Chris Bosh and Miami Heat at impasse over his availability

While the team still claims he’s out indefinitely, Chris Bosh himself is now lobbying for an opportunity to play.

For the second straight year, Miami Heat star forward Chris Bosh has missed significant time due to unusual health problems.

After finishing the 2015 season sidelined with blood clots in his lungs, Bosh returned last fall to the starting lineup only to again find himself on the disabled list following the All-Star break – this time with an undisclosed illness. While Bosh has maintained publicly that his absence is not a result of active blood clots, one has to wonder what exactly is happening behind the scenes that is keeping the big man from suiting up for his team.

If there was ever a time for Bosh to return, that time would be now. The Heat find themselves locked in a tied series with the pesky Charlotte Hornets, and the all-important Game 5 between the two foes is set to tip-off Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena.

Perhaps recognizing the gravity of the moment, Bosh, and his wife have taken to their social media accounts to announce his readiness to return to the court for action. Ultimately, however, the decision on whether or not Bosh returns during this series or the playoffs at all lies with the team doctors and staff who have evaluated Bosh throughout the entire process.

If Heat officials consider the risk too great for Bosh to resume contact basketball, then there’s no sense in bringing him back prematurely – and that appears to be the argument the team is making by continuing to declare his absence as “indefinite.”

Game 5 tips off tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST on TNT.

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