Chris Bosh is slowly making good on his promise to return to the court this season. The Miami Heat forward has been dealing with a blood clot issue in his calf muscle that has kept him out since the All-Star break. Last week Bosh released a statement saying that he was no longer dealing with the issue and planned to return quickly to the Miami Heat. On Monday night in the Heat's win against the Denver Nuggets, Bosh did just that.
Bosh made his partial return to the court as he was on the bench for the Heat's win. Dressed in a suit, it was the first spotting of Bosh since the All-Star break when news broke about the blood clot. The presence of Bosh was certainly nice for the Heat who were fearing that the forward could miss the remainder of the year. Head coach Erik Spoelsta is hopeful this is a positive step for Bosh.
"It's awesome having him around," Spoelstra said. "I love Chris. I love having him around. He always has an intuitive feel of what I'm thinking, what needs to be relayed. He's an example of leadership at all levels. This is the first one he was out here; normally he watches from the back. Even before the game, he was going through the scout [film] before our [pregame] meeting."
While Bosh made his return to the court, there is still no timetable for when he will begin playing. The Heat are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference while being just a half-game behind the Boston Celtics. They have won 10 of their last 13 games since the All-Star break and look poised to be a real threat come playoff time. Dwyane Wade told the media that it was good to have Bosh back on the court with the team and he hopes the forward can get to playing soon enough.
"He is getting closer and closer into what we are doing," Wade said. "He started slowly and now he is getting into it. That just makes us feel good to see him there and supporting his team and giving us his IQ of the game when we come to the bench. Certain things he sees helps us big time."
There could be issues for Miami upon Bosh's return to the court. The team did a good job of replacing him with the addition of Joe Johnson while Justise Winslow and Hassan Whiteside have upped their games. It could be tough finding where Bosh fits within the Heat's current system that has seen the team's offense improve. When healthy, Bosh is one of the best players on the Heat's roster, but right now they are proving they can win without him, and it could be tough to change things once he returns.
"I have been working out, training with the team, watching film of the games, walking through plays and have attended home games despite not being visible to the public," Bosh said. "I remain positive that I will be able to return this season."
