- MIAMI: Dwyane Wade is back in South Florida, and hundreds of Miami Heat fans got early morning wake-up calls in an effort to keep him there for many years to come.
The six-time All-Star landed at Miami International Airport a little after 8 a.m. Monday.
Unfortunately, his welcome-home party of about 50 people was taking place at a different location.
The Heat leaked his travel plans overnight, telling fans to greet Wade at the Signature Air terminal at the airport. But Wade flew commercial and missed the impromptu welcome-home celebration.
One of the triumvirate of marquee stars in this NBA free-agent megaclass, Wade could decide this week between the Heat, the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks and his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls. Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh began getting formally wooed on Thursday by several clubs.
The Heat turned to social media, both Facebook and Twitter, around 12:50 a.m. Monday to rally fans. Even at the late hour, buzz grew quickly, and some fans were in place — the wrong place — by 7 a.m.
Before arriving Monday — Miami-Wade County, officially, until July 8 by order of the county’s commissioners — Wade had been in Chicago since the start of free-agent mania.
He took his meetings there — formal sit-downs with three clubs, plus an informal chat with the Heat. Now back in Miami, Wade will meet with Heat president Pat Riley and owner Micky Arison this week.
Although Wade often has said he would like to remain in Miami, provided the team’s roster is upgraded to his liking, tension is clearly high around 601 Biscayne Blvd., the Heat home address.
Forget June 20, 2006, the day Miami won its NBA title, as the defining day for the franchise.
No, July 8, 2010 — the first day of this free-agent signing period — could be the day that shapes the Heat for years to come.
Wade is scheduled to appear at a basketball camp about 30 minutes north of Miami on Tuesday, plus take questions with Alonzo Mourning about their charity weekend later this month. The Heat expect hundreds of well-wishers there, including dozens of children who are working on a “special” presentation for the 2006 NBA finals MVP.
Plans have been in place for Wade to be at an amusement park with his sons in Orlando, Florida on Thursday, the first day free agents can sign. Tentatively, Wade is scheduled to be back in Miami on Friday.
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In Atlanta, All-Star guard Joe Johnson had agreed to a maximum contract to stay with the Atlanta Hawks, his agent said Sunday.
Arn Tellem confirmed an entry he wrote for the Huffington Post website, in which he said Johnson “announced his intention to re-sign with the Hawks for six more years.”
Tellem wrote that Johnson chose to remain in Atlanta over Chicago and New York, where he would have been reunited with Mike D’Antoni, his former coach in Phoenix.
The Hawks could pay him nearly $120 million, while other teams could only give Johnson five years and pay him about $25 million less.
That made it easy to stick with the Hawks, who have reached the second round of the playoffs the past two years with Johnson as their top player. He’s a four-time All-Star and has averaged more than 20 points in each of his five years with Hawks.
“His priorities are his family, his friends and his game,” Tellem wrote. “Joe could have forced a sign-and-trade deal for five years with another team, but he decided that winning in Atlanta would be more meaningful. When the Hawks offered the maximum — six years — he happily reciprocated.”
The Hawks would not comment, citing the NBA’s moratorium on signings. Deals can’t become official until July 8.
Johnson has been at the center of the Hawks’ resurgence since arriving in Atlanta from Phoenix in a sign-and-trade deal on Aug. 19, 2005. A 13-win team the season before he arrived, the Hawks doubled that the next season and went 53-29 in 2009-10 before getting swept by Orlando in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Johnson averaged 21.3 points during the regular season but played poorly during that series, creating speculation he may have cost himself max dollars. And there was thought he may want out of Atlanta, anyway, since he turned down a $60 million extension last summer and was critical of the team’s fans this season.
Instead, Tellem said Johnson was impressed by the commitment of Hawks ownership and new coach Larry Drew, and said Johnson is equally committed to the team and its players.

