Chris Bosh Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pat Riley Addresses Bosh, Heat Free Agents

May 18th, 2016 at 6:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat president Pat Riley offered insight into the Chris Bosh situation and several other topics during a 46-minute news conference this afternoon, relays Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Among the highlights:

Bosh’s future remains uncertain after being sidelined since the All-Star break when blood clots were reportedly discovered in his left calf. Riley said doctors will work with Bosh over the summer to develop a program with the goal of getting him back on the court. “That’s always been our objective,” Riley said. “We’re in this together. It’s an X factor when it comes to everything we plan on doing this summer.”
Riley called center Hassan Whiteside “our No. 1 priority, period” when it comes to free agency. The 26-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, averaging 14.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per game and leading the league with 3.7 blocks per night. Whiteside will be an unrestricted free agent and the Heat don’t own his Bird rights because he signed just a two-year contract in 2014 after being out of the NBA for two seasons. “I don’t think he’s even reached his real ceiling in a couple areas of the game that I think that now he will be more comfortable with once his situation ends,” Riley said. “… He has shown all of us he can be 15 and 15 and four blocked shots and 70% field goal guy. There are other layers to his game I think he can even be better at. He’s very, very, very high on our priority list.” Riley promised the Heat will contact Whiteside at 12:01 a.m. July 1, the official start of free agency.
Another Heat decision will involve whether to again sign Dwyane Wade to a one-year contract or to hammer out a longer agreement. Riley called Wade a “lifer” in Miami and promised to “do the right thing” for the future Hall of Famer. “Compensation to a player is not just a way to get paid and live your life,” Riley said. “Compensation to a player is about recognition and respect.”
Free agent power forward Udonis Haslem may have a future with the Heat even though he’s about to turn 36 next month. Riley likes the way Haslem became a mentor to young players and contributed on the court when needed. “He said he learned more than ever about leadership this year in thinking about what he had to bring to the team that day because he wanted to talk to Hassan or Justise [Winslow] or Gerald [Green] or somebody,” Riley said. “… What he got was a great result.”
Riley said he understands that Goran Dragic had a hectic year that involved a lot more than just his trade from the Suns. But he added that the “unsettled” excuse is in the past, and the organization expects a lot more from Dragic next season. “He’s got to be a player than can create and score when there is no space,” Riley said. “That’s part of the game also, because when teams start to take things away from you and the offense that the coach creates, what are you going to do?”

Heat Notes: Dragic, Bosh, Deng

May 18th, 2016 at 1:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is pleased with the growth that Goran Dragic displayed in running the team’s offense during the second half of the season and in the playoffs, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relays. “You want to leverage his strengths as much as possible,” Spoelstra said of Dragic. “He really improved in a lot of areas. He had to run a team different from the teams he has been successful on. That helped him immensely during the playoffs. He learned how to execute in halfcourt basketball. When we were able to play a different pace and tempo after the All-Star break, he had an improved skill set to play multiple styles of basketball, which is absolutely a necessity in the playoffs. You can’t just play one style. I’ve enjoyed seeing Goran’s growth as a basketball player. Now he’s learning how to impact winning on both sides of the floor. He’s been a joy to coach.”

Here’s more from South Beach:

Spoelstra wouldn’t address the reports that Chris Bosh may not be cleared by the team’s medical staff to return to action, but did note how difficult the power forward’s health woes have been on both the player and the organization, Jackson notes in the same piece. “There’s nothing new,” Spoelstra said regarding Bosh. “Right now, we’re going to get away and decompress. Obviously, it was very tough for the team. You really feel for CB because you know how much the game means to him. You really feel for him. It was a tough year emotionally for this team, starting with Coach [Keith] Smart, when he had to take his leave of absence for his cancer. I’ve never been through anything like that. At the same time, it was an extremely gratifying year. Everything we went through, we really developed some friendships and relationships through this almost eight months of a season. We were disappointed about the final result. We will always have bigger expectations here at the Heat.”
Small forward Luol Deng, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, said he prefers to re-sign with the Heat and that like his previous free agency decisions, what he does this summer won’t revolve primarily around money, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post relays (Twitter links). The 31-year-old earned $10,151,612 for his efforts this past season.
The Heat are likely to face stiff competition for unrestricted free agent big man Hassan Whiteside this summer, but the team intends to take advantage of the next six weeks when it will be the only franchise allowed to talk contract details with the player, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. “Well, we’ll get to July when we get to July,” Spoelstra said. “But, in the meantime, it’s going to be spending a lot of time in our building, still doing rehab, treatment and then we’re fully open, as we always are, to player development all the way up until that date. But I anticipate spending some more time with Hassan in the immediate future, as he gets healthy.”

