In the lane
PREGAME WITH POP: For those willing to face the fire, pregame media sessions with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich can be challenging, entertaining, even amusing. It was no different at AmericanAirlines Arena before Wednesday’s game against the Heat, when Hassan Whiteside was out for the Heat and Kawhi Leonard sidelined for the Spurs. What started with an innocuous question about the Spurs’ injury situation that began with, “How important . . .?” turned into Popovich launching into a riff on the very type of query, essentially interviewing himself. “Whenever I get those kind of questions it’s like, ‘How important is it to have this guy?’ ‘Really important.’ ‘Would the Heat loved to have their center?’ ‘Probably.’ ‘Would we like to have Kawhi Leonard? ‘Probably.’ “The attempt at the questioning centered on the rehab of sidelined Spurs guard Tony Parker. “It’s a waste of time,” Popovich said. “I don’t know what he did today. I don’t care what he did today. We’ve got people hired to do that with him and they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. Somebody, they’ll come and say, ‘Pop, Tony is ready to go,’ and then I’ll give a damn.”
TRIPLE THE DISPLEASURE: Popovich then segued into his ongoing distaste for where the 3-point shot has taken the game, having emphasized such loathing during the Spurs’ NBA Finals against the Heat in 2013 and ’14. “If we didn’t shoot threes, we wouldn’t have won any championships,” he said. “The team that wins championships makes threes. And that’s without exception. It’s been that way for a long time.” He added that a new wrinkle has been added to the equation, “It’s a losing proposition, because nobody does it better than Golden State.” And then he got going. “I hate ‘em,” he said. “But I’ve always hated ‘em . . . . because it’s like a circus. Why don’t we have a five-point shot? The fans would love that even more. So how far do you go with that? The shots are quick and you don’t see as much play and movement, that kind of thing.” And, with that, the Spurs proceeded to shoot 10 of 17 on threes and blow out the Heat. “I have enough sense to know that if we don’t take threes, we’re going to lose every game,” he said.
THE THROW-IN: Tossed aside by the Heat as a throw-in to the 2015 salary dump of Mario Chalmers with the Memphis Grizzlies, former Heat second-round pick James Ennis has emerged as a Grizzlies starter, charged with filling the role previously held by franchise icon Tony Allen, who was let go as a free agent in the offseason. Grizzlies coach David Fizdale was a Heat assistant when Ennis was with the Heat. “James is huge,” Grizzlies guard Mike Conley told Memphis’ Commercial Appeal. “I told him, ‘You’re like the new T.A. You’re doing everything it takes to win,’ “Conley said.
OVER THERE: Out of the game last season, former Heat first-round pick Dorell Wright is in the midst of a European tour. After opening the season in Bosnia with Iogkea, the 31-year-old forward has moved on to Germany, where he signed with Brose Bamberg, which will allow him to compete in the EuroLeague. Wright proved dominant in Serbia, where he averaged 26.8 points. He previously had played overseas in China in 2015-16, before catching on with the Heat in a reunion tour at the end of that season. He was in the Los Angeles Clippers’ camp a year ago.