Miami Heat: A New Future Lies Ahead After Big Three Era

With the news that Chris Bosh has suffered another setback in his effort to return to action, the Miami Heat are facing the prospect of rebuilding for the future.

The “Big Three” era for the Miami Heat effectively ended over two years ago.

Due to LeBron James‘ shocking decision to return to play for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, any realistic expectations that the Heat could vie for another NBA title were dashed. Yet, where losing a superstar like James would essentially force a normal team to rebuild, it looked like the Heat could be one of the rare exceptions.

Led by an aging Dwyane Wade and the multi-dimensional Chris Bosh, the Heat had a solid blueprint to compete in an Eastern Conference that was lacking many true contenders (outside of the Cavs, of course).

Yes, the team may have been a far cry of their former selves, but Wade and Bosh alone were certainly enough to bridge the gap between the “Big Three” era into something new for the Heat.

But now, the Heat’s plan to bridge the gap has gone astray and they now face a new era, albeit one they didn’t intend to begin.

Long gone is Wade, who left to sign with his own hometown Chicago Bulls this offseason after one too many contentious contract disputes with the Heat’s front office.

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With Wade out of the picture, that leaves Bosh as the last of the Big Three with the Heat. However, his playing career looks to be in jeopardy, based on reports (first broken by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) as well as a statement from the team itself.

In his effort to return to action, Bosh suffered another setback by failing a preseason physical, due to another recurrence of his blood clot issues. In doing so, the Heat are unable to clear him for basketball activities, which further complicates Bosh’s playing future with not only the Heat, but the NBA.

As always with cases such as this, the health of Bosh comes first and foremost. This is the third episode for Bosh in his attempts to resume his playing career and with each and every recurrence, the stakes grow larger and become incredibly dangerous if he were try to return.

If this truly is it for Bosh, however, it’s definitely not the way anyone would have wanted his likely Hall of Fame career to close.

The stabilizing presence of those Big Three Heat teams, Bosh had the toughest task of molding his game around two defined superstars in James and Wade. As a result, Bosh arguably earned the most criticism and was a constant subject of trade rumors, especially when the Heat would battle with struggles.

Whether Bosh continues his pursuit to get back on the court remains to be seen, but the picture is becoming increasingly clear with where the Heat go from here.