Chris Bosh stung by learning of failed physical through media

ByBrian Windhorst ESPN logo
Saturday, October 1, 2016

An indirect war of words between Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat is deepening as more barbs were flung Friday.

Bosh expressed frustration that the team did not inform him he'd failed the team's physical last week before putting out a news release. A Heat spokesman responded by saying the team was unable to reach Bosh after calling, emailing and texting him before putting out the statement.

"I didn't see my career in Miami ending like this" Bosh said as part of his serial on Uninterrupted.com. "I didn't get a call or a text or anything like that. I mean, it's a business. We understand that. We always say those things. But if you say certain things to the person and you win championships and you have these moments, you don't want to find things out through the media. It's kind of tough. We say all these things, the commitment, brotherhood and all these things. And then, for whatever reason, you find out, or I find out like this. So, it hurts."

The growing rift between Bosh and the Heat has now moved beyond a medical issue and is heading toward a potential contractual issue as Bosh is promising to continue his career away the Heat.

"I guess my career in Miami's done. My career's not done," Bosh said. "There's 29 other teams, it's a whole league. One team does not make up the opinion of everything."

Bosh, however, doesn't have much control of his immediate future. He is under contract with the Heat until 2018-19 for $76 million, money that is guaranteed. According to the terms of his contract, Bosh is in line to receive a $4.7 million payment on Saturday.

In February, once he's been out a calendar year following a blood clot diagnosis, the Heat can take steps to remove him from their salary cap and allow insurance to cover a large portion of the remaining money owe. Bosh could become a free agent at that time and seek a team that would medically clear him, something that Bosh clearly believes is viable despite multiple bouts with blood clots.

The only way Bosh could become a free agent now would be for the team to release him, which is unlikely unless Bosh would be willing to negotiate a buyout of his contract where he accepted significantly less money.

Bosh recently parted ways with his longtime agent and currently he is not working with the players' union on the matter, sources told ESPN.com.

Bosh did not address what caused him to fail the physical. The Heat said they could not comment on why he failed because of league privacy rules.

Bosh, who also posted a message on his blog, alluded to the messy breakup the Heat had with Dwyane Wade over the summer in a contract dispute that led Wade to sign with the Chicago Bulls.

"I want to tell Miami, everybody in Miami, this not how I planned it to be," Bosh said. "They don't want to hear Dwyane's gone. They don't want to hear, 'Oh, yeah, Chris is never going to play for the Miami Heat again.' I just feel for the fans. I wanted to give them more. I wanted to give them something better. Because they deserve better than what they're getting right now."

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