quizmaster as the public got their chance to grill the Sky Sports pundits. A

Return games for departed franchise players have become an awkward tradition in this NBA era of star player fluidity. The latest comes Thursday when Dwyane Wade will play in front of Miami fans in a Chicago Bulls jersey.Wade has been a part of many of these spectacles during his 14-year career. Shaquille ONeal and LeBron James both had dramatic Heat comings and goings, for example. As Wade put it: Ive seen a lot of video tributes.Yet this one feels different. Wade can still play at a high level and wanted to stay in Miami, which typically is the ideal situation for the home team.And over the past several years, teams have rewarded franchise players with a final payday both for services and as a thank-you on their way into the sunset. Kobe Bryant got his two-year, $48 million contract. Dirk Nowitzki got two years and $50 million, $30 million guaranteed. Even Kevin Garnett, who was at the end of the line, got two years and $16 million from Minnesota. Wade is younger and less run-down physically than all of them, so his request last summer of something in the Bryant/Nowitzki ballpark wasnt unreasonable.But the Heat prioritized younger free agents Hassan Whiteside, whom they retained, and Kevin Durant, whom they did not land. They had plausible deniability for not giving Wade the $47 million Chicago did. The Heat offered Wade all of their available cap space after getting Whiteside and then turned their pockets out.But they had ways of getting more cap space. They were willing to do it for Durant; they werent for Wade. He walked -- simple and not simple.I dont think a lot of people understand. If youre not in this business its hard to understand, Wade said. I dont really want [fans] to understand. I want them to appreciate what we accomplished.Funny, thats what Heat president Pat Riley wants, too. Dont bring up the acrimonious ends to the James, Wade and Bosh eras -- or the ONeal era while youre at it. Instead celebrate the banners and enjoy the video tributes as everyone focuses on the future.Only Wade and Riley truly know what happened last summer, and theyre not ready to talk it out. Wade said Wednesday that he hadnt talked to Riley since rejecting a two-year, $41 million offer. In September, Riley said hed written a lengthy email to Wade but hadnt sent it: Hes going to have to read through the lines, but hell get the point at the end. I have it in my save drafts. So Ive just got to hit send, thats all. I will.Heres one reason its hard to understand, unpleasant and complicated: The Heat might have wanted Wade to walk.Riley knew it was long shot for Bosh to return from his blood clot issues and was ready to sever that relationship. The Heat knew Wade was about to turn 35 and had a history of bad knees. They knew Durant, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are among those in the free-agent class next summer. At the time, Russell Westbrook was slated to be as well. Riley always believes he can land the big one, no matter the perceived odds.The Heat knew they had young players Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson to develop. They believe Winslow is going to be a star. Hes a rugged 20-year-old defender with a faulty shot (hes shooting an ugly 31 percent so far this season), and they envision molding him the way the San Antonio Spurs turned the defensively gifted Kawhi Leonard into an MVP candidate with a few years of heavy seasoning.They believe next years draft could be deep, and they actually have their first-round pick. Thats not an insignificant fact: Theyve traded away eight first-round picks -- theirs or others they owned -- since 2010. (They also traded up in the first round twice.)They believe they have one of the best in-season coaches in the league in Erik Spoelstra. Scouts compare him to a mechanic who gets under the hood between October and January, toiling with rotations, positions and pet plays, before emerging with game plans that overachieve by spring. Hes the leagues second-longest-tenured coach after Gregg Popovich, and hes done some of his best coaching jobs with his least-talented rosters. Then again, hes never had a team without Wade.If Spoelstra cant make magic, and the Heat look as if theyre headed for the lottery by midseason, they might be able to flip Goran Dragic for a prospect or another first-round pick in next summers draft.Riley prefers to build through free agency, but he and general manager Andy Elisburg have traveled this road before. In the past 15 years, theyve had just three losing seasons. Theyve averaged a 19-win improvement after those seasons. These improvements probably dont work with Wade on the roster and on the books.They couldnt chase a big free agent with his desired salary next to Whitesides. Wades still good enough to perhaps carry them to the playoffs, making it harder to chase a draft pick or trade Dragic if that route ends up being a real option. And hes a danger of having injury issues. With Bosh still on the payroll for this season, thats a lot of exposure.When he knew it was time, Riley traded former cornerstones Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning when other teams were ready to offer richer contracts (Mourning later returned and won a title). He traded ONeal. He traded Shawn Marion. He told Bosh it was over in a news conference. He held the line on Wade and watched him leave.Most of the time, its worked out for Riley in the long run. Sometimes in the short run, too. And if theres one thing hes better at than team-building, its hugging it out. Hardaway and Mourning ended up working in the front office. ONeal is coming back to have his jersey retired this season. Bosh and James will someday, too -- probably. Wade should be back for a statue. He might even come back to play; theres precedent after all.But for now, saying goodbye might have been prudent if not popular. Riley isnt afraid to do it, even if it means the occasional uncomfortable night. I know who Pat is. Its no secret to me, Wade said. I know how he is. If youre not with him, youre against him ... and Im cool with it. Zach Collins Blazers Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Clyde Drexler Blazers Jersey . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Zach-Collins-Blazers-Jersey/ . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Damian Lillard Jersey . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Bill Walton Blazers Jersey .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open.Graeme Souness and Jamie Carragher answered your Twitter questions on Monday Night Football following Tottenhams 1-1 draw with West Brom. Ed Chamberlin was quizmaster as the public got their chance to grill the Sky Sports pundits. After a professional career which spanned 36 years, one can think of few people better than Souness to address some of the major issues in the game at present.And its fair to say he didnt disappoint, answering whether newly-promoted Rangers had a chance of winning the Scottish title and whether Louis van Gaal should be allowed to see out his contract at Manchester United.On a personal note, the Scot was asked whether he would consider a return to management, whhich current footballer hed most like to play with and what was his favourite derby.ddddddddddddTwenty years on from his famous flag-planting incident in the Turkish Cup final between fierce rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, Souness was also asked to give a detailed account of what forced him to provoke one of the most hostile set of fans in football.Hit the video at the top of the story to see Souness and Carra put through their paces... Also See: Pressure got to Spurs Alli could face action Mourinho the man for United Reds favourites against Villarreal ' ' '