While figures in his past may still be coping with Dwyane Wade leaving the Miami Heat, the superstar is looking forward to his future with the Chicago Bulls.
As it tends to do, Monday’s round of NBA Media Days brought to light topics that many have been trying to avoid for the entirety of the offseason.
A great example of this is Dwyane Wade‘s departure from the Miami Heat to the Chicago Bulls, and how that made president Pat Riley feel. Although both parties have been adamant about wishing one another nothing but the best, there is still much speculation about exactly what happened between them to make the 34-year-old want to come back home.
While Riley has stuck to the story of it simply being time for the franchise to move on, and Wade to the narrative of returning to his hometown, there is clearly more to the tale, and at least one side has not quite gotten over whatever that may be.
During the Heat’s media day press conference, Riley confessed that he still has not sent Wade an email he wrote to him, expressing his emotions over the essential breakup:
"“I believe the day after Dwyane left, I expressed my emotions. And I have finished it. I really have finished it. I don’t know if you could put these two words together — metaphoric, hyperbole — he’s going to have to read through the lines, but he’ll get the point at the end. I have it in my save drafts. So, I’ve just got to hit send, that’s all. I will.”"
But Riley may want to focus his priorities elsewhere. Because after not landing “whale” Kevin Durant, losing Wade to the Bulls and now revealing Chris Bosh has no future with the organization, the Heat are going to have to put up one heck of a fight in 2016-17.
Not to say that things will go off without a hitch in Chicago either. The organization might have done a splendid job of revamping the team, but no new venture ever goes as flawlessly as hoped. There are still questions of whether or not head coach Fred Hoiberg is the right man for the job, as well as how Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo will coexist on the court.
However, one thing is for sure. Wade is excited for the future, and is leaving the past where it belongs.
"“It’s a different environment. I was somewhere for so long, I knew where to go, I can walk backward and get anywhere I want to go. It’s just different, but different is not a bad thing. It’s been cool. I’m like the new kid in class… At this time in my career, this is where I want to be.”"
Wade had the chance to both re-sign with Miami, as well as seek adventure in places like Denver. But instead he chose to go home, and landed the Bulls their first star since drafting Derrick Rose. Therefore, the superstar has already changed the organization’s culture, before ever stepping foot on the court. Not too shabby for a guy who left behind being the face of a franchise.
Now of course, Wade may have plenty to miss back in South Beach, and not just the beautiful weather and Cuban coffee. After playing in Miami for 13 years, an adjustment like this will see its fair share of obstacles. However, the important part is that he genuinely seems happy to be here, no longer dwelling on what could have been with the Heat.
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Only time will tell whether or not Riley will get a reply from Wade once he presses send on his email. But Chicagoans can certainly count on Wade to leave the past behind and focus on his success in the future.