Chris Bosh

Eastern Rumors: Bucks, Bosh, Lawson, Dedmon

Bucks owner Wes Edens denies rumors of dissension within the ownership group, which also consists of principal owners Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan, writes Charles F. Gardner of The Journal-Sentinel. Milwaukee has been among this season’s most disappointing teams, carrying a 26-36 record after last year’s playoff appearance. Regardless, Edens insists that ownership believes in Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker as the foundation for its future. “It’s definitely disappointing where we are; that’s the bad news,” Edens said. “The good news is, especially since the All-Star break, you look at the team of Giannis and Jabari and Khris, and others of course, and it’s not hard to imagine what this thing could really turn into.”

Edens added that no trades were given serious consideration before last month’s deadline and that any decision on a contract extension for coach Jason Kidd will be made after the season. “We can’t change what happened but we can improve on what’s going to happen,” Edens said. “That’s for the off season. Jason has been a big part of our involvement with the Bucks since we became owners, and I expect him to be a big part of our involvement with it going forward.”

There’s more news from the Eastern Conference:

  • Heat center/forward Chris Bosh held a workout today and tweeted encouraging news about his health. “Feeling good! Feeling great!” he wrote as questions continue to linger about his availability for the rest of the season. Bosh hasn’t played since he missed the All-Star Game with a calf strain that was later reported to be a blood clot. Bosh is rumored to be on blood-thinning medication, just as he was last year for a blood clot in his lungs, though neither the condition nor the medication has been confirmed by him or the team.
  • Point guard Ty Lawson is expected to sign with the Pacers on Monday and be in uniform for that night’s game, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Lawson agreed to sign with Indiana after the Rockets waived him Monday in a buyout agreement.
  • The Magic have assigned Dewayne Dedmon to the Erie Bayhawks of the D-League, the team announced today. The fourth-year center is averaging 3.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 38 games with Orlando.

Heat Want Chris Bosh To Sit For Rest Of Season?

2:55pm: A team source who spoke with Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post disputes the idea that the Heat is pressuring Bosh to sit out.

2:00pm: The Heat are pressing Chris Bosh to sit out the remainder of the season with a recurrence of the blood-clot issue that prematurely ended last season for him, but the All-Star big man continues to search for a way to return to the court, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Doctors would also like to see Bosh sit, sharing in the team’s concern about the potential risks involved for him, Wojnarowski indicates. Bosh, Heat owner Micky Arison, team president Pat Riley and other Heat officials will meet sometime today or tomorrow, the Vertical scribe adds, and Ethan Skolnick of The Miami Herald hears that “some finality” about Bosh’s status will come tonight (Twitter link). In any case, Bosh has an encouraging prognosis for his long-term health, as The Herald’s Barry Jackson reported last week.

Bosh, who turns 32 next month, suffered blood clotting in his left calf around the All-Star break, a situation eerily similar to the potentially life-threatening blood clots in both his lungs that emerged almost precisely a year earlier. The issue doesn’t appear to be as serious this time around, but it’s still troubling, and the Heat apparently don’t have any desire to take chances. Bosh, if he agreed to stop playing for the remainder of this season, would be re-evaluated in three to six months, sources told Wojnarowski. A three-month timetable would ostensibly leave the door open by at least a crack for a return in time to play in the Eastern Conference Finals, if the Heat make it that far, but Wojnarowski doesn’t raise that possibility in his report.

The January 15th deadline to apply for a disabled player exception is long in the past, and though Beno Udrih is out for three months and Tyler Johnson at least two, Miami is still one long-term injury shy of the number needed to qualify for a 16th roster spot via hardship. Of course, the Heat have two open roster spots as it is, and they can’t sign anyone to more than a 10-day contract until March 6th, lest they creep back over the luxury tax line and risk repeat-offender tax penalties. Miami is eyeing Jordan Crawford, Jason Thompson, Tony Wroten and Dorell Wright as they consider ways to fill out the roster after March 6th, as Jackson reported.

The optimism surrounding Bosh’s long-term prognosis is a saving grace for the Heat, since he still has three seasons remaining after this one on the five-year max contract he signed in 2014. It also provides a plausible explanation for why the Heat would prefer to err on the side of caution for this season, one in which the team has risen to third place in the Eastern Conference but still lacks a strong chance at winning the title.

