What Does The NBA Players Association's Skepticism Towards Chris Bosh's Situation Say About Pat Riley?

SunSentinel- The National Basketball Players Association is monitoring the Miami Heat's approach with sidelined Chris Bosh, including the possibility of the team keeping the All-Star power forward on the roster long enough to prevent him from becoming playoff eligible for another team.

A party familiar with the NBPA's approach on Friday told the Sun Sentinel that the union is examining the situation, while also remaining cognizant of the ongoing medical and privacy issues with Bosh, who failed his preseason physical after missing the second half of the past two seasons due to blood clots.

The union currently is involved in the delicate stages of formulating a new collective-bargaining agreement, with a more proactive stance on Bosh expected to be taken should the distancing of the Heat with Bosh continue to a point where Bosh could possibly resume his career, the party familiar with the situation told the Sun Sentinel.

Under the collective-bargaining agreement, the Heat could seek relief of the remaining salary-cap charge on Bosh's contract after Feb. 9, the one-year anniversary of his last game played, with the full $76 million over three seasons still to be paid to Bosh, through a potential combination of directly through the Heat and insurance.



First and foremost, I think we can all admit that this situation sucks. Not only is Chris Bosh one of the most meme worthy players in the NBA since his endless photobombs have him a solid coat of 'greenface' away from being a homoerotic dinosaur doppelgänger, but he's also a top 15-20 talent and the product on the floor is undoubtedly harmed by his absence. Obviously his health is the most important thing to consider here, but any true basketball fan should sympathize with and support his desire to get back on the hardwood if his body ultimately allows him to do so. 

Now, on to the more interesting aspect of this entire situation. Is there not a single person that assumes that Pat Riley has it in him to be a respectable human being? I understand that he's a cutthroat business man. He would have to be to actively let the face of his franchise - who brought three championships to Miami through his play AND recruiting - leave town in the interest of shrewdness. However, if perception is actually reality then we should probably have FBI detail on Pat Riley at all times, because clearly the idea that he's sabotaging a player's career for eventual cap relief isn't just for those wearing tinfoil hats. The way I see it is that the NBPA trusts Pat Riley in the same way that a girl trusts her boyfriend whose still "good friends" with his ex-girlfriend. They'll say all the right things on-the-record, but if you get them behind closed doors they'll admit they are about as skeptical as a woman who is left alone with her thoughts as her significant other is "working late". 

And you know what? Maybe they aren't wrong to do so. I'd like to believe that Pat Riley isn't sitting in some oversized thrown simultaneously petting his goatee and an evil-eyed cat as he laughs maniacally to himself while fawning over fabricated blood test results for a player who helped bring him two championships. That said, I am pretty sure that Chris Bosh isn't completely convinced that the head of the Miami Heat's medical team isn't just Pat's cousin Vinny. I don't know whether the concern that Pat Riley isn't acting in the best interest of a player who has done so much for his franchise is well founded, but it's absolutely INSANE that we even have to question that. Maybe that speaks to how people view him as a basketball executive just as much as it speaks to how they view him as a person. Whatever the case may be, clearly there are quite a few people that only trust Pat Riley as far as they can throw him, and - with the shellac that's necessary to keep that silver fox looking as slick as ever - I would imagine that's not very far.