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Report: Heat discussing Bosh continuing blood thinners upon return

Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Miami Heat are playing serious hard ball with forward Chris Bosh when it comes to his potential return to action following two blood clot episodes in back-to-back years.

While the team is hopeful he'll be healthy enough for training camp in the fall as he continues his recovery, management won't fully commit to a return date.

One issue that continues to plague the two-time champion and the Heat is whether or not he should continue taking blood thinners, according to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. If he were to come off, there would be little medical reason why he couldn't compete.

Should he stay on the blood thinners, though, Bosh reportedly suggested he take a new medication before games that would be out of his system in 8-12 hours, lessening or even eliminating any risk of playing a contact sport while on thinners.

He reportedly proposed this regiment to Miami prior to the start of the NBA playoffs, with the team swiftly rejecting it as the risk was far greater than the reward, even though his presence could have been enough to get the Heat to the Eastern Conference finals.

Should Bosh take a blow to his body resulting in bleeding while on thinners, the consequences could be catastrophic for his health, which the Heat are prioritizing over his future as a player.

An "NBA-employed friend" of Bosh told Jackson that the 11-time All-Star is aching to return and feels he should have been cleared by doctors by now.

Miami lost its face of the franchise in Dwyane Wade this summer after he signed with the Chicago Bulls, and while team president Pat Riley was able to lock up Hassan Whiteside to a new contract, losing Bosh to a possible medical retirement - even though the team could clear his money from the cap one year after his final game - would undoubtedly set the Heat's progress way back.

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