If healthy, Chris Bosh could be the Houston Rockets' missing puzzle piece
Chris Bosh is a multidimensional player who can take the Houston Rockets to the next level if he's healthy enough to make an NBA comeback.
Due to a serious health situation, Chris Bosh is currently stuck in NBA limbo.
He hasn't played since the 2015-16 season due to blood clots and the Miami Heat won't let him anywhere near a basketball court (for good reason). Even though Bosh is adamant about playing, the risk blood clots present is too serious for most teams to take the risk.
This makes it a sticky situation for both sides as Bosh is owed over $50 million during the next two seasons.
The new CBA comes into play on July 1 and could affect how Bosh is counted against Miami's salary. The way the new CBA is written, if a player doesn't play an NBA game for a year, that team can apply to have their salary removed from the cap. In order for that to happen, a medical panel must agree that the player's injury is career-ending, thus never allowing him to play again.
However, it appears that Chris Bosh may have struck a unique deal with the Heat and the league office.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald:
"Chris Bosh has told family members that an agreement has been struck among the NBA, the Heat, the union and himself for Bosh to part ways with the Heat at some point in the coming weeks, with the Heat receiving maximum cap relief, an NBA-employed source said in early May and reiterated Tuesday."
Although this is yet to be confirmed, it would open the door for another door to be opened for other teams to make a play on Bosh and his services.
The other door that has yet to be opened is his medical clearance. Bosh failed his physical with the Heat before the 2016-17 season. A lot of scouts are pessimistic about his chances of getting cleared as well.
David Aldridge of NBA.com had the chance to speak with some scouts in regards to their perspective on the whole Chris Bosh situation.
One anonymous Western Conference scout had this to say:
"I don't see how medical people will want to sign off and clear him. Unless something has changed with his health recently … I don't know of a team that would want to take that type of a risk."
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel also questions Bosh's playing career:
NBA executives uncertain Chris Bosh would be pursued as free agent. https://t.co/G58Ge9E2NL
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) May 30, 2017
Given all of the uncertainty surrounding Bosh and his health, let's imagine a world where Bosh and the Heat come to an agreement stating he is no longer contracted by them.
Then, miraculously, Bosh is healthy enough to be cleared by medical personnel and is able to return to the court.
Now we enter the Houston Rockets.
If Chris Bosh is ever cleared to play basketball again, the Rockets would be a great team for him to land with. A match made in heaven, one might say.
The Rockets have been looking for a second star alongside James Harden for years. They tried, and failed, with Dwight Howard in 2013 and have needed that piece ever since.
Before Bosh re-signed with the Heat in 2014, he seriously considered the Rockets as an option. That would have given Houston a three-headed monster of Harden, Howard and Bosh.
In fact, the Bosh-Rockets connection goes back even farther than that. Houston pursued Bosh in 2010 when his contract expired with the Toronto Raptors. As we all know, Bosh chose to be a part of the Big Three in Miami and the rest is history.
The most obvious reason that Houston would be a frontrunner for his services is the fact that Bosh is from Texas. He grew up in Dallas and would be close to his childhood home.
Chris Bosh brings a multitude of strengths to a Rockets roster that is desperate to get pushed over the top.
The most notable one is his outside shooting. When we last saw Bosh, he shot 36.5 percent from deep. For his career, he is a 33.5 percent shooter from downtown. However, he has shot at a better clip in each of the past three seasons he's played.
Bosh could step in at either the power forward or center spot and be an upgrade over any player on the Rockets' roster. This would allow them to truly put four three-point threats on the floor at once around Harden and still be competent on the defensive end of the floor.
Speaking of defense, Bosh is a defensive upgrade over Ryan Anderson and would be able to bring some much-needed toughness and tenacity down low. Anderson got straight bullied in the playoffs and was a liability in the post.
Even though Chris Bosh isn't known as a defensive player, he is a savvy vet who has been in almost every situation imaginable. He's also an 11-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion. That experience shouldn't go without notice because it is invaluable in terms of his locker room and on-court presence.
If he does return to the floor, we probably won't see the same Bosh, seeing as he is now 33 years old. However, he won't be a complete shell of his former self and should still have lots left in the tank.
As anyone who has ever been forced to step away from the game knows, your hunger grows during that time away.
Chris Bosh will bring an extreme hunger to play the game of basketball to a team that was completely lifeless in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals this year. Sounds like a match made in heaven to me.
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