Bosh and Heat have difficult choices ahead

12:11 AM ET

TORONTO — It was in Toronto during a frigid All-Star Weekend where Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat first learned he had a medical issue that would end up sidelining him for the rest of the season. And it was in Toronto on Sunday where their season ended, bringing the pending outcome of an unfortunate situation to the organization’s forefront.

Between now and this fall, Bosh and the Heat are going to have to reach a decision about what to do about his future. And there may end up being a complex and gut-wrenching disconnect between heart and mind.

There is a fear within the Heat organization that Bosh’s condition will prevent him from ever being cleared to play by team doctors, several sources said. It’s a result of exhaustive consultations with specialists. Something this big and delicate, the sides have gone deep attempting to understand all the options.

It’s forced everyone to confront the possibility of Bosh ultimately being forced into a medical retirement.

Erik Spoelstra has coached Chris Bosh for six seasons in Miami. Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images

“I feel very badly for CB because I know how much this game means to him,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Sunday after his team’s Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors. “I think everybody knows how much CB means to me.”

Spoelstra was not speaking directly about Bosh’s future. But his sentiments expressed the gravity of the situation that ha’s hung over the Heat like a dark cloud since winter.

This is an unpleasant reality the sides have wrestled with for months while trying to focus on the team. But league rules and the Heat’s situation may end up causing it to come to a head as the Heat enter the summer needing to make roster plans.

Such as, do the Heat need to …

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