The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports: The biggest decision for the Heat might be one that is due two days before it exercises the No. 2 pick in the June 26 NBA Draft. The opt-out window for forward Shawn Marion closes at 6 p.m. June 24. By then, he must decide whether to play out the final season on his contract, at $17.8 million for 2008-09, or become a free agent July 1. The timing is no coincidence. In extending Marion a six-year, $80 million contract in 2003, the Phoenix Suns wanted a definitive decision from the versatile forward in advance of the 2008 draft.

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have hired David Fizdale as an assistant coach, returning the Los Angeles native to where he began his NBA career. Fizdale, who has served as an assistant coach for the past five seasons in Golden State and Atlanta, began his professional career assisting in the HEAT’s video room during the 1997-98 season. Among his responsibilities in his new role he will be assisting in the areas of player development, scouting, game preparation and other duties assigned by Head Coach Erik Spolestra.
“We’re excited to welcome David back to the HEAT organization,” said Spoelstra. “He has proven to be a great teacher and has helped developed a number of young players in his 10 years of coaching on the professional and collegiate level. Additionally, his belief and familiarity with our culture is an added bonus.”
The 34-year old Fizdale returns to Miami after spending the past four seasons (2004-08) as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks where he played an instrumental role in the development of their young players. He helped the Hawks increase their win total in each of the past three seasons and this year earn the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 1999, before being eliminated in seven games in the opening round by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. He began his NBA coaching career as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors for one season (2003-04).
Directly before joining the Warriors, Fizdale worked as an assistant coach for one season at Fresno State University (2002-03) where his responsibilities included player development and serving as the school’s recruiting coordinator. After concluding his collegiate playing career and spending one year as the HEAT’s video intern in 1997-98, he began his coaching career with a four-year stint (1998-2002) as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of San Diego.

The AP reports: Dwyane Wade still believes his knee will be ready for the Beijing Olympics. The Miami Heat guard, who missed the final 21 games of last season because of chronic soreness in his surgically repaired left knee, said Sunday that he’s been playing 5-on-5 games for about a week with “no problems.” Wade is spending much of his offseason rehabilitating in Chicago, with eyes on both getting a spot on the Beijing-bound team—USA Basketball will finalize its Olympic roster later this month—and ensuring that he’s fully healthy when the Heat open training camp in late September.

The AP reports: Alonzo Mourning, whose season ended when he suffered severe knee and leg injuries in a game in December, said that if his body gets healthy, he’d like to play one more season before finally calling it a career. “I just want to get my body right to do it. I need to get my body where my mind is,” said Mourning, while appearing at Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor’s charity golf event. Mourning, 38, has said several times previously that a return wasn’t out of the question - but yesterday’s comments may have been his strongest yet.