Bosh could be back for Christmas and LeBron … or be out a month

Maybe a few days, maybe a month.

Chris Bosh could be back from his strained left calf by the end of the week, possibly in time for the Christmas Day game against LeBron James and Cleveland, but he also is looking at the worst-case scenario of missing a month.

“I’m hoping so, but I don’t know,” Bosh said Sunday when asked if he could play against the Cavaliers. “I’ve been saying that and (the staff is) like, ‘OK, take it easy. Just work today.’ Health is the priority. I’m keeping the bigger picture in mind.”

Bosh missed his fifth straight game when the Heat beat Boston 100-84 at AmericanAirlines Arena. They are 2-3 without him.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra has declined to give a timetable on how long Bosh will be out. Bosh has made significant progress the past few days, though, and believes he could make it back by the end of the week.

“It’s a possibility, I think,” said Bosh, the Heat’s best player at 21.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. “That’s me being a glass-half-full kind of guy. It’s a work in progress, man. I’m trying to keep my brain in it. You might think you’re ready to play, but they say you’re not.”

The Heat (13-15) host Philadelphia on Tuesday, which almost certainly is too soon for Bosh. After the Christmas game, they host Memphis on Saturday and Orlando on Dec. 29.

Bosh also acknowledged the possibility of being out a month, but thought that was unlikely. He and the team are taking a precautionary approach out of concern that the strain could turn into a tear and “explode into a very big situation.”

Once he heals, he must regain his conditioning. His work has been limited mostly to physical therapy, and he has not been running since he went down on Dec. 12 in Salt Lake City while playing the Utah Jazz.