Dwyane Wade left Miami as the perhaps the most legendary Heat player in the franchise’s history, and though there is much love between him and the city, the terms on which he left the team were less pleasant. Heat president Pat Riley took a back seat in free agent negotiations, choosing not to meet with Wade, and that attitude apparently hasn’t changed.
Wade told the Chicago Tribune that he and Riley haven’t spoken since before his free agent negotiations ended, even though Riley expressed regrets for not getting involved. Still, Wade hasn’t heard from the Heat head honcho since the decision, and doesn’t expect to. What’s more, he sounds at peace with it.
“I know who Pat is. It’s no secret to me,” Wade said following Wednesday’s morning shootaround at Phillips Arena. “If you’re not with him, you’re against him. That’s just the way he is. You gotta understand that, man.
“I’m cool with it. I’m fine, 100 percent. I was there 13 years. I’ve seen a lot of video tributes. I’ve seen a lot of players come in and go out. And I’ve seen the way he has responded to them. And I know if you’re not with him, you’re against him.”
Wade added that he’s spoken to everyone else in the organization, and if he seems content to let it lie with Riley, that’s where it’ll lie. But it also serves as a reminder for how Pat Riley is, which has to be counted as a contributing factor in Wade’s departure from the only organization he’d ever known. When the Bulls come to Miami on Thursday, there will be a lot of warmth there, but none from Riley.
(Via Chicago Tribune)
