Miami Heat Face Rising Concerns About Chris Bosh’s Health

The Miami Heat could be facing a second consecutive season without Chris Bosh down the stretch, as there are rising concerns surrounding his health.

The Miami Heat look like they will be in a dogfight for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference following the All-Star break. Despite having a record of 29-24, the Heat are only 2.5 games ahead of the ninth-place Detroit Pistons, meaning they are far from having a postseason spot locked up.

But their chances at clinching a playoff berth look like they are taking a serious hit with rising concerns about the health of All-Star Power Forward Chris Bosh.

Bosh missed the second half of last season as he dealt with blood clots on his lungs. It seems that Bosh may be dealing with yet another serious health related issue, according to Barry Jackson and Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press took it a step further, saying that his sources have revealed that it is another blood clot scare for Bosh. He adds that the sources say that Bosh’s season has not yet been declared over, as they work hard to determine the best course of action to alleviating the problem.

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Bosh left the All-Star Weekend festivities early with what was originally thought to be a calf strain. Upon returning to Miami for additional testing, it was revealed that Bosh was dealing with more than a calf strain, and it has now been diagnosed as another potential blood clot problem.

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According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports, Bosh is set to meet with doctors Thursday to determine the seriousness of clotting in his left calf and a course of action to help the problem, such as blood thinners.

There is no guarnatee that the blood thinners would get Bosh back on the court this season, as they would knock him out of action indefinitely. According to Jackson, Bosh was on blood thinners for the issue last year for seven months, which would knock him out for the remainder of this season as well.

While the wellness of Bosh is of the utmost importance off the court, on the court the Heat would really be hurt by his absence. The Heat’s plans for the trade deadline would immediately change, as they have very little in the way of help behind Bosh.

Chris Andersen and Josh McRoberts have been dealing with injuries throughout the season. Amar’e Stoudemire has played well recently, but at this stage of his career, and with his history of knee ailments, he would probably not be able to handle an increased workload on top of what he is already handling.

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Bosh being sidelined for any period of time would greatly diminish the Heat’s chances of making the postseason. They would more than likely very quickly shift from buyer into seller mode, as they will find it difficult to replace the production that Bosh brought to the table. This season, Bosh is averaging 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, numbers not easily replicated.