in scoring with 19.1 points per game, including 36.5 percent from three-point range.
However, Bosh suffered another bout with blood clots. The situation was serious enough to the point where it sidelined him for the remainder of the season for the second straight year.
Without their top scorer, the Heat made a good run during the postseason, but were eventually eliminated by the Toronto Raptors in seven games during the semis.
During Miami's end-of-season press conference, team president Pat Riley called Bosh the team's X-factor entering the offseason:
“We, all of us, it's not just the Heat but the doctors and also Chris, are looking to proceed forward to find a way to get him back on the court. I think that's all we can say right now. We are very encouraged by trying to find a way over the next two or three months to find a protocol and a program that will get him back playing. That's always been our objective and we're in this together, so right now that's where we are. It's an X-factor when it comes to everything we plan on doing this summer, but I think first things first is to sidle up alongside Chris Bosh and see where we can go right to the end with this.”
Obviously, Bosh's health is a priority before anything else. There is no definitive timetable for when he'll return to the court, if ever.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN had reported earlier in the week that there is a concern within the organization that Bosh may never play again due to the blood clots situation.
Riley also discussed how difficult it has been for the 32-year-old veteran to deal with not playing:
“It's going to have to be done in a way that we all feel good about it,” Riley said. “It's two years in a row and it definitely has hurt the team but probably more so than anybody, he's the one that's suffering from it. And that's why Mickey [Arison] and myself, everybody in the organization and players, have great compassion and empathy for Chris right now.
For the sake of everyone involved, hopefully Bosh's situation isn't too serious and that he is medically cleared to play basketball again down the road.
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