IN THE LANE

HE CAN’T:

Chris Bosh again is talking comeback, this time in an interview with Yahoo Sports. Important to remember is that as part of the agreement that allowed the Heat to clear the remainder of Bosh’s salary off their books, Bosh cannot return to the Heat at any time. There remains, of course, concern about the blood clots that led to Bosh’s departure. “Obviously, if it doesn’t happen by February, I’m not stupid, but yeah, I’m still looking forward to that,” said Bosh, whose most recent NBA appearance was Feb. 9, 2016, when he scored 18 points in a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. “I’m still trying to overcome that hump and trying to get something going. I’m looking forward to the challenge. I know I can still play some ball and be a 3-and-D guy for somebody out there.” Bosh turns 35 on March 24, still requiring league clearance for a return.

CLOSING TIME:

Having called it a career this past week at 41, two defining moments for Manu Ginobili came in the 2013 and ’14 NBA Finals against the Heat. In 2013, it was Ray Allen’s 3-pointer that allowed the Heat to win in seven games, after which Ginobili noted, “It’s such a fine line between having a great summer and now feeling like crap.” The following year provided a great summer, with the Spurs pummeling the Heat in five games, a series that included, at 37, a dramatic driving dunk by Ginobili over Bosh. Ginobili’s retirement led

Heat guard Dwyane Wade to post on Twitter, “One of the best to ever do it. Thank you [Manu Ginobili] for pushing the game forward and for showing players all around the world what [a] true champion looks like.”

ROLE MODEL:

About to become the fourth woman to serve as an NBA assistant when she moves to Doc Rivers’ Los Angeles Clippers’ bench, Natalie Nakase cited Heat coach Erik Spoelstra as one of her major influences, having made her own climb from a video role. “The coaches that I look up to most are Erik Spoelstra and [Golden State Warriors assistant] Mike Brown,” she told the Clippers Nation blog. “They both started in video and their transition up the ladder, for me, was a great example of, ‘I can do that, too.’ Erik has also given me great advice about staying the course, working extremely hard, and trusting that everything will fall into place.”

ANOTHER CHANCE:

Caught in the bench shakeup with the Detroit Pistons after Stan Van Gundy was dismissed, former Heat forward Malik Allen has landed on Tom Thibodeau’s Minnesota Timberwolves staff as an assistant coach, where he will work alongside former Heat forward Ed Pinckney. “He came up the hard way, undrafted, terrific career as a player,” Thibodeau told the Star-Tribune of Allen. “Everywhere he has been, his teammates loved him and he’s done a great job as a coach.” Allen played for the Heat from 2001 to 2005, moving into coaching in 2014 with the Pistons.