It was supposed to be a title-contending move. It was supposed to be a move we’d enjoy watching for the rest of the 2014-15 season, and it would prove to be a smart long-term move as well.
But victory is fleeting in the NBA. Less than 24 hours after Pat Riley — the closest thing the NBA has to a real life Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones — engineered a trade for stud point guard Goran Dragic, the Miami Heat discovered Chris Bosh had been admitted to a hospital.
Not long after that, the unfortunate truth emerged: Bosh would miss the rest of the 2014-15 season due to blood clots in his lungs.
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Obviously, the most important thing here is Chris Bosh’s health and well-being as an person. Luckily they caught the problem before it became life-threatening and Bosh is expected to make a full recovery.
But from a basketball perspective, the news could not have been worse for the 2014-15 Heat, who are clinging to one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference and just made a move to elevate to “contender” status.
Just a few days before, Riley had manufactured his version of the “Red Wedding” against the Phoenix Suns, with Suns general manager Ryan McDonough playing the part of Robb Stark — he never lost a battle (individual trade), but he lost the war. By bringing in Isaiah Thomas, even on a great value play, Goran Dragic felt alienated and wanted out.
The Heat capitalized, but now their playoff hopes are just as 50-50 as they were before the Dragic trade. If the Dragic trade was Riley’s “Red Wedding,” the news about Bosh represented an unavoidable, crappy fate much like Tywin Lannister’s…only if you mixed it with Jurassic Park:
Criss-crossing references aside, the Heat now find themselves in a difficult place. The overwhelming good news that Bosh will be all right should carry the day, but there are a ton of basketball questions that need to be answered until his return.
So without further ado, here’s a look at how Bosh’s absence for the rest of the season will affect this team…and possibly Goran Dragic’s free agency as well.
Next: The Playoff Hunt