Dwyane Wade is involved in a chicken-and-egg standoff with president Pat Riley. Riley said the Heat couldn't move forward building a title contender without a long-term commitment from Wade. Wade said he couldn't give the team a long-term commitment until he sees the Heat is committed to building a winner.
"When you get asked a question you answer it," Wade said. "And coach Riley opened up the wound when he said, 'Until Dwyane signs back we can't do anything.' And that's where the questions came from. So I had to answer them and I answered them as any other athlete will and that's to say I just want to make sure we build a winning team here." Wade can opt out of his contract at season's end and become part of a 2010 free agent class that could include Cleveland's LeBron James and Toronto's Chris Bosh, among others.
Both Wade and Riley have insisted this isn't a hostile standoff, however. Wade said he thinks he knows why people want to make this into a hostile situation.
"It makes for good headlines, but me and Pat Riley are not against each other," Wade said. "We both want the same thing; we're just in two different positions. We both want this organization to win a championship, to build to win a championship now. He has to deal with the money side of it. I have to deal with the playing side of it. That's the difference.
"And me playing, of course I want to do it as soon as possible. Him with the money side of it, he knows more how to do it. So we're not against each other; we're on the same page. It just works a little different."
