Chris Bosh is not the only professional athlete dealing with blood clots

Bosh isn't the only professional athlete dealing with blood clots

The NBA season is set to tip off next month, but whether Chris Bosh, who continues to deal with blood clots, will make a return to the Miami Heat's lineup next season is still undetermined. Bosh maintains he'll be ready for camp, but the team has continued to be noncommittal.

The sticking point is if Bosh is able to play, safely, while taking blood thinner medication. Understandably, the Heat are being very cautious. If Bosh were to get cut while taking blood thinners, it's not an exaggeration to say that he could die from blood loss.

Still, Bosh believes he is physically ready to play and is able to manage any concerns about not just recurring blood clots, but the management of the medication, as he and is wife have done a lot of research in the area. Part of Bosh's research took him to the NHL, where veteran left wing Tomas Fleischmann dealt with a similar issue.

Fleischmann worked with a doctor six years ago and got on a program similar to the one Bosh is currently on. Since then, Fleischmann has been playing without any complications.

"This is the best part about this. I'm not the first athlete to do this regimen," Bosh said on the "Open Run" podcast. "My wife and I, we went out and found doctors ourselves and we worked with guys. We ended up finding a guy by the name of Tomas Fleischmann. He used to play with the Florida Panthers. Same problem I had. ... This is six years before. He's been playing for five years now. I got in touch with him.

"He worked with a certain particular doctor, and this certain particular doctor has had the same regimen with other athletes. This is nothing that is new. It's not groundbreaking. We're not re-inventing the wheel. It's not standard, but it's proven and guys have played on it."

Blood clots are obviously scary but they are treatable. Proper care and medication is required to manage any recurrence of clots, which is why Bosh is hyper-focused on the program he is on. If other professional athletes like Fleischmann, are able to keep playing without major concerns, then you can understand why Bosh is so adamant that he can make a return to the court this year.

But again, Bosh's health is the main issue here and it is a major one. That's why the Heat are remaining quiet about the whole situation until they can officially know whether Bosh can return. There are promising signs that the two sides can come to a consensus, so perhaps this will all be a thing of the past in the coming weeks, well before the start of the 2016-17 season.