Dwyane Wade Comments on Pat Riley, Bulls' Matchup vs. Heat
It does not appear as though the separation between Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade and his former employer, Miami Heat President Pat Riley, is going well.
On Wednesday, Wade said he hasn't spoken with Riley since the end of last season, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com: "I think you guys know, I haven't talked to him. It's as simple as that. I think I've been very open and honest about my respect and love with Pat. I've been honest that I haven't spoken to him since the season ended."
Wade spent 13 years with the Heat, the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2003 out of Marquette, and his name is littered throughout the franchise's history books:
| Games | 855 | 1st |
| Minutes | 30,560 | 1st |
| Field Goals | 7,325 | 1st |
| Assists | 4,944 | 1st |
| Steals | 1,414 | 1st |
| Points | 20,221 | 1st |
| Offensive Win Shares | 72.7 | 1st |
| Defensive Win Sares | 41.1 | 1st |
After helping the team win a title in 2006 and two more in 2012 and 2013 alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Wade signed a two-year deal with his hometown Bulls after his contract demands were not met by Riley and the Heat at the end of last season.
Yet, his departure wasn't a surprising one after knowing Riley for so long, although he did say he's been in contact "with everyone else" in Miami:
"I know who Pat is. It's no secret to me. I was there 13 years, I've seen a lot of players come and go. I know how he is. If you're not with him, you're against him. That's just the way he is. You got to understand that, man. And I'm cool with it. I'm fine, 100 percent. I was there 13 years so I've seen a lot of video tributes, seen a lot of players come in and go out. And I've seen the way he's responded to them. And I know if you're not with him, you're against him.
"
After Wednesday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks, Wade and the Bulls will travel to Miami to take on the Heat on Thursday for the first time since his departure from South Beach.
While he has to contend with a back-to-back schedule upon his arrival, Wade doesn't know what to expect in the city in which he still has roots:
"I've only experienced it from clapping for other guys who came back. I've always been appreciative of the guys who came back and the tributes they got. I have no idea. I would love if [the game] wasn't on a back-to-back. I would love if I was able to have a day so I can enjoy my house. I'm going to go sleep in my bed for about three hours -- I would love it a lot more. But I'm going to take advantage of the moments I'm there ... and go out and compete in an arena that I played for 13 years, an environment that I'm used to. So it's going to be fun from that aspect, but I would love it if the schedule gods would have looked at it a little better and not gave us this on a back-to-back.
"
The 34-year-old Wade has averaged 16.9 points in seven games with Chicago this season, which is 4-3 and currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Considering everything he's done for the franchise, Wade should receive nothing short of a warm welcome upon walking into the AmericanAirlines Arena.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
