SH Blog: Dwyane Wade almost became a Bull, thinks LeBron James not yet in the class of Michael Jordan

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who has been promoting his book over the summer while resting and rehabbing his knee, took some time to talk to the media about Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls on Thursday. See all of his intriguing thoughts, along with some transactions and entertaining videos below:

Dwyane Wade talked about how tough it was to turn down the opportunity to become a Bull back in the summer of 2010, from Ira Winderman of South Florida Sun Sentinel: “It was very tough,” he said. “It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make in my life.” Wade visited with the Bulls in Chicago the first week of July 2010 along with then-Toronto Raptors free-agent forward Chris Bosh, with the two sharing common representation. That meeting came shortly after the Bulls met with then-Cleveland Cavaliers free agent LeBron James. “As anyone knows, I’m a Chicago guy and I grew up idolizing the Chicago Bulls, idolizing Michael Jordan and wanting to wear that jersey,” Wade said. “So the day I went for the Chicago visit and they gave me my No. 3 jersey, I mean, that day messed me up. “I went back home and I had the jersey on and, I mean, I turned into a kid again.”

Wade also explained why LeBron James still has work to do before he can be in the class of Michael Jordan, from Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago: “Dwyane Wade isn’t ready to put Miami Heat teammate LeBron James in Michael Jordan’s category. Not yet anyway. “I don’t know if (James) has the ability to surpass (Jordan) or not,” Wade told ESPNChicago.com on Thursday during a promotional event for his Wade’s World Foundation. “That’s yet to be seen. My version as LeBron being on par with Michael is this: They’re both on the golf course. Michael’s on the 18th hole. LeBron is somewhere on like the fourth hole. He’s got a long way to go, but he’s on par to get to the 18th hole. “I think everyone knows that (James) is a phenomenal, phenomenal player. He’s one that we haven’t seen, with the makeup of a 6-8 guy who runs as fast as any point guard, jumps as high as any center, and has the ability that he has to do so many things. But Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time, that’s who everyone shoots for. So it’s going to be hard to surpass that.”

And finally, Wade shared his thoughts about the status of Derrick Rose and the state of the Bulls, from Shams Charania of Real GM: “I feel Derrick will work very hard to getting back to the player he was,” Wade told RealGM on Thursday afternoon during his fifth annual “Wade’s World Weekend” event. “He just has to put in the work, keep believing, and even when it’s hard, he has to know that he can do it. “I’ve had four surgeries in my life, and I’m still here. So he can do it. It looks dark right now, but he’ll be all right.” Despite his belief in Rose’s recovery process, Wade has pegged the Bulls as an unknown team heading into next season and is unsure what to expect from the team that has been the top overall seed in each of the past two years. With Rose slated to miss most of the 12-13 season and Chicago dismantling its bench, the Bulls’ stature has dropped in the eyes of many players across the NBA.

Josh Harrellson worked out with the Miami Heat, according to Tom Haberstroh of ESPN: “Looking to fill their final spot on the roster, the Miami Heat hosted a workout for free agent center Josh Harrellson on Thursday morning, a league source told ESPN.com. The 6-foot-10 big man was waived last week by the Houston Rockets in order to make room for newly signed guard Carlos Delfino. Harrellson averaged 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 33.9 percent from downtown last season as a reserve big man for the Knicks before being traded this offseason to the Rockets in a package for center Marcus Camby. A rare rebounding big man who can stretch the floor, Harrellson joined Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love and Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova as the only qualified players last season to average over nine rebounds and make at least one 3-pointer per 36 minutes on the floor. Though he lacked the height of a traditional center, Harrellson primarily backed up Knicks center Tyson Chandler last season.

