Heat put an end to speculation about Chris Bosh's playoff status

The Miami Heat put a swift end to any discussion of Chris Bosh returning for the playoffs this season.

"The Miami Heat and Chris Bosh announce that Chris will not be playing in the remainder of the 2016 NBA Playoffs," the team announced in a statement on Wednesday. "The Heat, Chris, the doctors and medical team have been working together throughout this process and will continue to do so to return Chris to playing basketball as soon as possible."

The news comes a day after the Miami Herald reported Bosh and the Heat were at odds over his health status, with the 11-time All-Star's camp finding a doctor willing to clear him for basketball activity and the team's medical staff on the other side of the coin after a second blood-clotting scare in as many seasons.

So, Bosh will watch the end of Miami's season from the bench for a second straight year. While his Heat missed the playoffs in 2014-15, this year is decidedly different, as Miami took a 1-0 series lead with an overtime victory against the Raptors in Toronto on Tuesday night. The possibly of adding Bosh to a team with a shot at challenging ex-teammate (and ex-friend?) LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers was a fascinating one — and likely the root of much speculation about Bosh's possible return to the lineup.

Instead, Game 1 of Heat-Raptors offered a preview of what Bosh's role will have to be in these playoffs, with the 32-year-old two-time NBA champ serving as sage soothsayer in the huddle before overtime.

	Ethan J. Skolnick @EthanJSkolnick
Chris Bosh made a contribution tonight. He was the guy who spoke to the team before the overtime and told them to relax and re-focus 8:34 PM - 3 May 2016

The only question now is what lies ahead for Bosh, who has three years and $75.9 million remaining on the five-year contract he signed in Miami during the summer of 2014. The last line of the statement — that all parties are working to "return Chris to playing basketball as soon as possible" — certainly suggests that both Bosh and his team are hoping to see him in a Miami uniform in 2016-17. Regardless, the important thing here is Bosh's longterm health, and this announcement comes with that in mind.