Zo on Wade's Future

[Flash]

MIAMI – Dwyane Wade(notes) wasn’t ready for his season to end. Not now. Not as long as he could help it. He lifted his Miami Heat with a scintillating 46-point performance, extending their playoff lives for at least a couple more days. This could have been his final game as a Heat in Miami, and he played like it. One final epic performance for his loyal fans?

 

Not if you listen to one of Wade’s former teammates. If Wade looks deep within himself this summer, his free agency could be as short-lived as the Heat’s stay in the playoffs appears to be. No matter whether the Heat win Tuesday to force a return trip to the American Airlines Center, Wade figures to find several reasons to come back next season.

 

“Follow your heart, man,” said Alonzo Mourning(notes), the Heat’s longtime former center. “I know that his heart is here. Follow your heart, and everything else will take care of itself. You can just trust that [president] Pat Riley and [owner] Micky Arison because of the position we are in and the flexibility we have. I think we have the most attractive situation for a free agent. You got to trust and know that Pat is not going to sit around and wait. He’s going to build a contender here. I think [Wade] knows that.

 

“He has a relationship with Micky and Pat. If your heart is into your organization and this town, you have to trust that the front-office basketball operation is going to do everything possible to make sure we get back to that championship recognition.”

 

Even in victory, Wade’s performance Sunday showed just how much work the Heat have ahead of him. He scored 30 points in the second half and finished with the most in the franchise’s playoff history, and it was just enough to nudge the Heat into Game 5.

 

Wade might be growing tired of waiting for Michael Beasley(notes), the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft, to reach his potential. Jermaine O’Neal(notes) is long past his prime and struggling against Boston. Everyone else on the Heat is a role player, at best.

 

Make no mistake: Unlike Wade’s All-Star contemporaries, he is a one-man band in Miami. That should also change this summer. The Heat will have enough salary-cap room to lure Chris Bosh(notes), Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) or Carlos Boozer(notes) along with another key player this summer.

 

 

 

 

Yahoo Sports

[Flash]

“He understands what he has here,” Pierce said. “It is tough to leave a place where you won a championship, where it all started for you. I think he really values that. He’s definitely made this his home. It’s going to be tough for him to leave. Even though he is carrying the team night in and night out and doesn’t have the supporting cast anymore to be a contender, it’s really going to be tough for him to leave because of the foundation he’s built here so far. I think he’s going to be here for a very long time.”

 

 

 

 

Wade has said he would likely see what the Heat add before he decides to re-sign. Wade’s hometown Chicago Bulls haven’t helped their recruiting pitch, sources close to Wade said, when they showed the level of their front-office dysfunction after team president John Paxson physically confronted coach Vinny Del Negro. Mourning remains confident Arison and Riley will quickly do what’s needed to keep Wade.

 

 

[moeroadkill]

his heart tells him to stay. his brain tells him to leave.

just my 2 cents

[Clutch]

his heart tell him to stay..and his brain tells him he is gonna make more money playin for the heat

[SRV]

I am pretty sure his brain saids, I am in Miami, and my team has enough money to sign any free agent I want.

[Flash]

Don't you dare get optimistic...No one is coing to Miami you fools.

[moeroadkill]

way to take it the wrong way. touchy subject guys?

[CaliCurbStomppa]

Wade just gotta hope that they can get Bosh or Amare or whoever so he can have another superstar on his team so they can get this team back when they won the championship a few years ago

[Clutch]

way to take it the wrong way. touchy subject guys?

 

VERY touchy trust me lol

[Flash]

way to take it the wrong way. touchy subject guys?

 

LOL, yeah it is. Seems like Miami fans aren't allowed to be optimistic at all. We're just idiot homers who are way too cocky for even thinking our front office can do anything this summer.

[SRV]

Exactly. We aren't stupid for saying Wade should come back because we have an [expletive] load of money. I mean, if we were over the CAP and I was saying this, then yes, I am a homer. We have the money, Wade has said he wants to stay, and Pat Riley can build another championship team.

 

It just pisses me off when people say he is gonna leave, and they don't elaborate on why he would leave the situation he is in, the only reasons I have seen is he is from Chicago, big whoop.

[Flash]

Exactly. Sure, Chicago's got Derrick Rose, great. But do you think with Wade that team is title material? They've got no bench, no outside shooting, and no consistent inside presence at all. I understand its his hometown but his legacy is in Miami. Like Pierce said, its gonna be tough for him to leave that especially if Riles does what he needs to do.

 

Heard on the radio today that Rudy Gay was at game 4 and that Bosh should be coming down pretty soon.

 

Mike Wallace of the Miami Herald had an interesting take on Wade. He said that thought Wade was using his performance in game 4 as a recruiting tool to land the big fish that we need to become a contender.

 

This really wouldn't be a series if we had a player in our front court who could produce offensively.

 

UD/Jermaine/Joel and Magloire have scored a combined 45 points in the series.

[SRV]

This series could easily be 3-1 if we had another good option on offense.

 

In game 1, we had a nice lead, and eventually blew it because they realized Wade was the only one doing things

Game 2 was a blowout, not sure we could have done much to stop that.

Game 3, heartbreaking loss which could have easily been prevented.

 

So we could easily be in a comfortable lead right now, but things don't work out. Wade knows how close this series really is, and just one good player could put us over the edge. If I was Wade, I would wait for the guarantee of another FA and then sign right after. If we sign a big name, and then he signs with another team, that is just stupid. Of course, we wouldn't get a big name unless Wade was here, so basically, there is some behind the scene talks going on with Wade, Riley, and his targets. Its pretty easy to see that Bosh, Boozer, Amare, and Gay already are in some talks with Wade, and we all know players discuss this stuff.