In an ESPN report that is mostly dedicated to Dwyane Wade’s declaration that he’s going to talk about his future with LeBron James and Joe Johnson — yes, Joe Johnson — Wade discusses the loyalty of the Miami Heat and how that loyalty compares favorably to the Chicago Bulls.

“I think the biggest question that you think about has to be loyalty,” Wade told the Tribune. “I know one thing about Miami: It is a very loyal organization. I see what they do with their players when their players get done with the game of basketball . . . how loyal they are. I don’t know about the Bulls.”

In particular, Wade questions why Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who led the Bulls to six NBA championships, are no longer with the organization.

“I see Michael Jordan is not there, Scottie Pippen is not there . . . You know, these guys are not a part,” Wade told the Tribune. “Things like that. So that is probably one of the biggest things for me, because I am a very loyal person.”

Original source: Chicago Tribune

Regarding Joe Johnson, I would have expected “Chris Bosh” or “Amare Stoudemire,” not the Hawks’ wing. Johnson is 6’7″ and could play small forward if necessary, so I guess he could fit alongside Wade somewhere. It doesn’t seem ideal, however.

To me, the bit about loyalty is the bigger news, as it seems that Wade’s #1 issue is loyalty, and the Bulls haven’t shown much to its stars over the years. We already had an inkling that Wade was going to stay put in Miami, and barring a meeting with LeBron or Chris Bosh in New York, it still seems like that’s the case.


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