Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, LeBron James on same team: Why not?

By DAN LE BATARD
dlebatard@MiamiHerald.com

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are always talking about what great friends they are. They are so bonded by shared sensibilities and experiences and excellences that Wade would stay at James' mansion when the Heat played in Cleveland. Both men say winning matters most. And here they are, at a career crossroads together, and all they have to do to find the best teammate available to them in free agency is look at each other.

Three years ago, they talked and decided together to sign similar contracts so that now, in a few days, they would have the same freedom of choice at the same time. In other words, they planned this; they've already teamed to make one really big business decision at a time of maximum value. Everything that has happened in the time since -- Wade exiting national relevance early every postseason while required to do too much heavy lifting alone, James winning every individual accolade without winning anything that matters -- brings them together now with just the right amount of appreciation and frustration and freedom and power and perspective in their prime.

Why in the name of all that is holy and sane wouldn't they choose each other?

Isn't this simple?

Hog the championships. Own the sport they love as young men. Make millions upon millions of dollars while teaming on commercials and winning and having fun. We can quibble about if their games fit together, which means you'd be arguing that it is better to have Amare Stoudemire with Wade than LeBron Bleeping James, but otherwise the only thing keeping them apart is something we all learn as little kids.

Sharing.

That's Plan A for salesman-to-the-stars Pat Riley, who has pushed all his chips to the middle of the table on free agency with a suited ace and a King. Riley knows how star-struck and event-driven this market can be. He copyrighted basketball flash and glitz in Los Angeles. He knows James-Wade will sell here in a way that Joe Johnson won't. So his job and his legacy now is to convince these two to share the stage and glory and fame the way he once sold Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball's all-time leading scorer, on the hypnotic powers of Magic.

The entire upbringing and wiring of Wade and James in sports has preached team, harmony, unity and the importance of sacrifice, but here's the problem: Maybe neither of them wants to be Scottie Pippen. Athletes tend to lie or lack self-awareness when they say that all they want to do is win. What they really want is to be the reason for said winning. Michael Irvin articulated that well when he got bummed watching teammate Alvin Harper running toward the end zone in the Super Bowl with his football.

Maybe this is childish or maybe it is human nature, but there's something about this arena that turns muscular men into infants. That isn't a criticism. Growing up is overrated, and being a kid is forever fun. But you know that goofy thing the Cavs did before games? Where all the other players would gather for a team photo and James would kneel down and pretend to snap their picture with an imaginary camera?

You have to convince James to share that play camera with Wade and hope they don't fight over it. That's all you have to do for James and Wade to get all the toys and turn the league into their personal playpen.

It seems pretty simple, doesn't it?

Share winning with your friend or play defense to keep him from it? What would you do if it was your good friend?

Winning and championships are going to take a back seat to something as silly as Wade feeling threatened by a bigger star coming to his city? A-Rod was LeBron in this scenario once. He didn't come and steal New York from Derek Jeter.

Last week, I put the question to two basketball Hall of Famers, one NBA coach and one NBA owner: Why wouldn't two great players and great friends do this?

The owner said, ``Ask Orlando and Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill how that works. One friend may like a great sports town. The other may like the beach. And friends don't mean there are two balls in a game. LeBron and D-Wade both need the ball, and neither are knock-down shooters. So I don't know that those two together are better than LeBron with the cast he had in Cleveland. In fact, unless you got the right players, the Cleveland team is probably better.''

The coach said, ``Ego. Those two don't want to share the top billing. They want talent around them, but it has to be complementary talent. They want to win, but winning isn't the only thing or even the most important thing. The most important thing is their standing in comparison to their peers.''

Charles Barkley said, ``Attention. You'd be surprised how much guys want all the attention.''

Only Isiah Thomas made it sound like it was any kind of possible. Thomas was a champion and Hall of Famer and star before he was the basketball coach at FIU. I asked him, in his prime, how he would have felt if someone of the stature of James came to his team to overshadow him.

``I would feel lucky,'' he said.

Not threatened?

``Sometimes the moment calls for you to step forward,'' he said. ``Sometimes the moment calls for you to step back.''

But what about the idea that stars don't merely want to win but want to be the reason for winning?

``Those are the guys who always lose,'' Thomas said. ``Those are the guys that champions prey on. Those are the losers.''

