Chris Bosh will sit out Olympics

Chris Bosh is still hurting, and his Olympic plans are being pushed aside so he can heal.

The Miami Heat forward told USA Basketball on Friday that he is withdrawing from consideration for the London Games so he can continue to recover from the strained abdominal muscle that sidelined him for a portion of his team's run to the NBA championship. Bosh announced the decision through agent Henry Thomas one day after Heat teammate Dwyane Wade pulled out of the Olympic mix because of looming left knee surgery.

"This injury was a pretty serious one," Thomas said of Bosh. "He was able to come back and play under the circumstances because he was trying to contribute to them winning a championship. There's still pain. There's still discomfort. And the real concern is if he doesn't rest and do the rehab associated with the injury, this could become sort of a chronic thing for him."

Bosh released a statement through USA Basketball, saying he was confident the Americans would successfully defend their gold medal.

"I am extremely disappointed to say that due to injury, I cannot represent my country," he said.

Wolves want Pau Gasol

The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying hard to land Pau Gasol.

If they have to part with the highest draft choice in franchise history after just one season, the Wolves appear ready to do it.

That much became clear leading up to the NBA draft on Thursday night, when Minnesota offered Derrick Williams in hopes of landing the second pick from the Charlotte Bobcats to help get Gasol from the Los Angeles Lakers, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press.

The people requested anonymity because the talks were meant to remain private. The deal never came together before the draft began, and the Bobcats stayed at No. 2 and took Kentucky forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The Timberwolves are expected to continue their pursuit of Gasol in hopes of putting him with fellow Spaniard Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love on a revamped roster aimed at returning the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

NBA, union settle 'Bird' rights dispute

The NBA and the players' association have reached a settlement that clarifies some rights that Jeremy Lin and three other players have entering free agency.

The rule will now be that players who are claimed from waivers will have the same "Early Bird" rights as if they had been traded, but will not have full "Bird" rights unless they are claimed through the league's amnesty procedure.

That helps the New York Knicks' chances of keeping Lin, their breakout point guard, and Steve Novak, who led the league in 3-point shooting percentage last season. The Knicks will be able to sign both without being restricted by the salary cap.

Chauncey Billups and J.J. Hickson are the other players who could benefit when free agency opens Sunday. All four had been waived this season and claimed by other teams.

Thunder, Scott Brooks close

The Oklahoma City Thunder and coach Scott Brooks are closing in on a new contract after drawn-out negotiations, according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com on Friday night that Brooks and the Thunder, after slow-moving talks that had left the sides well apart by the end of the NBA Finals earlier this month, soon will finalize a new four-year deal to follow up the contract that expires Saturday.

Although the financial specifics were not yet known, ESPN.com reported last week that the Thunder's most recent offer was "north of $4 million" annually.

"They are getting close," one source briefed on the discussions said.

Steve Nash expects to move quickly

After years of brushing aside the notion that he'd ever leave his comfortable desert surroundings, Steve Nash suddenly sounds like a player ready for a change of scenery.

The All-Star point guard sat down with ESPN.com this week to talk about his forthcoming free agency and admitted that, more and more, he pictures himself in a different uniform next season after spending the past eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns.

"I couldn't list a favorite," Nash said in his role of host for his annual Showdown charity soccer game in the Chinatown section of Manhattan, declining the opportunity to name the team with the best shot at signing him once free agency opens leaguewide Sunday at 12:01 a.m.

"But I do know that for the first time I realize that it might not be Phoenix. I would have said even in the middle of (last) season or last year that I would have thought I probably would have stayed in Phoenix forever. But it's come to a point now where I'm facing the reality that's not (the case)."

Asked what's changed, Nash says he senses Suns officials are ready to move in a different direction after they resisted numerous calls -- even from a pocket of Suns fans rooting for the 38-year-old to get a chance to play out his career with a title contender -- to trade Nash during each of the past two seasons. Phoenix has made two consecutive trips to the lottery in the wake of its Cinderella run to the Western Conference finals in 2010.