It all came down to one final possession, and a five-second call that severely curtailed Memphis’ playoff dreams. In a high-stakes NBA Play-In Tournament showdown, the Memphis Grizzlies were clawing their way back from a 20-point deficit against the Golden State Warriors. Every possession felt like life or death, and with just seconds left in regulation, the spotlight fell on Santi Aldama to deliver a clean inbound pass.
But things didn’t go as planned, and the whistle told the story. As Aldama searched for Ja Morant, the Grizzlies’ explosive star and go-to scorer, the Warriors clamped down defensively. The referee’s arm ticked down the dreaded five-second count. And before Memphis could even get a shot off, the ball was turned over. The violation gave Golden State possession and, more importantly, control of the game, and likely the series.
On a recent episode of The Why Podcast with Dwyane Wade, the issue of the violation took center stage. Dwyane Wade commented on the situation, “That’s a new coach over there, that’s a new voice over there, right?…..To me, when we running that play, we know we running. We come to timeout, we already know we running. Time out ain’t spent on a play, timeout is spent on other things, other conversations cuz we know what play we running. That that right there just looked like someday (they) was not comfortable with.”
Dwyane Wade spoke candidly about the situation. He emphasized the lack of proper instructions coming from the coach, Tuomas Iisalo, which contributed to the fumble by Santi Aldama, suggesting that the new team has not yet settled with the coach. He emphasized ingraining the routines of play into the team and using timeouts to make in-the-moment decisions, rather than reiterating pre-discussed plays.
Wade also said, “The last five minutes is a separator of any game ……if I’m close in the last five minutes with my team, I’m looking at it like we down within six points in the last five minutes on the road, we got this game.” Wade reiterated how the last five minutes can be make or break and that teams should be driven enough to see out the game. This especially makes sense as the Grizzlies had managed to reduce a 20-point gap before ultimately succumbing to the Golden State Warriors 121-116.
Of course, considering his illustrious career, Wade certainly knows a thing or two about seeing out games. Most of the NBA fraternity would love to see the 13-time All-Star turn back the clock and throw it down in the big league again. And while that is impossible, the 43-year-old, ironically, only recently spoke about a potential return to the NBA. This time, in an all new role.
Dwyane Wade and the coaching dilemma
The Phoenix Suns recently surprised everyone by firing head coach Mike Budenholzer, even though they still owe him around $56 million over the next few years. That’s a massive buyout, and it didn’t go unnoticed. Dwyane Wade, never one to shy away from a playful jab, joked that with that kind of money being thrown around, maybe he should consider getting into coaching. “Sheesh!!! I guess I’m going to buy a clipboard today.”
Now, Wade getting into coaching? That’s always been a bit of a gray area. He has mentioned it here and there, and honestly, he expresses mixed feelings about it. “I don’t really know if coaching my thing. I love giving back to the game. ..don’t know if I would be a coach, but you never want to say never because that may be a part of your calling.“ He enjoys staying close to basketball and loves giving back. But when it comes to coaching professionally, like an NBA team? He has never really made a commitment to it.
Interestingly, he has mentioned he’d consider coaching if his daughter takes up basketball. That kind of family-focused approach feels very on-brand for Wade. It’s less about the glitz of the NBA sidelines and more about personal impact.
That said, Wade’s heart is definitely in the right place. He’s big on mentorship. And he has always mentored younger players directly, guiding them, inspiring them, and leading by example. That’s coaching energy right there, even if it’s not the official title.
So, while he might not be drawing up plays on a clipboard anytime soon, don’t count Wade out of the coaching conversation completely. With $56 million floating around? Who knows—he might just reconsider.
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