That sounds good, right? So do this:

``If real winning is what you are pursuing, ego and money and glory don't get in the way,'' Thomas said. ``Great players always play well together until they win the championship. That's when the `disease of more' creeps in. But LeBron hasn't won. There's always an ego sacrifice with winning. Pau Gasol and Ron Artest can do a lot more scoring elsewhere. Kareem was the greatest player ever, and he gave room to Magic. Do you want to be The Man or do you want to be a champion? What really matters to you?''

Thomas has been a coach for a long time now. He says the things coaches teach once they have wisdom and perspective.

He laments all the ego in this generation of players. Problem is, he also flashes a Hall of Famer's teeth when I asked him what he would do if he were LeBron.

``Show me the hardest challenge,'' he says. ``I'd want to go to New York. That's the hardest place, right? Well, f--- you then. I'm going to do it there.''

Wade won't formally address option clause prior to free agency

By Ira Winderman South Florida Sun Sentinel

4:44 p.m. EDT, June 27, 2010

At 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Dwyane Wade will still be an under-contract member of the Miami Heat. A minute later, he will become one of the most prized possessions in NBA free agency.

The dramatic shift will happen without a single word from Wade or his representation.

While Wade holds a $17.1 million option for next season on his current Heat contract, it is an "opt-in" clause that must be invoked by June 30.

That means, by doing nothing, the All-Star guard becomes a free agent on July 1. There is no need to inform the Heat that he is opting out. There will be no formal announcement.

"There is nothing to say," agent Henry Thomas said. "He does not have to exercise his option."

Instead, Wade will exercise a pay cut.

Under the arcane rules of the salary cap, Wade will have to take a pay cut to $16.6 million next season as the starting point of a contract that would max out at $125 million over six years.

While Wade could opt in and retain his $17.1 million salary for next season, the collective-bargaining agreement only allows for a four-year extension, which would effectively otherwise leave him with a five-year, $104 million deal starting next season.

With the July 1 start of the free-agency negotiating period only days away, and with LeBron James already establishing an interview process on his home turf in Ohio, talk of a summit of prime free agents proved to be just that.

There have, however, been more intimate encounters. Wade dined earlier this month with Bosh in Los Angeles and on his Twitter account, Phoenix Suns impending free agent power forward Amare Stoudemire said he spent time over the weekend with Wade in Chicago, noting, "It was great to see my hommie."

While Stoudemire still has time to negotiate an extension with the Suns, he already is taking suggestions on his Twitter account, posting, "We are talking free agency. What should we do? This is going to be a great summer. I'll keep you posted."

ESPN is reporting that Wade has agreed to make a recruiting visit to the New York Knicks, which, like the Heat, has enough salary-cap space to sign at least two prime free agents. The network reports the Knicks first will meet with Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson at the midnight start of the process, then with Stoudemire a few hours later, with both of those meetings on the West Coast, before meeting 1 p.m. Thursday with James.

Teams are not allowed to publicly comment on such itineraries, since even setting up such meetings in advance violates the NBA's tampering rules.

Heat envy

With his team reportedly first on LeBron James' interview list, New Jersey Nets President Rod Thorn said it is only natural to be concerned about the strength of the Heat and Chicago Bulls in free agency, after those teams cleared additional salary-cap space on draft night.

"I'd like to be in the same position," Thorn told the Newark Star-Ledger.

"The others have committed themselves to be able to sign two max-out free agents. And in Miami's case, they can probably get three if you want to include Dwyane Wade. Chicago and Miami have put themselves in a very strong position."

Ira Winderman can be reached at iwinderman@SunSentinel.com.

NBA draft without superstar is a warmup for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade free agency sweepstakes

Before performing his duties of introducing the first-round draft picks in Thursday night's NBA draft, David Stern bumped into Kevin Durant at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

"Not a bad player," Stern said, off to the side, after saying a quick hello to Oklahoma City's budding superstar. "I think he's got a future. Maybe not in TV. But definitely in our game."

Without a LeBron James on the board, the draft was the warmup to the long-awaited start to free agency on Thursday. It already ranks as the greatest gold rush in league history, if you believe the hype. Starting with James and continuing with Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer, there's an All-Star team up for grabs.

"I think it's going to be unlike any other July 1 we've ever seen before, and unlike any other we'll ever see again," Stern said.