Heat Fear Chris Bosh Won’t Be Medically Cleared

May 16th, 2016 at 4:05pm CST by Luke Adams

There is some fear within the Heat organization that Chris Bosh‘s health condition will prevent him from ever being cleared by team doctors, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Miami’s doctors did not allow Bosh to return to the court for the postseason this year, despite the fact that he reportedly found an independent doctor who seemed willing to give him clearance to play.

As Windhorst writes, Bosh badly wants to play again, and the Heat would love to have him back next season and beyond. However, the 32-year-old’s health is the number one concern for everyone involved, which has forced all parties to consider the possibility that he may be forced into medical retirement.

Despite some concerns from within the Heat organization, nothing has been decided regarding Bosh yet. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald hears from a team source that Miami remains hopeful about the odds of the big man returning to action next season, and Jackson notes that ESPN’s Dan Le Batard has heard similar sentiments.

While the Heat won’t rush that decision, the offseason is fast approaching, and the team has some big roster moves to make that could hinge – at least somewhat – on Bosh’s health. As Windhorst writes, Bosh’s medical issues have had a major impact on Miami’s last two seasons, so if the club doesn’t expect him back, that could mean significantly altering plans for free agency and/or the draft.

Since Bosh last played in an NBA game on February 9th, 2016, the Heat would have to wait until February 9th, 2017 to do anything with the 13-year-veteran’s cap hit. If Bosh still hasn’t returned to the court by next February, an independent doctor approved by the team and by the NBPA would evaluate Bosh’s health and deliver his assessment to the league. If that doctor determines Bosh isn’t healthy enough to continue his career, the Heat would be able to remove his cap charge from their books, though that’s obviously not the preferred outcome for the franchise.

Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Durant, Free Agents

May 16th, 2016 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

Following their Game 7 loss to the Raptors on Sunday, the Heat will begin their offseason preparation in earnest, and Hassan Whiteside – who was sidelined for most of the team’s series against Toronto – will play a key role in Miami’s summer. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, there will be “considerable debate” within the organization over the next several weeks about whether or not to offer Whiteside a max deal.

Of course, before the Heat can even move forward in negotiations with Whiteside, the club will have to determine whether Kevin Durant will be a realistic free agent target, says Jackson — the Oklahoma City star would be Miami’s top priority in free agency if he’s available, and if the Heat could land Durant, the odds of keeping Whiteside would decline significantly. So the team may need to get a read on Durant’s intentions before getting serious about retaining Whiteside.

Let’s check in on a few other notable issues and decisions facing the Heat this summer…

Even if Chris Bosh isn’t healthy enough to return to the Heat next season, the team wouldn’t be able to excise his cap number from the books until at least February 2017, notes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. If Bosh remains on the cap but is unable to play, the Heat will essentially be operating with about 75% of the salary cap flexibility of the rest of the league’s teams, says Winderman.
We rounded up some postgame comments from the Heat’s pending free agents after Sunday’s game, and Winderman goes a little more in-depth on those comments in his own Sun Sentinel piece, with Udonis Haslem, Joe Johnson, and Amar’e Stoudemire among the free-agents-to-be who offered their thoughts on a potential return.
Within a pair of recent mailbags, Winderman explored whether Joe Johnson has a future in Miami beyond this season, whether or not Whiteside deserves a max deal, and whether there would be a market for Goran Dragic if the Heat made him available via trade.

