NBA notebook: Grizzlies, Bickerstaff reportedly reach 3-year deal

The Memphis Grizzlies are staying with coach J.B. Bickerstaff, taking the “interim” off his title and giving him a three-year contract.

ESPN reported the deal early Friday, after Yahoo Sports said Thursday that Bickerstaff was in serious discussions with the team on a multiyear contract. Bickerstaff took over the team on an interim basis when David Fizdale was fired after a 7-12 start in November. Memphis finished the season 22-60.

Bickerstaff, 39, joined the Grizzlies in 2016 as an associate head coach after six years as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets. He coached the Rockets on an interim basis in 2015-16, leading the team to a 37-34 record.

Bickerstaff is said to have earned the support of several prominent Grizzlies players during his time leading the team, and he did not have point guard Mike Conley for most of the season. Conley suffered a left heel injury and played only 12 games this season.

–Kawhi Leonard is expected to meet with San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich soon to figure out his future and will reportedly ask that he “tweak some things.”

One sticking point for Leonard is that he wants Popovich to “lighten up a little with practice,” according to the New York Daily News.

Leonard played only nine games this season. The Spurs’ medical staff cleared Leonard to return to play in March, but Leonard’s personal medical team has decided to hold him out.

–LeBron James better be careful not to goaltend in future games on the road against the Indiana Pacers.

Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett issued an executive order declaring the act of goaltending illegal in his city, of which Bankers Life Fieldhouse is a part. The tongue-in-cheek order followed Game 5 between the Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers, during which James blocked a shot after it hit the backboard late in the fourth quarter. Referees failed to call goaltending, and the play was not reviewable. The league later acknowledged that it missed the call.

“Oh — one more thing. By executive order, I am proud to outlaw goaltending in the City of Indianapolis … for every player, on every team. I’m ready for Game 6, are you?” Hogsett wrote on his Twitter account.

–The Washington Wizards announced that Otto Porter Jr. underwent minor surgery to address swelling around a bruise in his leg and will miss the remainder of Washington’s first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.

Porter started in all 77 regular-season games in which he played this season, averaging a career-high 14.7 points with 6.4 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game. The 24-year-old was averaging 10 points and five rebounds in this series, though he was not as active in the Wizards’ offense.

“He has a great impact for us,” All-Star point guard John Wall told the media of Porter. “He does everything, the little things that you probably wouldn’t see if you are watching the game. Cutting to the basket, making extra-effort plays, making shots for us, a guy who can defend and spread the floor. You could tell when OP’s been healthy and when he’s not. When he’s not slashing and cutting to the basket, you can tell he’s dealing with something.”

–Field Level Media