Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has been ruled out for the season after blood clots were found on his lungs, and the news immediately brings to mind the case of former Miami Heat star Chris Bosh.
Bosh dealt with the same condition in 2015, and it ultimately forced him out of the NBA. His career ended after seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors and then a high-profile move to Miami, where he joined LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in what became known as the Heatles and the Big Three.
That stretch turned into one of the defining runs in Heat history. Miami reached the NBA Finals four straight times and won two titles, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs after dropping the first Finals matchup to the Dallas Mavericks. The streak ended with a loss to the Spurs in the 2014 Finals, and after that James left Miami to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With James gone, Bosh was supposed to become the Heat’s leading man. That never fully happened.
His trouble began when he was first diagnosed during NBA All-Star Weekend, and while the Heat initially believed things were under control after he was put on blood thinners, the issue returned. Bosh never got back on the court.
He later retired in 2019.
There’s no way to know yet whether Hurts’ situation will play out the same way, but the comparison is impossible to ignore. Football is a different sport, and the physical demands are brutal. The hope, from the Eagles’ side, is that medical progress since the Bosh case can make a difference, though that seems unlikely to change the basic reality of the diagnosis.
Bosh’s absence changed the Heat’s trajectory for years. After spending so much time near the top of the Eastern Conference, Miami slipped into a few seasons of mediocrity. That didn’t turn until the team brought in Jimmy Butler in the summer of 2019 from the Philadelphia 76ers.
With Butler, the Heat got back to the Finals in the 2020 bubble season, falling to the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers. They stayed relevant in the East, and in 2023 they reached the Finals again before losing to the Denver Nuggets in five games.
In Other News...
Heat Could Still Find One Veteran Who Changes Their Rotation
With the roster cutdown deadline closing in, the Heat have already started trimming the margins of the roster, parting with some young prospects as the front office keeps an eye on possible upgrades. The next move may not come from a splashy trade or a long-term commitment, but from the waiver wire, where a few recently available veterans could give Miami a more stable look in the rotation.
Pat Connaughton, Jeremy Sochan and Bruce Brown are among the names being floated as possible fits, each bringing a different kind of NBA utility that could help a team always looking for dependable minutes. Nothing has been signed yet, and the Heat still have some sorting to do before the deadline passes, but this is the kind of low-cost veteran search that can quietly shape a season if the right player becomes available. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Conwell Is Forcing A Tough Heat Rotation Decision
Ryan Conwell has done enough this preseason to make the Heat think twice about how quickly they want to park him on the development track. The second-round pick, originally selected by Oklahoma City and then shipped to Miami right away, has shown enough promise to look like more than a standard draft-and-stash type, which matters for a team that has spent the offseason reshaping its roster with veteran help.
Even with those additions, the Heat still have to sort out where Conwell fits in a crowded rotation picture. He could still begin his pro career in the G-League, but the way he has played has made that feel less like a formality and more like a temporary step on the way to a real NBA role. [Read more 🡒]
Heat Bench Suddenly Has A Rotation Battle Fans Need To Watch
Miamis preseason ended with a 3-2 mark, but the bigger takeaway for the Heat may have been the way the second unit looked throughout October. The additions of Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr. give Erik Spoelstra two proven bench pieces to work with, and their presence has already changed the tone of the conversation around the rosters depth.
Just as important, the Heat appeared to get real contributions from younger rotation candidates as well, with Nikola Jovic, Pelle Larsson and Marcus Garrett all showing they could factor into the mix. That gives Miami a real preseason problem in a good way, because the bench now looks crowded enough that early-season minutes may be earned rather than handed out. [Read more 🡒]