Eastern Notes: Heat, Vogel, Brooks, Olynyk

May 15th, 2016 at 8:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Several Heat players had their minds on the future after today’s Game 7 loss at Toronto. The overall feeling is that most players want to return next season and they hope free agent center Hassan Whiteside is with them, tweets Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. One exception could be Amar’e Stoudemire, who was unhappy with his playing time after signing a one-year deal with Miami as a free agent last summer (Twitter link). However, Stoudemire also felt the Heat had “great chemistry” and said, “I enjoyed the guys and I had the best time of my life with my teammates this season.” (Twitter link). Veteran Udonis Haslem, who has been with Miami for his entire 13-year career, understands he may have to find a new team to stay in the league next season. “There’s a business side to everything, so you never know,” Haslem said (Twitter link). Joe Johnson, who will be a free agent after joining the Heat in late February, said it’s too early to think about his next move (Twitter link). Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Justise Winslow and Josh McRoberts are the only Miami players with guaranteed deals for next season.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Knicks are hoping to hire a coach in the next week or so, writes Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal. Frank Vogel, who met with team president Phil Jackson and GM Steve Mills Wednesday in Los Angeles, is apparently a finalist for the job, along with David Blatt and interim coach Kurt Rambis. Vogel reportedly spent much of his interview making the case that the understands the triangle and would incorporate it into his offense.
The Bucks will interview Utah executive Justin Zanik and former Charlotte GM Rod Higgins for an open front office position, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Milwaukee is looking for someone to work with GM John Hammond (Twitter link).
New Wizards coach Scott Brooks traveled to Orlando this week for a meeting with Marcin Gortat, according to Keely Diven of CSNMidAtlantic. Brooks is hoping to establish a better relationship with his starting center than former coach Randy Wittman, who feuded publicly with Gortat.
Kelly Olynyk will have to undergo surgery soon on his injured right shoulder in order to be ready for the start of next season, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. Olynyk has been hoping he can help the Canadian national team qualify for the Summer Olympics, but with a five-month projected recovery time, he is already likely to miss at least some of the Celtics‘ training camp.

Heat Notes: Whiteside, Green, Wade, Johnson

May 8th, 2016 at 8:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Depending on his recovery time and the Heat’s playoff success, impending free agent Hassan Whiteside may have played his last game with Miami, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Whiteside suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee in the Game 3 loss to the Raptors. He is officially listed as day to day, but the Heat have no idea when Whiteside will be healthy enough to play again. “Where my mind was, where Hassan’s mind was, that’s about the best news we could have,” said coach Erik Spoelstra. “He’s going to be doing treatment, a lot of rest.”

It’s a disappointing development not only for the Heat, but also for the 26-year-old center, who is trying to make the case for a maximum contract this summer. The Raptors will also be without their starting center for the rest of the series, as Jonas Valanciunas has been diagnosed with a sprained right ankle.

There’s more playoff news out of Miami:

Veteran small forward Gerald Green, who is also headed for free agency, replaced rookie Justise Winslow in the rotation for Saturday’s game, Jackson writes in the same piece. Green scored eight points in 21 minutes, while Winslow never left the bench. “It’s the coach’s decision,” Winslow said afterward. “He’s going to try to put the best group of guys out there to try to win. Whether I’m out there or not, I’m going to stay positive and stay ready.”
Dwyane Wade is trying to remain philosophical about the misfortune that has cost the Heat two of their top big men and placed a greater scoring burden on him, relays Michael Lee of The Vertical. “We’re without one of the best players to ever play the game in Chris Bosh,” Wade said. “Right now, we don’t know about Hassan, who is a big part of what we do. That doesn’t mean we still don’t have a series to play, and Toronto ain’t going to care. No one cares.”
Tyler Johnson had a hard time sticking to a gradual recovery plan when he was rehabbing from rotator cuff surgery, according to Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Johnson, who has returned for the playoffs, snuck into the Heat’s practice facility one night in March for some unauthorized shooting. “We mentioned early on that his greatest strength, in this case, could be his greatest weakness: his relentlessness,” Spoelstra said. “We couldn’t afford to skip a step and then have a setback. That’s the worst thing that could happen. We had to stay on him all the time.”

