NBA coach Jeff Bzdelik to retire

Jeff Bzdelik, a longtime coach who is currently with the Houston Rockets, is reporting hanging up his clipboard and calling it a career. Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting:

Bzdelik, 65, had been weighing whether to return for a third season on Mike D’Antoni’s staff throughout the summer, reaching his decision this weekend, an individual with knowledge of the decision said. He had been uncertain about taking on the demands and time away from family of another season.

The Rockets will shift his responsibilities throughout the coaching staff, with assistant Roy Rogers likely to lead the defense. Former Vipers coach Matt Brase had already been added to D’Antoni’s staff.

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Timberwolves center Justin Patton out after foot injury

Timberwolves center Justin Patton out after foot injury

Minnesota Timberwolves center Justin Patton will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering an injury to his right foot during a recent workout. Surgery will be scheduled for the near future. Further updates to his progress will be issued when appropriate.

Patton, 6-11, played in one game for Minnesota in 2017-18, totaling two points and one steal in just under four minutes of action on April 1, 2018 vs. Utah. Patton appeared in 38 games for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G League affiliate, starting 28 of those and averaging 12.7 points on 47.5% shooting from the field. He also averaged 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 23.1 minutes a game.

The Wolves acquired the draft rights to Patton (selected 16th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft), along with Jimmy Butler, on June 22, 2017 from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen, the 7th overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Dwyane Wade will return for another season

Dwyane Wade isn’t hanging up his sneakers yet. The future Hall of Famer has announced that he’ll play one more NBA season, and will stick with the Miami Heat.

Wade for weeks has stated openly that if he were to return for another NBA season, it would only be for Miami.

Here’s the Miami Herald on Wade’s decision:

This will help the Heat. After all, Wade was the only Heat player to finish last season’s five-game playoff run with a positive plus-minus while leading the team to its only playoff victory in Game 2 in Philadelphia with 28 points in 26 minutes.

But at 36 years old, how much will Wade really help the Heat this season?

“This decision is bigger than the game of basketball,” Wade said in the video posted Sunday night. “This decision don’t have nothing to do with the talent I have in my body. Yeah, I’m not as quick as I used to be. Yeah, I don’t jump as high as I used to. Yeah, I don’t. Yeah, I don’t. Yeah, I don’t.

“But there are things in this game that I have that I can write a book on, that I can still do and I can still accomplish with the right organization, with the right individuals, with the right coach and in the right situation.”

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The Heat won’t be a contender this season, but they’re a solid team, and it’ll be cool to see fans get to applaud D-Wade on his retirement tour.

At the same time, the Heat’s primary need is to figure out their future. So this won’t be an all-about-Wade type of season the way Kobe Bryant’s final Laker season was all about him. The Heat will compete. Wade will contribute to that. And there will be lots of standing ovations in the process.

Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau to reportedly meet, seek clarity

The Timberwolves are a fascinating team right now. They won a solid but unspectacular 47 games last season, squeezing into the playoffs for a quick stint in the postseason. On paper, they should certainly keep improving. They boast a quality starting lineup, and several of their best players are young and presumably still improving. But Jimmy Butler’s future with the team will be a looming story throughout the next year — or until something happens to put an end to the speculation. Here’s the St Paul Pioneer Press reporting:

Timberwolves all-star guard Jimmy Butler and coach Tom Thibodeau will meet early this week to discuss the upcoming season and thoughts on the team, a source confirmed Saturday.

The Athletic was the first to report the meeting.

But there’s no reason to believe this is some type of make-or-break moment that will determine Butler’s future in Minnesota. While nothing can ever be ruled out, this meeting isn’t expected to deliver anything of major consequence.

There’s been a lot of drama surrounding the Timberwolves this offseason — some of which should subside once training camp starts in nine days. Much of it has involved Butler.

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Timberwolves center Justin Patton reportedly injured again

Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune with a Timberwolves injury report that will presumably be confirmed by the team soon:

After two surgeries on his left foot cost him two summer-league and one training camp experiences, Timberwolves center Justin Patton now has broken his right foot in pre-camp workouts.

Patton will undergo surgery to repair that right foot in the coming days, a source with knowledge of the injury said.

Training camp begins Sept. 25, and Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau had been hopeful that Patton would be cleared for contact practice by then.

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The latest on Kawhi Leonard

Here’s the Toronto Sun reporting on new Raptors addition Kawhi Leonard, whose health is of interest not just to Toronto but to the entire NBA world:

Leonard, a former NBA Finals MVP and two-time defensive player of the year, was only able to suit up for nine games in his final season in Texas, but by all accounts has looked superb in summer workouts.

