NBA: Bosh career with Heat likely over — team chief

Miami Heat Chris Bosh’s career with the team is ending, says its president Pat Riley. Bosh has failed physical exams which prevents him from playing in the NBA. INQUIRER WIRES

MIAMI, United States — Miami Heat president Pat Riley said Monday he believes Chris Bosh has played his last game for the team after his failure of a physical exam following long-running problems with blood clots.

Riley told reporters the Heat were planning for a future without their star forward, who has missed large parts of the last two seasons.

The Heat announced on Friday that the 11-time All-Star had failed a physical, but did not explain the reasons, citing medical confidentiality.

READ: Bosh fails physical, not cleared for Miami Heat return

Asked if the Heat were expecting Bosh to return at some point in the future, Riley replied: “We are not.”

“I think Chris is still open-minded,” he added. “But we are not working toward his return. We feel that, based on the last exam, that his Heat career is probably over.”

Riley would not be drawn on whether he felt Bosh’s entire NBA career may be at an end. “That’s up to him,” he replied.

Bosh has been battling back to fitness, desperate to persuade the Heat he is ready to resume playing. However, the team were preparing to leave for a training camp in the Bahamas on Monday without him in their party.

“It’s pretty definitive from us, in our standpoint, that this is probably going to be a time where we really have to step back,” Riley said, denying that salary cap issues had played a factor in the handling of Bosh’s case.

READ: NBA: Bosh out for season with blood clot in lung

“His health, playing and economics — it’s been health, health, health,” he said. “Whatever the cap ramifications are, they are there, but we never ever thought about that.”

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra meanwhile said dealing with Bosh’s case had been wrenching.

“I love C.B. dearly,” Spoelstra said Monday. “It was tough to watch C.B. and his family go through this the last couple of years. Your heart just goes out to him.”

“I’m going to prepare for this group right now.” he added. “But there’s going to continue to be changes — hopefully not as big of an impact as this. The other 19 players that are going to training camp, my focus will be on them.”

If an NBA specialist rules Bosh is medically unable to play, the player will be paid the balance of his contract — around $76 million for three years.

The Heat would receive salary-cap relief going forward from February 9. CBB