Eastern Notes: Bosh, Butler, Lawson

May 4th, 2016 at 7:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Chris Bosh will miss the remainder of the 2016 NBA playoffs, as he and the Heat jointly announced. “The Heat, Chris, the doctors and medical team have been working together throughout this process and will continue to do so to return Chris to playing basketball as soon as possible,” the statement relayed. The veteran hasn’t played since February 9th because of concerns about reported blood clots in his left calf, and he had been lobbying for the team to activate him so he can contribute in the postseason. Bosh reportedly found a doctor who appeared willing to give clearance for him to play, but the team and its doctors disagreed with that assessment. The NBPA had reportedly requested a meeting with the team on Bosh’s behalf, though it is unclear if that meeting has occurred or ever will.

Here’s more from the East:

While the Bulls are willing to listen to trade offers for Jimmy Butler, the team is telling interested parties that the current plan is to hang onto the swingman for next season, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. If Chicago decides to change course and deal Butler, it would likely take an established NBA starter in addition to a package of draft picks and younger prospects to land the player, Blakely adds. Butler just completed the first season of the five-year, $92.3MM deal he inked last summer.
Ty Lawson, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, said he would like to return to the Pacers next season, the team relayed (via Twitter). “It was a fun time. I liked the culture here. … Hopefully I can come back next year,” Lawson said. The point guard made 13 appearances for Indiana this season, averaging 4.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 18.1 minutes per outing.
Power forward Anthony Tolliver is poised to become an unrestricted free agent, and though he prefers to remain with the Pistons, he understands the team has more pressing needs to attend to first, writes Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. “Who knows what’s going to happen,” Tolliver said. “I’ve been in this league long enough to know nothing’s promised. I feel good about my role here, and how I’ve helped this team in many different ways — on and off the court. But at the end of the day, it’ll be up to my agent and the team to see if we can figure something out and see if we can make it a long-term home.”

Southeast Notes: Bosh, Magic, Lin

May 3rd, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBPA has requested a meeting with the Heat on the behalf of Chris Bosh to attempt to resolve the medical clearance dispute between the two parties, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com relays. “Our top priority is Chris’ health and well-being. We have spoken with Chris and his agent, and have reached out to the Miami Heat. We are hopeful that all parties involved can meet as soon as possible to resolve the situation,” the NBPA said in its official statement on the matter.

The veteran hasn’t played since February 9th because of concerns about reported blood clots in his left calf and he is lobbying for the team to activate him so he can contribute in the playoffs. Bosh reportedly found a doctor who appeared willing to give clearance for him to play, but the team and its doctors disagreed with that assessment.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

Outside of Mario Hezonja and Aaron Gordon, no player on the Magic‘s roster should be considered untouchable this summer and the team would be wise to gauge the trade value of both Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton since neither has shown himself to be the long-term answer at point guard, opines Bobby Marks of The Vertical in his offseason primer for the franchise.
Jeremy Lin is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but the point guard wants to remain with the Hornets because of how much fun he had this season while a member of the team, as Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer relays. “This is the most fun I’ve had in my six years [in the NBA],” Lin said. “Being around a great group of guys and a coaching staff that really cares. I’ve learned so much about the game of basketball, particularly at the defensive end. My biggest thing is I want to have fun and be happy. I’ve been paid on the lower end and had a blast, and I’ve been paid on the higher end and not enjoyed it at all. Honestly, money has never been the most important thing. Money is important because it shows how a team values you. But beyond that I don’t care all that much about money. Me coming here showed that.”
Lin also noted his appreciation for Hornets coach Steve Clifford, citing Clifford’s honesty and communication skills as the primary reasons, Bonnell relays in the same piece. “He’s not one to sugarcoat or lie to you, which is why a lot of guys love playing for him,” Lin said of Clifford. “What he told me from the beginning is pretty much how it went. I felt like for me, some of the adjustment was playing in such different roles. But that wasn’t because of false expectations, it was just about guys getting hurt.”

