Bosh Addresses Heat Teammates Ahead of Playoffs

The Miami Heat heard from Chris Bosh on Friday ahead of their upcoming playoff series with the Charlotte Hornets.

Bosh remains unavailable due to a blood clot issue and has no timetable for a return. What is known for certain is that the All-Star will not play in this first round series. Bosh's status for future rounds is unclear at this time, though it would be a surprise at this point to see him return this year. The team and Bosh have both remained mostly silent on his status.

While most of Bosh's words were not shared publicly, his teammates made the impact known.

"Chris talked today to us, as a team," Dwyane Wade said. "The biggest message is someone who lived for this moment, someone who envisioned these moments especially after last year, he doesn't have the ability to be in it."

In addition to Wade who was part of two championships with Bosh, guard Goran Dragic also chimed in on Bosh's address. Dragic pointed out that Bosh is unable to participate on the court, he can and will still have an effect on the team's success.

"It's really tough for him," Dragic said. "He wants to be part of this on the court and it's really hard to watch and not to do nothing. It's a tough situation for him but we need him - even if he's not going to play, his ability to talk to the players, show what you're doing wrong, how you're supposed to do it on the floor, it's big time."

Without Bosh, Miami has needed and received more from players such as Justise Winslow, Amar'e Stoudemire and Luol Deng. In addition, Miami brought Joe Johnson on board at the trade deadline. These moves have made the loss of Bosh easier to take, but nobody can replace the veteran completely. Bosh ended up leading the team in points per game with 19.1 in his 53 games.