Report: “Growing optimism” Heat will clear Chris Bosh to play. At least on union side.

Chris Bosh wants to be back on the court this season, having missed the end of the last two seasons with a serious blood clot health issue. Heat owner Micky Arison at least wants to see him in training camp. However, the Heat and their doctors have yet to clear Bosh to return to the court. The sides are talking, but the Heat have yet to sign off on a plan.

But from the Bosh/players’ union side, they feel optimistic, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

There is growing optimism about Chris Bosh being cleared by the Heat to resume his career while remaining on blood thinners, according to a union source.

Bosh pitched the Heat on playing late last season, while taking a new form of blood thinner that would be out of his system in eight hours or so. The Heat resisted that approach at that time but is now more open than it had been to Bosh playing while on blood thinners, according to the source.

I don’t question Jackson and his sources, but this is also certainly spin. If you are in the Bosh/union camp, these kinds of leaks help put public pressure on the Heat to agree to a deal, it raises expectations. That’s part of the negotiations.

No doubt the Heat would like to see Bosh on the court — he averaged 19.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, shot 36.7 percent from three and a true shooting percentage of 57.1, plus he had a PER of 20.2. They are a much better team, a potential playoff team in the East, with him on the court.

The big question is, are the Heat okay with Bosh playing on blood thinners? The Bosh camp had proposed a type of drug that did the work then was out of his system in eight hours — something used by other professional athletes — but the Heat didn’t sign off on this.

If Bosh is approved to play, will there be restrictions on his travel? Will there be restrictions on his minutes?

Still, it feels like the two sides are going to find some common ground.