Ujiri would not commit to Leonard being ready to go full steam ahead by the time training camp opens in just over a week, but he sounded encouraged.

“Everything you hear (about his workouts) is unbelievable. He’s very well, no verdict has been made, but he’s ramping it up,” Ujiri told Wojnarowski, adding that Leonard’s status will depend on both what he and the medical staff say.

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On Mavs guard-forward Wesley Matthews

The Mavs won just 24 games last season. But then they added veteran center DeAndre Jordan and drafted a very experienced rookie in Luka Doncic. Interesting moves for a team that could have headed towards a total rebuild. The core of the team right now includes Dennis Smith Jr, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Jordan, and if he pans out, Doncic. And old Dirk Nowitzki, riding out his legendary career. As for Matthews, here’s the Dallas Morning News examining his present and possible future:

The iron man reputation may have caught up with Matthews a little last season. But he’s still expected to be a 30-minute-plus heavy lifter. His job as a spot-up 3-point maker won’t change. But the intriguing thing about this season is that the combination of him fronting perimeter scorers with DeAndre Jordan waiting to protect the rim should only make the Mavericks’ defense, which wasn’t terrible last season, even stronger. Another consideration for this season: Matthews is certain to be a source of periodic trade speculation because of his expiring contract and the fact that he can shoot the ball. Those are two commodities that contending teams can always use.

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Heat await Dwyane Wade decision

Here’s the Miami Herald with the latest on Dwyane Wade, who may retire, or may play another season with the Heat. There’s no reason to think he’ll have a big impact on their win-loss total this season, but it would still be nice to see him head out there for another season before calling it a career:

With the Sept. 25 start of training camp inching closer, the Miami Heat still has one open spot on its 20-man preseason roster.

It will remain open as Dwyane Wade decides whether to retire or return for a 16th NBA season. And on Thursday night, Wade made it clear that he still hasn’t made up his mind.

“I wish I had that answer for you. I don’t have it today,” Wade said alongside Heat forward Udonis Haslem during an appearance to celebrate their new restaurant, 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen, in Aventura that’s scheduled to open Sept. 20.

Wade does know if he decides to continue his playing career, it will be with the Heat.

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Jabari Bird facing serious legal situation

Here’s the Boston Herald with the latest on new Celtics guard Jabari Bird, who is in a serious legal situation right now:

The Celtics aren’t trifling with diplomatic niceties and cagey legalese in their handling of the litany of charges being brought against reserve guard Jabari Bird.

“Most importantly, our thoughts are with the victim of this incident,” the team said in a statement released yesterday. “The Celtics organization deplores domestic violence of any kind, and we are deeply disturbed by the allegations against Jabari Bird.”

This should not be read as a judgment against Bird, a 24-year-old California native who appeared in 13 games with the Celtics last season and this past July signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the team. The courts, after all, will rule on innocence or guilt. Bird was arraigned in Brighton District Court yesterday following a weekend arrest in which he was charged with domestic assault, strangulation and kidnapping stemming from an alleged incident involving a 20-year-old woman.

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Bucks and WTMJ Radio expand partnership

The Milwaukee Bucks and WTMJ Radio have expanded their long-time partnership, with WTMJ continuing as the radio home of the team. Bucks games this upcoming season will air on 620 AM and 103.3 FM with Ted Davis and Dennis Krause calling the action. WTMJ Radio will remain the flagship station of the statewide BMO Harris Bucks Radio Network.

As part of the new agreement, Bucks games that will not air on 620 AM or 103.3 FM because of conflicts will now air on 94.5 FM WKTI, a partner of WTMJ Radio. New features of the agreement include a one-hour Bucks Weekly Show and a half-hour Coach’s Show that will air on WTMJ Radio each week during the season.

“WTMJ Radio has been a terrific home for Bucks games for 50 years, and we’re excited to extend our relationship as we enter our first season at Fiserv Forum,” said Bucks President Peter Feigin. “This is a great time for the Bucks and our fans, and we are excited to enhance our presence on WTMJ Radio with weekly Bucks shows.”

“The Bucks and WTMJ are proud partners,” said Tom Langmyer, vice president and general manager of WTMJ and WKTI and vice president, news/talk/sports for The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP). “We’re pleased to grow the partnership as the Bucks move into the beautiful new Fiserv Forum – and excited for WTMJ Radio as it segues from Scripps to Craig Karmazin’s Good Karma Brands.”