What It Means:

In order to fulfil the requirements needed to remove Bosh's salary from their cap based on a "career-ending injury," the Heat won't be able to waive him until February 9, as that would be one year from the last time he was on the court. That's not all, however, as an independent doctor -- selected by both NBA and NBPA -- would need to agree with Miami's assessment that Bosh is facing a career-ending situation. The skilled big man maintains that he wants to play, but team President Pat Riley and the Heat organization hold a firm upper hand in this situation. The 32-year-old Bosh could essentially be held hostage in Miami this season, making him a negligible quantity in fantasy drafts.

Bosh was limited to only 53 games last season before the campaign was cut short by his second episode of blood clots. He was having a great year, averaging 19.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and posting a .520 effective field goal percentage.