National Basketball Association

Washington Wizards: Chris Bosh's Setback Could Shake Up Entire Southeast Division

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Washington Wizards: If Chris Bosh cannot return for the Miami Heat, the entire Southeast Division will experience a power shift.

Talent, of course, is the great divider in sports. The teams with the best players are often the ones with the most impressive win/loss records. But, there’s also an enormous amount of luck that’s involved in winning.

In the NBA, there are always a handful of teams that seem to be destined to win the NBA Championship.

Last season, the Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers were all capable of winning it all. Ultimately, the Cavaliers – the healthiest team – were the last club standing.

When Andrew Bogut became sidelined in the NBA Finals, the Warriors had lost their primary rim protector, causing their defense to suffer.

The same was true two seasons ago, when both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were unavailable deep into the playoffs. Even LeBron James wasn’t able to will his team to victory in that situation.

This year isn’t unique in that sense. Health is going to play a major role and it starts before the season even tips off.

On Friday, The Vertical reported that Chris Bosh, who’s battled blood clots and recently failed a physical, could be forced to retire from the Miami Heat.

After a battery of medical examinations, the Miami Heat have declined to clear All-Star forward Chris Bosh for training camp and increasingly believe that his career with the franchise is over, league sources told The Vertical.

Another bout of blood clotting was a significant part of the failed physical, and Bosh’s chances of resuming his NBA career are in a perilous state, sources said.

Bosh’s condition is relatively serious and it seems unlikely that he’ll ever play again, despite his effort. His life, to put it bluntly, is more important than his basketball career.

If Bosh never steps onto an NBA court again, it’s going to shake up the entire Eastern Conference.

Besides LeBron James, the East doesn’t have many players that are elite.

More from Wiz of Awes

Virtually all of the top players – Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook – are in the West.

The Miami Heat forward was arguably the second best player in the East when healthy.

With him gone, the Southeast, in particular, is going to experience a real power shift.

Pat Riley tried to scrape together an acceptable off-season after Dwyane Wade left town, but failed to acquire enough valuable pieces to fill the void.

Hassan Whiteside, an unproven star, is going to be the leading man this upcoming season.

He’s surrounded by other unproven young players in Dion Waiters, Justise Winslow and Tyler Johnson.

Unless the Heat somehow have a Portland Trail Blazers like resurgence, they will find themselves out of the playoff picture and in the NBA Lottery.

The Heat have been lucky enough to have several superstars on the roster since their formation in 1988.

The likes of Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, and most recently the big three (LeBron, Wade and Bosh) have constantly kept the team in contention. This season, the Heat will be without a game-changing star for the first time in decades.

Even when the Heat weren’t a contending team, like last year for instance, they were a constant threat in the Southeast. Last year the Heat finished with 48-wins, beating the Charlotte Hornets in the first round before losing in the Semifinals to the Toronto Raptors.

Bosh’s absence is going to cause the Heat to drop a significant amount of wins, adding on to the fact that Wade, the team’s leader, won’t be putting on the uniform anymore either.

The Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic will all have the opportunity to sneak in more wins in the division than they had in the past. Given how the East is set up (about a dozen teams will compete for a playoff spot), a single win could make all of the difference. And that single win could come against the Heat sans Bosh.

This article originally appeared on