Rift between Miami Heat, Chris Bosh developing at a bad time

Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat have apparently hit a road block regarding the star’s return to the court.

The Miami Heat have made it to the second round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs. And while Heat Nation is still buzzing about the way Game 7 against the Charlotte Hornets went down, there is also another hot topic circling about.

Chris Bosh has not stepped foot on the court since before All-Star break. Having planned to both play in Sunday’s All-Star Game and take part in additional festivities that weekend, Bosh was sidelined with a so-called strained right calf.

At first, no one thought much of the news. However, before the season resumed, people started to wonder if his new injury was connected to his previously diagnosed blood clot.

It made sense too.

After all, the first time around, Bosh supposedly struggled with calf pain after being kicked during a game.

More from All U Can Heat

He then developed flu symptoms, flew back to Miami from Haiti where he was vacationing with his wife, and was told that a blood clot had formed in his lung. Bosh was subsequently put on blood thinners, and did not return to action until the fall.

Sound familiar?

But while the big man might have once again complained of a calf problem, beyond that, little is known. Following All-Star Weekend, both the organization and Bosh’s camp went silent, leaving many questions unanswered. No he was not playing and yes he was visiting doctors, but neither the media nor fans could figure out exactly what was going on.

Then, Bosh spoke out.

Full text of Bosh statement. pic.twitter.com/PhXpX2EV1T
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) March 10, 2016

And two things happened.

First, everyone split into two groups. People either took this information to mean that whatever Bosh had gone through was not blood clot related at all, or that his wording of “currently I do not have…” indicated that he indeed suffered from them again but was now healthy.

Then, the speculations of when he was returning, began. Some guessed he would be back before the playoffs. Others said he would wait till then to make his debut. But it turns out that both parties were wrong.

Because Bosh has yet to come back.

More from Heat History

But here is where it gets interesting. According to the 32-year-old, he is, and has been, ready to play for some time now. And has taken to pressuring the team to let him return.

Dan Le Batard spoke out on the matter, via his ESPN Radio show:

"“This is complicated and it’s not great. They are not in agreement here. The two sides—this runs the risk of getting problematic here at a bad time, because Chris Bosh wants on the court… It’s obvious that Chris Bosh wants on the court and that he’s pressuring the organization…and that his wife is pressuring the organization. They were wearing the #BringBoshBack shirts. There is a tension happening.I don’t know exactly what to believe here, OK, but I do trust the organization and I trust the people in the organization who tell me things because I’ve never been lied to by them about much of anything. They’re telling me that they’re protecting him from him, but he doesn’t feel any symptoms. This doesn’t feel like the last time. All the doctors the Heat are talking to are saying, and they’re the foremost authorities on this stuff, ‘Hey, a second recurrence of a blood clot situation could be catastrophic, where you’ve got a death on the court.’He and his wife want him back on the court and I think this might get messy because I think they’re trying to get the union involved. They do not agree with the Heat’s assessment and he wants back on the court… They’ve scoured the globe trying to find the doctor who will clear them and they’ve got someone that they feel comfortable about but that does not pare against the number of opinions on the other side here.”"

To say this has taken an unexpected turn, would be an understatement.

There are several things to consider here, the most important obviously being, is Bosh even healthy? There is a huge difference between not having any symptoms currently, and actually being well.

Furthermore, is Bosh still on blood thinners? Because if so, a single act of physical contact could kill him. In other words, playing should be entirely out of the question.

Of course, there is the possibility that none of this is even has anything to do with blood clots, in which case, what the actual heck is going on?

Without any real information, it seems like the Heat are just trying to protect their star. Performance-wise, they would be better off with Bosh on the floor, especially as their playoff run gets deeper. There has been no animosity between him and the organization in the past. And with no plans to retire, his contract stays as is. So from an outside perspective, Miami would have no ulterior motive to stop him from playing.

More heat: Miami Heat Round Table: Digesting Heat vs Hornets

Unfortunately, the issue at hand is only growing more dire. And as if Bosh going against his team is not bad enough, the timing could not be worse: the Heat need to be focusing on nothing but their upcoming battle versus the Toronto Raptors.