Heat Notes: Dragic, Bosh, Trade Targets

The Heat not surprisingly have interest in soon-to-be free agent Mike Conley, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald passes along via Dan Le Batard of ESPN Radio, and Miami is open to hearing offers for Goran Dragic, Jackson writes. However, the Heat are in no hurry to trade their point guard. The Heat like Jeff Teague and Al Horford, but Miami would need to find a third team to involve in a deal to get Atlanta the assets it wants for them, according to Jackson. DeMarcus Cousins and Jahlil Okafor have also held appeal to Miami, at least as of earlier this season, a source who has spoken with the Heat told Jackson. Moreover, the Heat want to further reduce their luxury tax bill and add a shooter, and they’re continuing to try to make the playoffs despite the health scare for Chris Bosh, who has an encouraging prognosis for his long-term health once his latest blood clot issue is resolved, Jackson reports.

See more from Miami:

  • The most likely course of action regarding Bosh’s health would probably knock him out for three months, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, though agent Henry Thomas told Winderman that it’s too soon to know what will happen.
  • The Heat probably wouldn’t benefit from missing the playoffs as much as they did last year when they snagged the No. 10 pick and Justise Winslow, making Bosh’s situation potentially devastating for the franchise, contends Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. Miami’s first-round pick is again top-10 protected, but lottery and draft-night luck played in the Heat’s favor last year.
  • Jackson lists Mirza Teletovic, Jerryd Bayless and Wayne Ellington as “options” for the Heat as they look for a shooter, though it’s not entirely clear whether the Heat are indeed interested in them.

Latest On Chris Bosh

12:58pm: Bosh is taking blood-thinners and has hopes of playing again this season, Reynolds hears (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 12:01am: Bosh is expected to meet with doctors on Thursday to determine the seriousness of the clotting in his left calf and whether blood thinners could allow him to return this season, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports.

MONDAY, 10:46pm: Heat perennial All-Star power forward Chris Bosh may be dealing with another serious health situation, multiple sources told Barry Jackson and Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald. Bosh has a blood-clot scare, a source told the Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds, but Bosh’s season has not been declared over (Twitter link). Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweeted first that multiple sources had told him Bosh might have a serious issue.

Bosh missed Sunday’s All-Star game with a strained calf and returned to Miami for additional tests, according to Jackson. A person in contact with the Heat’s front office indicated a problem surfaced Monday beyond a strained calf.

Bosh sat out the second half of last season after potentially life-threatening blood clots were found  in his lungs but the current problem is not life threatening, a source told Jackson. Bosh’s agent, Henry Thomas, told Jackson via text that it’s “too soon” to declare that Bosh has a blood clot in his calf.

A blood clot would require Bosh to take blood thinners that would put him out of action indefinitely, the Herald story adds. Bosh was on blood thinners for seven months after being diagnosed with blood clots, according to Jackson.

If Bosh is sidelined, the Heat’s chances of making the playoffs would obviously be dealt a severe blow.  They have limited options at power forward and Chris Andersen and Josh McRoberts have been nagged by injuries much of the season. It could also alter their strategy heading into the trade deadline, where they might be more inclined to be sellers than buyers.

Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Wade, James, Bosh

There will be plenty of shooters on the trade market this week, but the Heat may have to give up center Hassan Whiteside if they want a more complete player, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Three-point shooting has been a problem in Miami all season, and Winderman lists the Thunder’s Steve Novak and Anthony Morrow, the Kings’ Omri Casspi and the Nets’ Wayne Ellington as possibilities if the Heat want an inexpensive solution. But he points out that coach Erik Spoelstra rarely relies on one-dimensional shooters, and says the Miami front office may be looking for something more. With Marc Gasol out indefinitely, the Grizzlies might have interest in Whiteside, even though he is only months away from free agency, Winderman posits. Whiteside and filler [such as Chris Andersen] could bring back Courtney Lee, Winderman speculates, while throwing in some more salary could be enough to land Jeff Green.

