NBA AM: Understanding Chris Bosh’s Situation

Basketball Insiders’ Alex Kennedy and CineSport’s Noah Coslov discuss the complexity of Chris Bosh’s health situation.

Understanding Chris Bosh’s Health Situation

Yesterday, the Miami HEAT announced that Chris Bosh has been ruled out for the remainder of the postseason as he deals with complications from his second blood clot.

“The Miami Heat and Chris Bosh announce that Chris will not be playing in the remainder of the 2016 NBA Playoffs,” the team’s statement read. “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.”

Prior to this announcement, Bosh has been pushing to return to action during the playoffs and even involved the National Basketball Players Association. The NBPA reportedly met with the HEAT and tried to be an advocate for Bosh, but the team ruled him out for the rest of the year due to the seriousness of the situation.

Reports indicated that Bosh had found a doctor willing to clear him to play this postseason, but team doctors and others had said that he couldn’t take the court while recovering from his blood clot and taking blood thinners.

Since that announcement was made, there has been a lot of misinformation surrounding the situation. Here are some things to keep in mind.

While on blood thinners, a person will bleed much more than usual and that’s the issue for Bosh. If he were to get cut or take an elbow to the face during a game or practice, he could bleed to the point that this becomes a serious (and potentially life-threatening) issue. Whenever a person is on blood thinners, doctors typically tell them to stop activities like sports. For a professional athlete who plays at a high level every couple of days, the situation is even riskier.

Bosh’s future is up in the air because until he gets off of blood thinners, doctors won’t want him returning to the court. While it seems Bosh and the HEAT have agreed to end his postseason comeback attempt, it’s possible that the two sides will once again be at odds as next season approaches if Bosh is still on a blood thinning medication.

The other area where people have been confused is in regards to Bosh’s contract with Miami. Some people have wondered if the HEAT have an ulterior motive here and are trying to get out of paying Bosh this season’s $22,192,730 salary or the three guaranteed years remaining on his deal. However, it’s important to note that Miami will still have to pay Bosh for this season and keep his earnings on the books.

The absolute earliest that Miami could receive any cap relief is February 9, 2017 since that is the last time that Bosh played in an NBA game. If a player is ruled medically unable to continue their career, their team can receive cap relief one year after he played his last game. Anyone saying that this is Miami trying to get out of paying Bosh this season or trying to free up cap space for free agency this summer is misinformed.

This season, Bosh averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three-point range.

The HEAT are currently leading the Toronto Raptors, 1-0, in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series.

John Wall Undergoes Knee Surgeries

The Washington Wizards announced that guard John Wall underwent a successful procedure today to excise calcific deposits in his left patella tendon in order to eliminate pain and assist healing.  He will begin the rehabilitation process immediately and is expected to be available for the start of the 2016-17 season, according to the Wizards.  Wall also underwent an arthroscopic lavage on his right knee in order to remove loose bodies.

“I am determined to lead this team back to the playoffs and getting healthy is the best way for me to accomplish that,” said Wall. “I can promise the fans, my teammates and the organization that I will be focused on that goal throughout the summer and it will drive me to do everything I can to be ready for next season.”

The procedure was performed by Dr. Richard D. Parker at the Cleveland Clinic Marymount following consultations with Dr. James Andrews, Dr. Josh Hackel and Wizards Head Team Physician Wiemi Douoguih.

“John’s procedure went very well and should allow him to play without pain once he has completed his rehabilitation,” said Parker.  “We have worked closely with the Wizards’ medical and athletic training staff throughout this process to develop the plan he will need to follow this summer in order to resume his normal basketball activities.”

“The consultations with John, his agent and a variety of top medical professionals led us all to the conclusion that the best course of action for John was to have this procedure done now with regards to both next season and his long-term health,” said Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld.  “John has been a true warrior for us throughout his career and we’re confident that his work ethic will have him back leading the team as soon as possible.”