Medication key issue for Bosh: With the Miami Heat remaining non-committal about whether Chris Bosh will be cleared to play, one issue that has been discussed is whether Bosh should come off blood thinners or continue taking them, according to a person briefed on the matter. If Bosh comes off the medication this summer, there’s no reason why he couldn’t play. But even if he stays on the thinners, Bosh has tried to convince the Heat to allow him to play while taking a new medication that would be out of his system in 8 to 12 hours, or by game-time, thus lessening or eliminating the inherent risks of playing a contact sport while on thinners. As we reported last month, the Heat rejected that idea late this past season, angering Bosh. And it’s unclear if Miami would be receptive to that now. -- The Miami Herald

In NBA, players' power proving absolute: The snark here and elsewhere during recent seasons had been of LeBron James doubling as general manager, be it the additions he insisted upon during his Miami Heat tenure (Mike Miller, Ray Allen) or those he helped orchestrate with the Cleveland Cavaliers (Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love, acquiring J.R. Smith, the above-market deal for Tristan Thompson). And yet, in listening to Heat President Pat Riley a week ago during his summer of discontent, the notion of NBA stars as the league's ultimate power brokers is probably as true during this era of free agency as it ever has been. -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel