I've said this numerous times over the past few months, but it's worth reiterating as I watch Dwyane Wade play at the United Center:

I don't think he is coming back to Chicago to play for the Bulls this summer.

There are a litany of reasons, but as Bulls play-by-play man Chuck Swirsky and I discussed on the air before Saturday night's contest, Wade's situation is too good in Miami for him to go and play anywhere else ... including his hometown.

My guess is that the Heat sign a big-time free agent (Chris Bosh springs to mind) and the dream of him playing in Chicago will evaporate quickly in this summer's free agent signing fiasco.

Having said that, obviously a lot can change in the next few months. In the meantime, I was part of a small group of reporters who spoke to Wade on Saturday morning after the Heat's shootaround. While he didn't divulge any of his plans regarding this summer, he did have plenty of nice things to say about the Bulls' newest All-Star, Derrick Rose.

Here are a few of the questions he fielded:

How many times do you think you'll be asked if you're coming to Chicago Saturday night?

Dwyane Wade: I don't know. I'm sure by everybody from Chicago will ask me that, though.

Is it any different preparing for a road game where you know pretty much everybody in attendance is going to cheer you like crazy?

DW: No, they don't cheer me ... maybe in the beginning of the game. They go against me after that. When I go to Milwaukee, they do they same thing. They start [cheering, but] then they go against you afterward. At the end of the day, they go for their home team. In the beginning of the game, they say your name -- it's all good. But after that, [there's] not too many cheers.

Do you think you'll hear a few more tonight though, given what may or may not happen this summer?

DW: I don't know. We'll see.

Your coach [Erik Spoelstra] called Derrick Rose a smaller version of LeBron James.

DW: Derrick is figuring out that ... he's real good. He's really starting to figure out how good he is. The reason [Spoelstra] said it is because from the beginning of the year, he's so fast. He's so athletic. His penetration is some of the best. That's what makes LeBron so good. When he gets the ball in transition he can go 1-on-5 and get to the basket and get to the foul line. And D-Rose is starting to get that same kind of confidence in his one on one ability.

Are you surprised at all that he made the All Star team?

DW: No, not at all. He's phenomenal, man. You [could] see it last year as a rookie. [He was] really having a great year. You could tell that he was going to be one of the great point guards. In this league, once you figure it out, once you figure out what your niche is and how good you can be, it goes a long way.

Are you looking forward to playing with him in the All Star Game?

DW: I am. I'm looking forward to playing with him and [Rajon] Rondo and guys like that. Especially point guards that are going to pass the ball to us veteran guys. [Smiles] No, but I'm always looking forward to seeing guys in their first All-Star [Game]. I'm proud of Derrick, from Chicago, to see another guy from Chicago in the All-Star Game. For me, is great. It will be good times.

Do you plan to give him any pointers about his game?

DW: I don't have to help him out. He's an All-Star. He don't need any help from me. He's doing good. The only thing he's got to continue to do is to continue to stay hungry and get better. As he continues to become a big name in this league, it's going to get tougher on him. Defensive schemes are going to get tougher, but he's got to continue to learn how to be ahead of the game. From what I know from him from how good he got from one year to the next, if he wants to continue to do that, he'll get ahead of the learning curve.