Homecoming: What value could Chris Bosh bring to Dallas?

It was almost 15 years ago when Chris Bosh helped Dallas Lincoln to a perfect 40-0 season, including a 4A State Championship, in which Bosh totaled 23 points, 17 rebounds along with 9 blocks.

USA Today named the Panthers the top high school team in the country that year. Bosh earned the recognition you would expect for someone who missed posting a triple double in the state championship by one block.

The wiry, 6-foot-11 center earned the title of “Mr. Basketball” by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. He was a first-team all-state selection and deemed a first-team All-American by Parade, McDonald’s and EA Sports.

In terms of a hometown hero, Bosh’s name still resonates within areas of the Dallas community.

Could he bring any value to the Mavericks in 2018 or beyond? That’s an entirely different assessment.

Bosh has not suited up with an NBA team since 2016 after bouts with blood clotting forced him to step away from basketball. He discussed the health scare recently on a podcast with Bill Simmons. 

Bosh’s blood clot crisis

“So 2015 I had a blood clot issue; I had pulmonary embolism,” Bosh clarified. “I was hospitalized for about two weeks or something like that. I had to get my lungs drained, fluid from my lungs drained.

“This was life-threatening in the moment, I didn’t know it was life-threatening,” he stated. “They were like, ‘yeah, we’re going to check you into the hospital.’ And as I’m being checked into the hospital, I see [Miami] just traded for [Goran Dragic] and I’m like, Ok, I don’t know what all this stuff means.”

Four days into his initial hospital visit Bosh was informed that surgery was the next course of action to address his health.

“I don’t have hereditary markers [for blood clots],” Bosh said. “That’s the first thing they check for, is it hereditary, and it’s not hereditary. So there’s really no explanation. We can theorize – that’s a whole [different] – if you like conspiracy stuff you can really get into medicine.”

Returning to All-Star form

After his initial scare in 2015, Bosh returned to full competitive action but was sidelined again prior to the all-star break in 2016, due to distill blood clots in his calf. Despite his health concerns, Bosh showed few signs of deteriorating on the court, earning All-Star bids in both the ’15 and ‘16 seasons.

Bosh appeared in 53 games during 2015-2016 before missing the rest of the season. He averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 assists over 33 minutes per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three during his final season.

“I was in the middle of more work,” said Bosh on missing the final 29 games of the regular season in 2016 “It was like that last thing to be solidified. To be like, ‘oh, he was pretty good.’ It was like the superficial muscles, it’s like, ‘OK, I’m in shape, but now I’m doing my curls, just working on my beach muscles.’ And if I do come back, it won’t be in that capacity. It’ll be like – end of the bench, team guy – blow the dust off of him and see if he can do it.

How to get him in a Mavs jersey

Despite the health concerns, Bosh clearly remains steadfast that he can provide veteran leadership to a team as a two-time NBA champion.

Adding another seasoned veteran like Bosh provides additional opportunities for mentorship and development for young forwards like Dwight Powell, Harrison Barnes and Maxi Kleber. All of which are under contract for the upcoming season.

Any potential return to the grand stage appears to be in doubt as Bosh has missed two full seasons. But like many who have relentlessly pursued their true passions to find success, the Dallas native was disenchanted with the idea of never gracing an NBA hardwood again.

He went as far as to shift the onus of responsibility toward any of 30 franchises that might have potential interest on his future services.

“There hasn’t been a plan [for someone playing with blood clots]. So if a team creates that plan then we can go from there,” said Bosh on what would need to transpire for his return. “But we’ve explored those things and it’s a lot of work, we don’t have the resources to do the research. But if it’s important enough to a team to devise that plan and talk on the phone and talk to the doctors, insurance and all these things, then we can talk about it.

“But me, as an athlete, I feel [returning to the NBA is] something I have to pursue. I mean, it just left, in the middle of the night pretty much.”