He's seen other free-agent bonanzas, notably 1996, when Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal were free, along with a host of All-Stars, back in the days when maximum salaries were not fixed, as they are today.

"But none this crazy," Stern said.

It's crazy and it hasn't even started. But it's been building to a frenzy because for the last two years, around 75% of the moves were done with this summer in mind. Maybe that percentage is even higher.

Any team that thinks it has a shot at James has been doing everything it can to deal off salaries and open up cap space to get itself a maximum salary slot. That continued Thursday night when Chicago was said to be dealing Kirk Hinrich to the Wizards, along with its No. 17 pick. Hinrich has been destined to leave the Loop for a long time. The Bulls viewed his remaining $17 million as a blight on their cap, but with the move they'd get to convert his money into more cap space for James, or maybe Bosh.

It's been a field day for team accountants and cap specialists. But no one really has a clue as to whether these moves will result in getting James' signature on a deal. The Bulls don't know, and the Knicks are in that same boat, too.

But shedding money is the name of the game. The day before the draft, Pat Riley dispatched Daequan Cook with Miami's No.18 pick to Oklahoma City, for a second-round pick. But Riley still is about $7 million shy of being able to re-sign Wade to a max deal, while also luring two marquee free agents to South Beach at top dollar.

"They're trying to get the big free agents to come to Miami, so it was a smart move," said Durant, in town to work for NBA TV. "And we like having draft picks, so it was a good move for us."

The Thunder is trying to add pieces around Durant, via the draft, while the Knicks, Nets, Heat and Bulls are looking to strike it rich with one bold stroke of the pen.

Durant wouldn't consider a scenario where he'll be the subject of a mass recruiting effort, even though he knows that day is coming.

"At the end of the day, I'm just worried about Oklahoma City," he said. "I'm just trying to get my situation resolved, and get an extension."

Not to worry. Oklahoma City will take care of a 21-year-old franchise player who finished second to James in the MVP voting. In the coming weeks, he'll take a break from his offseason workouts to see where some of his more famous peers will be going.

"I'm a fan of the game, so I want to see who goes where," he said. "I think Miami will end up with Carlos Boozer, to go with Wade. But I'm just guessing."

Among Durant's other guesses:

LeBron: "I think it's 50-50 between Chicago and Cleveland. And he probably doesn't even know."

Amare Stoudemire: "He'll stay in Phoenix."

Chris Bosh: "It'll be New York or Chicago. I don't see him back in Toronto."

What a shame for the Raptors and Toronto, but if Bosh were to leave, he'd follow the same trail out of town as Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, although, technically, Carter left via a trade. Big-name players just don't want to stay in Toronto, even if it's a world-class city. That's a big problem for the NBA, one it doesn't really want to talk about.

Not now, anyway. Judging from the smile on Stern's face when he was asked about free agency, all the craziness will make for boffo box office.

Sun Sports, Miami HEAT team up to bring fans 'Wade's Greatest Games'

MIAMI -- On Saturday, July 3, starting at noon, Sun Sports will offer HEAT fans throughout South Florida the opportunity to enjoy 12 consecutive hours of unforgettable Dwyane Wade moments as the regional sports network presents “Wade’s Greatest Games.” The unprecedented block of programming will feature four of the most memorable games in Wade’s already legendary seven-year HEAT career.

The presentation begins at noon with The Game Opportunity Came - Game 1 of Round 1 in the 2004 NBA playoffs vs. the New Orleans Hornets. After leading his team on a remarkable late-season run to secure home court in the first round of the playoffs, the rookie guard was given a memorable and bold opportunity to secure victory in his first ever postseason appearance. Viewers can re-live the moment as Wade seizes the spotlight in a playoff thriller.

The day continues with The Game He Made His Name - the March 15, 2005 classic vs. the New York Knicks in which Wade hit the buzzer beating basket at Madison Square Garden and clinched a playoff spot for the eventual Southeast Division champions. A shot he would later call a “Dream Come True” was one HEAT fans will not soon forget.

No collection of “Wade’s Greatest Games” would be complete without representation from his most remarkable performance as the MVP of the 2006 NBA Finals. The game that forever changed the fortunes of the HEAT franchise was Game 3 - The Game He Made His Fame. With his team down 0-2 in the series and trailing by 13 points with just over six and a half minutes remaining and their season hanging in the balance, Wade issued his now famous proclamation – “I ain’t going out like that!” The motivated superstar went on to score 12 of his game high 42 points over that unforgettable stretch, leading the HEAT to the first of four straight victories and ultimately the NBA Championship.

