Chris Bosh is still recovering from having blood clots in his lungs, but he says he’ll be back to start next season.
Chris Bosh may not be back to full health just yet, but that’s not going to deter him. Bosh said in an interview with NBA TV on Tuesday that he’s going to be ready to go when the 2015-16 season opens.
Bosh missed the last 30 games of the season for the Heat, who ultimately finished the year with a 37-45 record and missing the playoffs. Bosh was sidelined after it was revealed that he had blood clots in his lungs, a serious condition, and needed immediate treatment to help alleviate the clots and get him back to full health. The team went 15-15 without Bosh in the lineup.
Bosh and the seemed poised to make serious noise in the NBA Eastern Conference after the All-Star break. Not only would the break give them time to rest injuries, but they also acquired a stud point guard in Goran Dragic at the trade deadline. However, Bosh never got the chance to help guide the team down the stretch due to the blood clots, though.
In the 44 games that he did play, Bosh was performing wonderfully after electing to re-sign with the Heat for a five-year max contract last summer. The big man was putting up 21.1 points, seven rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 37.5 percent shooting from long-range.
More importantly, though, the Heat never got to see their full-squad play after the addition of Dragic because of Bosh’s condition. Considering that they played .500 basketball after the break without a consistent big man, much less a player of Bosh’s caliber, has to have Heat fans dreaming of what could have been had Bosh been healthy.
While there’s a chance that the Heat will get the chance to see the team at full-health if Bosh does indeed return to action for the season-opener, it’s not a foregone conclusion. Dragic will become a free agent this summer. He’s expressed a desire to stay in Miami after his brief experience with the team and organization, but nothing in this day and age of free agency is certain.
In terms of Bosh, though, the chief concern is that the issue with the blood clots is alleviated. That’s something life threatening and bigger than basketball that he needs to put aside his competitive desire and make sure and he heals fully from. If he does get to that point by the season-opener, though, basketball fans will undoubtedly welcome him back to the hardwood. It’s pretty safe to say that he was missed.
[H/T: SI]
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