There’s more news out of Miami:

  • There is an increased feeling in the front office that trading Whiteside might be the best move for the franchise, Winderman writes in the same story, but he adds that Whiteside’s representatives aren’t expecting a deal.
  • Even before Whiteside made waves with his nationally televised ejection this week, Heat officials were having doubts about signing him long-term, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami expects Whiteside’s next contract to start at $17MM or more, and there are questions within the organization about whether that’s a wise investment. Jackson cited two sources who say the team is considering a Whiteside trade.
  • A reunion with LeBron James in the All-Star Game — the first time they have been teammates since James left the Heat in 2014 — is bringing back memories for Dwyane Wade, writes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Miami’s Big Three was almost completely back together, but Chris Bosh had to pull out of tonight’s game with a strained right calf. Wade said the roster upheaval in Miami has changed the atmosphere in the locker room. “We all can deal with each other’s success and failures and family things a lot differently than what we deal with now with younger teammates that grew up watching us play like fans,” he said. “It was cool playing with our peers, guys that we came into the league with. That’s a totally different relationship.”

2016 NBA All-Star Game Reserves Announced

The NBA has officially announced the reserves for the 2016 All-Star game, which will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, February 14th. The names of the reserves were first reported by Carron J. Phillips of The News Journal and confirmed by Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (All four Twitter links). The starters for both conferences were announced last week, with Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard voted to tip off the exhibition in the West and LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry slated to represent the East.

While the starters are selected by the fans, reserves are chosen by the coaches in each conference, though they are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Listed below are the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game for each conference:

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

Who was the biggest surprise among the All-Star reserves announced tonight? Share your thoughts with a comment.

Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Dragic, Andersen, Bosh

The Heat are unlikely to offer center Hassan Whiteside a full max deal when he hits free agency this summer, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Responding to a reader’s question about Whiteside’s struggles when matched up against legitimate centers, Winderman says he believes the Heat have a figure in mind that they that they will not exceed to keep Whiteside in Miami. If the 26-year-old gets a better offer from someone else, he will likely move on. Whiteside is currently earning a little more than $981K in the final year of his deal with the Heat.

There’s more from South Beach:

  • Miami may have thought twice about last season’s Goran Dragic trade if the front office had foreseen his current level of production, Winderman writes in the same piece. Dragic is averaging 12.3 points and 5.0 assists through 36 games while forming an uneasy backcourt partnership with Dwyane Wade. The columnist says no one from the Heat will admit it, but there has to be some disappointment with Dragic considering the team surrendered possibly two lottery picks to acquire him and then gave him a near-maximum contract. Winderman also wonders whether Dragic’s talents will ever be fully maximized in Miami’s current system.
  • Despite playing just 33 minutes this season, veteran center Chris Andersen has not asked for a trade, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Andersen has talked to coach Erik Spoelstra several times about his place on the team and said “we’re both understanding of what my role is … I will embrace it … I am a highly competitive warrior.” Jackson says the Heat would like to move Andersen’s $5MM contract to provide luxury tax relief, but have been unable to find another team interested in a deal.
  • Chris Bosh is proving to be worthy of his maximum contract, but the Heat are wasting one of the best stretches of his six years in Miami, according to Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald. Over the past 12 games, Bosh has averaged 23.8 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 51% from the floor and 44.1% from 3-point range. Despite his production, Miami posted just a 7-5 record in those games.

Eastern Notes: Marshall, Butler, Bosh

Jimmy Butler notes that he and Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg are learning a lot about each other, and that Hoiberg is holding him accountable for his actions, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes. “I still got respect for him,” Butler said of Hoiberg. “I don’t think it’s a different light. Nothing I do is to disrespect anybody. I think he realizes I’m going to be here, I realize he’s going to be here, so we got to deal with each other anyways. I think that he’s holding me accountable for everything. He talked to me whenever I was low energy last game, and I fixed it. That’s the type of guy he is. He has the utmost confidence in me because he continually put the ball in my hand when he didn’t have to.

Butler does appreciate the effort that Hoiberg has made to connect with him, Friedell adds. “I think we’re both learning a lot about each other,” Butler said. “He’s probably learning how moody I am on a daily basis, to tell you the truth. And it’s hard, but I think he lets me be who I am. He handles everything that I do very well. I’m not a big communicator, I’m not great at it, but he’s always talking to me. He’s always asking, ‘How are you doing? What can we do?’ He’s always asking my opinion on a lot of things. Yeah, it helped a lot.

Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference:

  • Sixers point guard Kendall Marshall‘s role has been significantly diminished with the team’s acquisition of Ish Smith from New Orleans, but he is trying to remain upbeat despite the team’s woes, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.”It’s not easy,” Marshall said of losing his starting spot. “But it’s part of being a professional. I’ve definitely been in this situation before. I know what it’s like. At the end of day, I have to play better if I want to be on the court. He’s playing extremely well. Obviously our team is playing a lot better. We are in game. When the team is playing better that’s not anything I can be mad about.
  • Chris Bosh believes that the Heat suffer from focus issues and don’t pay enough attention when leads begin to slip away during games, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. The power forward didn’t call out anyone in particular, but did note that the problem includes both players and coaches, Lieser adds. “Yeah, top to bottom,” Bosh said. “I’m inclusive. We’re a team. From me to [coach Erik Spoelstra] to the guys in the locker room, we have to not let that affect our play. We have to move on to the next one. We want to have the No. 1 league defense and the No. 1 league offense, but we don’t have that, so we have to work with what we have and play the game.

Heat Notes: Bosh, Wade, Team Needs

The Heat have been painfully inconsistent thus far this season, and the team has yet to establish a solid identity that it can count on night in and night out, writes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. “It depends on what day we’re talking,” Miami shooting guard Dwyane Wade said. “We have certain days where you see that we’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, and you see days where the ball is really moving and everyone’s into it and we’re very unselfish. Then you have other days where both of them go the opposite way. We know where we need to get to. We’ve just gotta figure out a way to get there.

The team is looking ahead to its six-game West Coast swing next month, and the Heat believe that stretch will be critical in their quest for the playoffs, Lieser adds. “We don’t want to wait until that point, but all is not lost if we’re not consistent by that time,” Bosh said. “After the smoke clears, it’ll be All-Star break and you know when you get there, there’s only so much higher you can go. It’s going to be very important between now and the road trip to get some continuity and comfort in our identity.

Here’s more from Miami:

  • As the February trade deadline looms ever closer, the Heat’s biggest roster need is to land a wing who can handle the ball and create his own shot, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel opines. Acquiring depth at the wing is vital given the shaky health of Goran Dragic and the reckless abandon that Tyler Johnson exhibits on a nightly basis, Winderman adds.
  • It has been a bounceback season for Chris Bosh after appearing in only 44 games during the 2014/15 campaign because of blood clots in his lung, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. But despite his efforts, Bosh still remains underappreciated around the league according to his teammates, Dempsey notes. “He’s one of the best basketball players in the world. He may not sell a lot of jerseys, like some guys, but it doesn’t matter to him,” Wade said of Bosh. “He enjoys being great at the game, and we enjoy him being great.”

Eastern Notes: Bosh, Celtics, Hornets

The Heat had two players who are coming off of surgery resume basketball activities today, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. Forward Chris Bosh participated in court work for the first time since being sidelined since the All-Star break due to blood clots on his lung, working out today with members of the team’s coaching staff, Winderman notes. Also getting back on the court for Miami was guard Mario Chalmers, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee just four days ago, the Sentinel scribe relays.

Here’s more from the East:

  • The Celtics held workouts today for Andrew Harrison (Kentucky), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Terry Rozier (Louisville), Josh Richardson (Tennessee), and Corey Walden (Eastern Kentucky), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).
  • Former Temple point guard Will Cummings will work out for the Sixers on Wednesday, Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “It’s definitely been a great opportunity for me to get the chance to work out for these NBA teams,” Cummings said. The guard also has workouts scheduled with the Suns and Nets, Narducci adds.
  • The Hornets will hold workouts on Wednesday for Kendall Gray (Delaware State), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), James Sinclair (Western Carolina), J.J. O’Brien (San Diego State), Antonio Robinson (East Carolina), and Ralston Turner (North Carolina State), the team announced.
  • Working out for the Wizards today were Dallin Bachynski (Utah), Cummings, Amere May (Delaware State), Jaleel Roberts (UNC Asheville), Marcus Thornton (William and Mary), and D-Leaguer Jarvis Threatt, the team announced.