And-Ones: Bosh, Hill, Carroll, Draft Workouts

May 2nd, 2016 at 5:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chris Bosh and his family are trying to get the players union involved as he pushes the Heat to allow him back in the lineup, but the doctors the Heat have consulted fear he could die on the court if plays this season, as ESPN Radio’s Dan Le Batard said on his show today and as Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post transcribes (audio link). Bosh feels fine, unlike the way he felt when he suffered from a similar blood clot issue last year, according to Le Batard, and a doctor the big man independently commissioned reportedly said Bosh would be OK if he plays. The 32-year-old will still have three years and more than $75.868MM remaining on his contract at the conclusion of this season.

See more from around the NBA:

One NBA GM thinks Solomon Hill warrants between $7MM and $9MM a year on his next contract, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (ESPN Now link). That would be a problem for Indiana if it wants to keep him. The Pacers can’t re-sign the combo forward for a salary greater than $2,306,019 next season because they declined the team option for that amount on his rookie scale contract.
DeMarre Carroll indicated Sunday that his season was indeed in jeopardy a month ago as he recovered from right knee surgery. Carroll, Toronto’s prize free agent acquisition from this past summer, instead returned to play in three of the Raptors‘ final five games of the regular season and all seven games of the team’s first-round ouster of Indiana. “Words can’t even explain how big it is … ,” Carroll said after the victory Sunday, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). “A month ago I thought I wasn’t even going to be playing in the playoffs.”
Draft prospect Jaron Blossomgame will work out for the Jazz on Thursday, the Celtics on Saturday and the Grizzlies on May 16th, as the former Clemson small forward tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Former Iona combo guard A.J. English went through a predraft workout Saturday with the Jazz and has workouts scheduled for Tuesday with the Spurs and Wednesday with the Rockets, he told Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Heat Notes: Dragic, Wade, Johnson, Stokes

May 1st, 2016 at 7:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Goran Dragic‘s performance in today’s Game 7 win over the Hornets showed why Miami traded two first-round picks to get him last season, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Dragic scored 25 points and handed out four assists as the Heat easily dispatched Charlotte. It was a welcome performance after an uneven season that had many observers questioning whether Dragic was a good fit alongside Dwyane Wade. Both guards need to control the ball to be effective, and although they were friendly off the court, their styles of play sometimes clashed. But today Dragic was at his best, connecting on 11 of 17 shots from the field while holding Hornets point guard Kemba Walker to just 3 of 16. “That’s the Goran Dragic we all love,” Wade said. “He puts so much pressure on the defense and allows the other guys to chill out, especially me. When he’s playing that way for us, we’re a tough, tough team to beat.”

There’s more on a victorious day in Miami:

After being sidelined since late January, Tyler Johnson was happy to get back on the court today, relays Christy Cabrera Chirinos of The Sun-Sentinel. Johnson scored five points in his first action since having surgery on his left rotator cuff in February. “The last couple games, I’ve been available, but to finally get in there was a blessing,” Johnson said. “It was good to see the ball go in the basket for the first time in a while.”
The Heat not only won their first playoff series since LeBron James left in 2014, they showed they could succeed without Chris Bosh, writes Dave Hyde of The Sun-Sentinel. Bosh has been out of action since the All-Star break when doctors reportedly discovered blood clots in his left calf.
The fate of Jarnell Stokes will help shape the role of the D-League in the future, contends Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Stokes, who played for Miami’s affiliate in Sioux Falls, was the league’s MVP for both the regular season and the championship series, a feat he accomplished despite being part of three organizations during the year. However, Winderman says the D-League’s reputation will take a hit if Stokes can’t turn those awards into a steady NBA job.