Arison hints at Bosh's return in letter to Heat fans

While there has been no official confirmation from the Miami Heat organization that 11-time All-Star Chris Bosh will be fully fit to compete for the 2016-17 season, owner Mickey Arison certainly hinted as such to fans upon the release of the team's schedule on Thursday.

"What won't change is the culture of this organization. The Miami Heat is a Championship organization," Arison wrote. "I fully expect this team, from Pat Riley to head coach Erik Spoelstra, to our veterans Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Goran Dragic, and Josh McRoberts, to our returning young core of Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, and Tyler Johnson, to the fresh faces joining the Heat family to continue our mantra of being the 'hardest working, best conditioned, most professional, unselfish, toughest, meanest, nastiest team in the NBA.'"

Bosh, 32, has missed the second half of each of the past two seasons due to blood clots in his lungs and leg.

Despite expressing his desire to compete during Miami's postseason run to the Eastern Conference semifinals last year, management erred on the side of caution and kept their star power forward on the sidelines to avoid worsening his condition. The belief is that he'll be ready to go for the start of training camp, even though the Heat won't lock in a return date.

Heat president Pat Riley described Bosh's situation as "fluid and complicated" back in July, implying that there may be more than meets the eye when it comes to his health. "He's been working out and he's probably going to continue to work. It's only complicated from a medical standpoint," Riley said. "It's a sensitive, complicated situation that I can't speak to medically."

Bosh reportedly went as far as proposing a regiment involving a medication he would need to take 8-12 hours prior to games that could eliminate any risk of him playing on blood thinners. Even that wasn't enough to get him cleared by the team's physicians, with the possibility of Bosh being forced into early medical retirement still looming.

There's no denying how valuable Bosh is to the roster, especially now that Dwyane Wade - the golden boy of South Beach for the past 13 years - is a member of the Chicago Bulls after signing a two-year contract over the summer. In the 53 appearances he made last season, Bosh averaged 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds on 46.7 percent shooting with a player efficiency rating of 20.2.