IN THE LANE

BEST-CASE SCENARIO: The result of the NBA draft lottery was as close to the best-case scenario as possible for the Heat. Foremost, neither the Boston Celtics nor Philadelphia 76ers jumped into a top-three selection, which could have distanced the East’s next-best-things at the top of the conference. Instead, Philadelphia will select at No. 10 with the Los Angeles Lakers’ pick that could have gone earlier in the process to the Celtics or 76ers, with Boston’s first selection at No. 27. In addition, the Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to move up from the No. 8 draft slot they inherited from the Brooklyn Nets through the Kyrie Irving trade with the Celtics. Beyond that, the Detroit Pistons were not able to beat the odds for a top-three selection, with their No. 12 pick going to the Los Angeles Clippers from the Blake Griffin trade. Of the East teams that finished in the top half of the lottery the Atlanta Hawks (No. 3), Orlando Magic (No. 6) and Chicago Bulls (No. 7) all stand more than a lottery pick from contention. EARLY PROJECTIONS: With the establishment of the draft order through the lottery, it now becomes easier to discern what the Heat could have had if they held on to their No. 16 pick that instead went to the Phoenix Suns as partial payment from the 2015 Goran Dragic acquisition. ESPN’s mock draft has Texas Tech small forward Zhaire Smith at No. 16. NBADraft.net has Wichita State guard Landry Shamet at No. 16. One of CBSSports.com’s mock drafts has Kentucky forward Kevin Knox at No. 16, with the site’s other mock going at that spot with Miami guard Lonnie Walker, who also is the current choice in the mock drafts of USA Today and The Ringer. Sporting News’ mock draft is another that currently has Knox listed at No. 16. The Athletic’s mock draft has Ohio State forward Keita Bates-Diop at No. 16. BASES COVERED: Among the Heat’s interviews at the Chicago combine was UCLA forward Kris Wilkes, an intriguing choice for a face-to-face for both parties. For his part, the Pac-12 All-Freshman selection said he plans to return to school if he does not get a first-round guarantee. For their part, the Heat do not have a first-round pick and likely would not be able to secure one in time by the May 30 deadline to retain collegiate eligibility. “I see myself as a first-round talent,” Wilkes told the Indianapolis Star. “If the teams don’t think so, I’ll go back to school, I’ll kill it and there won’t be [any] option about it next year. THE OTHER SIDE: While David Fizdale has been tiptoeing around the issue of LeBron James’ potential free agency, hardly wanting to start his tenure as New York Knicks coach with a tampering charge, James has had only praise for the hiring of his former Heat assistant coach. “I think he’s a good coach, a good communicator,” James said. “He’s never going to shy away from whatever he feels is right. I’m happy for Fiz, obviously. He gets an opportunity to showcase what he’s about. So, we’ll see what happens. Obviously, I don’t speak for the Knicks at all, but I’m happy for Fiz.”