The series wraps up with one of the most entertaining and exciting games ever played in the 10-year history of the AmericanAirlines Arena. The double-overtime victory over the Chicago Bulls in March of 2009, in which Wade hit a running 3-point, game-winning shot and then proceeded to remind a nation of HEAT fans just whose house this was, will forever be remembered as The Game After Which The Arena Was Never The Same. Almost lost in the glory of his late-game heroics was the all-around magnificence of a 48 point, 12 assist, 6 rebound, 4 steal, 3 block performance that helped catapult Wade into the MVP discussion for 2009.

It’s all a part of the “We Want Wade Week” initiative the HEAT is undertaking as part of its HEAT Summer of 2010 campaign. “We Want Wade Week” kicks off on June 30 with the official re-naming of Miami-Dade County to Miami-Wade County for this exciting period in HEAT history. Activities continue through the July 8 free agent signing moratorium period.

Sun Sports is the exclusive regional television partner of the Miami HEAT and will enter its 19th consecutive season of televising HEAT Basketball this fall.

Agent for Bosh and Wade keeping options open

The agent for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh isn't about to put any odds on where his clients may end up or handicap the race once free agency begins in earnest July 1. Henry Thomas is just waiting like the rest of us to see how it all plays out.

Maybe not quite like the rest of us.

"Who knows what happens," Thomas said this week. "I'm curious to see how it all plays out."

The agent with CAA Sports, who also counts Devin Harris and free agent Udonis Haslem among his clients, recognizes the attention being placed on Wade and Bosh. Led by LeBron James, those three are recognized as the crème of the most celestial free agency crop of all time. Where they land could cause a domino effect for everyone else and those teams in the hunt.

"This free agency summer wouldn't be what it is now if they didn't structure their contracts in a way where they could take advantage of their options," Thomas said.

Wade and Bosh are going to just that. Wade has stated his preference to remain in Miami and the Heat front office obviously wants to lock up its franchise player long term. Bosh is believed to be the most likely superstar to change addresses, and Toronto general manager Bryan Colangelo has said a sign-and-trade would be considered if a new contact isn't worked out.

Thomas, however, didn't downplay any scenario involving Wade or Bosh from materializing. Whether that's Wade or Bosh re-signing with their respective teams or signing somewhere else as a free agent or agreeing to a sign-and-trade. Thomas said nothing has been decided on any front.

He did maintain that being on a contender is important to Bosh. The Raptors missed the playoffs this past season.

"It's fair to say he wants to win," Thomas said.

Thomas expects his clients and the several of the high-profile stars to talk to each other during the coming weeks, but dismissed the possibility of a "summit" sit-down. He's confident that the decisions made after July 1 will be made individually.

"It's sort of a unique situation for guys at this stage of their careers to have the opportunity to look around and decide where they want to play," Thomas said.

They're in this position through a good bit of foresight and what was perceived as a gamble four years ago. Wade and Bosh, like James, signed three-year extensions with an option for a fourth year in the summer of 2006. They each had a year left on their contracts at the time and were eligible for five-year extensions.

It was initially assumed at the time that the five-year extension for maximum money was the way to go for the legion of budding superstars. LeBron was the first to see the smaller three-year deal with the option, followed closely by Wade and Bosh. Carmelo Anthony, notably, signed on for five years in Denver, with at opt-out next summer.

"The contracts we did then were structured to give these guys the opportunity that they have to determine where they're going to play at this time," Thomas said.

They also had an eye on the labor situation. The current collective bargaining agreement expires after the upcoming season. A dramatic rollback in salaries, from the maximum players can be paid to the length of contracts, promises to be hotly negotiated issue.

Players such as LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Joe Johnson, Amar'e Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer can sign six-year deals with their current teams or five years with a new team. (Sign-and-trades can be up to six years.) The Big Three can pull down six-year deals in the neighborhood of $125 million.

Securing a new contract under the current CBA before changes are made to the salary structure was key, according to Thomas.