Other big men the Heat may have interest in are Chris Anderson, Darko Milicic and Andray Blatche, according to Winderman: “The Heat also have attracted the interest of free-agent center Chris Andersen, who recently bypassed a lucrative European offer and is believed to be amenable to a Heat offer at the NBA minimum salary, which is all the Heat, operating above the NBA salary cap, have available. Andersen was released earlier this summer by the Denver Nuggets under the league’s amnesty provision that eases a team’s luxury-tax liability… Other remaining free-agent candidates who could meet the Heat’s apparent need for size in the middle include Darko Milicicand Andray Blatche.”
Mark Cuban wasn’t too thrilled about an article written about him from Ball Don’t Lie. Here is what he said on twitter:

One of the dumbest articles ever written about me. Congrats Yahoo! http://t.co/7d5anfOz

August 23, 2012 11:36 am via Twitter for Android ReplyRetweetFavorite

@mcuban

Mark Cuban

The Brooklyn Nets have already become 60 percent more valuable than they were last season, according to Josh Kosman of The New York Post: “Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is getting a nice bump in his “Net” worth. The 6-foot-8-inch Nets owner has seen the value of his investment more than double since he bought the team two years ago, thanks to the move into the more financially friendly Barclays Center. As the Nets gear up for the first season in the soon-to-be-completed Barclays Center, the team is now worth roughly $575 million, according to one sports investment banker. That’s 60 percent more than they were valued just last season by Forbes. In addition, the team may post its first profit in a decade, The Post has learned. The Nets are projected to generate $140 million in revenue and earn between $10 million and $15 million in profit, a source with direct knowledge said. Last year, the NBA franchise took in half that amount and lost nearly $30 million.”

Donte Greene will join the Nets, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:

Ex-Kings forward Donte Greene has agreed in principle to sign a contract with the Brooklyn Nets, a source tells Yahoo! Sports.

August 23, 2012 11:21 am via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite

@SpearsNBAYahoo

Marc J. Spears

Martell Webster has agreed to terms with the Wizards, according to Marc Stein of ESPN: “Free-agent swingman Martell Webster has agreed to terms on a new contract with the Washington Wizards, according to sources with knowledge of the deal. ESPN.com reported Wednesday that Webster had auditioned for the Wizards earlier in the week and had Washington on the short list of teams with whom he likely would sign. Released by the Minnesota Timberwolves in July when they were clearing salary-cap space for the ill-fated potential signing of restricted free agent Nicolas Batum, Webster is said to be recovering well from back surgery that preceded his final season with the Wolves.”

Serge Ibaka was very unhappy with his role in the Olympics and will not return again if his role does not increase, from Dan Devine of Ball Don’t Lie: “After practice, while the other players shared coffee or fruit, the Thunder big man put as much distance as possible [between him and his teammates]. The day before the final, for example, he waited alone on the bus for half an hour, looking heated. The evening before the semifinals, he wandered through a field near the stadium, gesticulating in an unfriendly manner while talking on the phone. Every evening, after workouts, he crossed between the handful of journalists, and only someone suicidal would have dared to stop him. López goes on to say that Ibaka “felt underused and questioned his standing on the team,” and that his distance was a response to frustration with the role carved out for him by national team coach Sergio Scariolo, he of the Etch-a-Sketch-style sideline board (which was reportedly produced especially for Scariolo by ERARCO Marketing Solutions in Madrid). Just how upset was Ibaka? “If things continue like this, I will not return,” he admitted to close friends before the final.”

The Clippers will have to play catch-up instead of preparing themselves in the preseason, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles: “Paul injured his right thumb during the first practice at Team USA training camp but decided to play through injury during the Olympics anyway. He underwent successful surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. While Griffin is expected to be back for the start of training camp in October, Paul’s injury is expected to sideline him until the team’s season opener on Oct. 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies. To make matters worse, Chauncey Billups, who is still recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered in February, isn’t expected to return to the court until November, while Lamar Odom, who hasn’t played in an NBA game since April 7, has been spending most of the summer trying to get back into basketball shape. Both Billups and Odom were also on the Team USA roster before having to pull their names from consideration.”

Robin Lopez spoke for the first time since being traded to the Hornets, from John Reid of The Times Picayune: “A week after the Hornets acquired Lopez last month in a trade with the Phoenix Suns, he underwent successful surgery to correct a tear of the medial meniscus in his left knee. Lopez has been doing his rehabilitation work at the Alario Center and is on schedule to be fully recovered before training camp begins in October, according to the Hornets. “Right now I feel great, honestly,’’ Lopez said Thursday, his first media availability since the July 27 trade. “I think I’m going to play it safe, obviously. We still have time to go before the season starts, so I’m not going to rush it or anything. But I’ll say I’m feeling good, and I’m excited to be here.’’