Wade professes desire to stay in Miami

[CmWYNNE3]

Miami Heat star and Chicago-area native Dwyane Wade said he frequently hears from people who want him to sign with his hometown Bulls when he becomes a free agent this summer, but Wade compared that possibility to a romance that might not work.

"I hear it a lot, especially in the summertime," Wade said Friday on "Mike & Mike." " It' an honor for people to even want you that way.

"It's like when you're young and at school, and you find out that girl wants you. The girl you had a crush on for a long time, wants you, and you get excited about it. But it might not be the right situation for you, you don't know. I don't necessarily think about it as much as people think I do."

Wade reiterated how happy he is in Miami, where he won the 2005-06 championship. The Heat open the first round of the playoffs Saturday in Boston.

"Chicago is my home city, and I love Chicago," Wade said. "But my heart is here in Miami.

"All the cards are in Miami, and it's their game to lose, more than anything. I appreciate that organizations want me to be a part of them, but right now Miami is in the driver's seat."

Wade said his impending free agency has not distracted him during this season.

"It's really not a factor to me," he said. "My situation is kind of simple. Miami knows where I stand. We do a lot of communicating with myself, [President Pat] Riley and [owner] Micky Arison.

"Right now, I'm focusing on what I can do to try to be the underdog and do something great that we haven't done here in a couple of years, and that's continue to compete and move onto the next round. The summer is the summer. We all know what that's about. It's exciting for fans. It's exciting for the game of basketball. But it's a big decision in our lives, and that decision will come with time. I'm not worried about it. I don't think Miami is worried about it, either. They know and understand what I want, and I'm happy here, and hopefully we can try to make everything work."