LDN - Sports

Heat's Bosh: 'I'm ready to play'

[September 15, 2016] The Sports Xchange

Miami Heat star Chris Bosh repeated what he said during the 2016 playoffs on Wednesday, when he declared himself ready to play in the upcoming NBA season.

Bosh, eight months removed from his second blood clot-related health scare in a calendar year, posted a video of a private workout last month and went a step further in a podcast interview with Uninterrupted.

"I'm ready to play," he said. "We've been talking about it for a long time. We released a statement back in May saying as soon as I'm ready to play as soon as possible, we'll play. And I'm ready. I've done all my work. I've done what I need to do working with the doctors."

Meanwhile, mum is the word from the Miami Heat since owner Micky Arison posted a "looking good CB. See you at camp" line in social media. That was the only team-related comment on Bosh's status since the team issued a statement with Bosh during the playoffs outlining the next steps that could lead to his return.

Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra have been supportive of Bosh but continue to point to the importance of medical input. Bosh, asked Wednesday if he thought he'd get medical clearance, had no answer.

But the 32-year-old said he is more optimistic doctors would allow him to play under a prescription for a new blood thinner that flushes from him system in eight hours. It's a regimen approved for NHL player Tomas Fleischmann, who has played five seasons thanks to the injections without incident.

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"And this particular doctor has had the same regiment with other athletes. So this is nothing that is new," Bosh said of adopting Fleischmann's approach to return to the NBA. "It's not ground breaking. We're not reinventing the wheel here. It's pretty standard. It's been proven. Guys have played on it. Like I said, for anybody to have worries, there are guys playing basketball and hockey and football."

Riley said Bosh would be evaluated in "late August or September" and training camp opens Sept. 27.

That will be the first camp since 2003 to convene with Dwyane Wade, who left in free agency for a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls, and the Heat maintain only tiny remnants of their championship roster anchored by Bosh, Wade and LeBron James.

When Bosh was hospitalized with blood clots, he was leading the team in scoring and 3-point shooting last season.

If the medical issue keeps Bosh out of action for good, he would be paid the remainder of his contract -- three years, $76 million -- but that wouldn't count against the Heat's salary cap after Feb. 9.

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