In the lane

BACK AT IT: It won’t be quite the whirlwind Goran Dragic had last September with Slovenia’s run to the championship at the month-long EuroBasket, but Heat big man Kelly Olynyk again has made himself available to the Canadian national team for a two-game window for World Cup qualifying, with a Wednesday game in Laval, Quebec, against Brazil and then a Sept. 17 game in Chile. At 5-1, Canada is in a solid position to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when the event was known as the World Championships. Among other NBA players on Canada’s current roster are Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson, Khem Birch, Dillon Brooks and Justin Jackson. As was the case last season, Olynyk will have to miss the following two two-game qualifying windows for Canada in November and February, but could be back with an even larger contingent of NBA players for the 2019 World Cup, which will be in China from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15.

BOSH DELIBERATION: In advance of his Sept 21 induction into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame, former Heat forward Chris Bosh again spoke of a possible NBA comeback. “My health is great,” he told ramblinwreck.com, having been sidelined since midseason 2016 due to a recurrence of blood clots. “Playing basketball is still an aspiration of mine. We just moved out to Austin, Texas. So once my family gets situated, I can start concentrating more on playing basketball again. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll figure out that next step in my life. Either way, I’m happy. If it’s a wrap, then I’ve had a good run. If it’s not then, we can put some more icing on the cake.” By rule, Bosh’s parting agreement with the Heat precludes a return to the team going forward.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Although a long shot for a roster spot, journeyman power forward Jarnell Stokes said he appreciates his Heat camp chances because of his previous tenure with the team and the developmental mindset of the franchise. “I know they’re fair,” he told Def Pen Hoops. “They are very fair when it comes to trusting what they see. A lot of guys go by numbers and politics, but you can pretty much trust that if you put in the work — guys like Tyler Johnson, Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson — these guys really did not have an opportunity at first. Miami is typically the spot that is able to trust in what they see.” Stokes’ camp invitation came before Udonis Haslem agreed to return for a 16th season with the team, making the roster odds even longer.

NEVER ENOUGH: If you think NBA players are ever sated, consider Ray Allen’s thoughts, including after winning the 2013 NBA championship with the Heat. “You win a championship and then the next year, you’re trying to figure out how to get back on top,” he told NBA TV in advance of Friday’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “Because that feeling always escapes you. So you have a good game or you score 40 one night, it just always is elusive. So you’re constantly always trying to play catchup. I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be good the next night or I wasn’t going to make a shot. I’d be sitting home at night, obsessing when I was watching a game or if I’ve seen a person on TV miss a free throw, I’d go, ‘Oh my God, that can’t be me. I don’t want to be that guy.’ And, so, I don’t know if I ever really let myself believe that I was good enough. Because that moment you think you’re good enough is the moment you rest.”