"It certainly was a factor," he said. "The idea was they would have the opportunity to become free agents in an environment where they knew exactly what the rules are. It wasn't without risk. They took contracts that were a year shorter and didn't get all the money they could get. More important was the flexibility they have now."

Art Garcia has covered the NBA since 1999.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting.

Inside the numbers

Almost Time: Just about 2 weeks before NBA free agents can start signing. And after LeBron James, there's plenty of top-notch talent available for the highest bidders. Dwyane Wade averaged 26.6 points per game last season. Chris Bosh, just 26 years old, has averaged over 22 points per game in each of the last 5 seasons. Joe Johnson and Amar'e Stoudemire are also available.

Free agent Wade focusing on family

Associated Press


MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade has had June 20 circled for a long time.
Not because Sunday will be exactly four years since the Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks for the 2006 NBA title, the series where Wade's spectacular play earned him the Finals MVP trophy. In fact, Wade insists that until he was reminded of it a few days ago, he didn't even make the connection between that date and the championship anniversary.

For Wade, June 20 is significant for two other reasons -- his young sons, Zaire and Zion. He'll spend Father's Day with them, something that hasn't always been possible during a nasty divorce and custody fight that has waged since 2007 between the Heat star and his estranged wife.

Elsa/Getty Images 

 

"Being with my kids, biggest thing right now," Wade said. "No question." Miami's Dwyane Wade is one of this summer's top free agents, but right now he's just trying to be a better dad.

The free agency window opens July 1, when Wade will stand alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh as one of the most-coveted players to hit the NBA's personnel marketplace. Yet even with the possibility of a $127 million contract awaiting and an ongoing quest to lure another superstar to join him and the Heat for next season and beyond, Wade spends most of his time right now fussing over his kids, trying to rebuild relationships that were damaged by the failure of their parents' marriage.

Yes, for the former NBA scoring champion, this Father's Day is far bigger than the looming Free Agent Day.
"You go through a whole season, even the last two seasons and feel incomplete in a way no matter what kind of success you have, because you don't have the most important thing to you with you," Wade said in a telephone interview. "My boys. To be able to have this relationship with them as I have since this summer hit, it's been probably the best feeling I've had since winning the championship."

Wade doesn't always speak about the emotional strains that came as a byproduct of the divorce proceedings between himself and the former Siohvaughn Funches, his high school and college sweetheart.

Custody arrangements have been often strained, the divorce trial still hasn't happened -- delayed numerous times by his estranged wife changing attorneys. This month, a Chicago court awarded temporary custody to Wade, citing "continual interference" by his wife when it's his turn to have the kids. Meanwhile, Mrs. Wade has asserted in court filings that the Heat star is not a worthy father.

So Wade is taking some steps to further prove his commitment as a dad to the court.

This summer, amid all the free agency hubbub, Wade is taking parenting classes -- just to ensure no missteps with the boys.

"I have been out of their everyday lives for the last three years," Wade said. "I understand my parenting ways aren't as much as someone who's around them 80 percent of the time. I understand I have things to catch up on. I will get better at it. If I learn one thing, I'll feel accomplished."

Wade acknowledges several things, including that he's not a perfect father (for example, the ever-competitive perennial NBA All-Star simply can't allow himself to let his kids win all the time when playing anything against their dad) and that it's often difficult for him to have that traditional, everyday grasp on parenting. He travels tens of thousands of miles annually for his job. He works nights. Those alone are two reasons why it's not easy.

Then consider in that Wade's job is in Miami, that he didn't have a steady relationship with his father growing up in a broken home, that his kids and soon-to-be-ex-wife are in Chicago, and the barriers keep piling up.
That's why, he says, this summer is so vital to his role as the family patriarch.

"It's way harder than I can put in words," Wade said. "It's tough, especially for the kids who can't have the relationship with their father like they want all the time, come to him when there's a problem, or sit down all the time and help them with their homework, or take them to school or pick them up from school. It's the little things you miss, the little things the kids appreciate."

And it's one of those little things that might just be the highlight of Wade's offseason so far. It happened Thursday morning in Chicago. He was taking his younger son to day camp, dropping him off for a few hours of running around with other kids.

The boy would not let go of his father's leg for 30 minutes. It was a Father's Day gift that came three days early, Wade said. "That's what you miss," Wade said. "To me, it was priceless to get that feeling. That's what this is about for me right now. I don't think people really understand that."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press