The usual sniping rhetoric continues between the NBA owners and players as the July 2011 expiration of the league’s labor agreement looms. As always, negotiations will go down to the final few hours and we’ll probably end up with some manner of lockout.

(Why is he smiling? Read on)

How long the owners shut down the league will depend on the financial desperation of individual players. Because of the typical, well-chronicled monetary mismanagement of the rank and file NBA player, the owners figure to have extraordinary leverage in whatever labor agreement ends up being struck.

It’s that enormous hammer that reportedly may create an unprecedented demand by the owners of the players.

It’s a given that NBA owners will try to limit the length and breadth of guaranteed NBA player contracts in the future. But what many don’t know is that owners want to apply those future standards to player contracts already in place.

In other words, the contracts that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh just signed - along with the pre-existing deals of all other NBA superstars - would essentially be rendered null and void if the owners get their way in the new collective bargaining agreement. Read more…

Since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat on July 9, there’s been a low rumble suggesting that Wade, as a Miami Heat employee, may have been tampering when he talked to James in past weeks (and years) about joining the Heat.

Unless it can be materially proven that Wade was acting at the behest of Heat management, this particular player-to-player tampering charge is unfounded.

But thanks to an interview with Wade on the Dan Patrick Show on July 10, 2009, if there was any doubt that Wade and James previously talked seriously about the possibility of joining forces with the Heat, there isn’t now.

Here’s some excerpts and audio of the interview between Patrick and Wade: Read more…

Jorge Sedano of the MIAMI HERALD reports today that, according to a source, LeBron James has spoken to Boston Celtics free agent Ray Allen in a bid to land the shooting guard for the Miami Heat in the event James, Raptors forward Chris Bosh and Miami Heat free agent Dwyane Wade agree to join the Heat together.

Though Sedano, who is also morning drive host for 790 The Ticket in Miami, added that Allen hasn’t ruled out a return to the Celtics - on one condition. Read more…

Stephen A. Smith of Fox Sports reported this morning on the Dan Patrick Show that it’s “highly likely” that Chris Bosh and LeBron James will soon join Dwyane Wade in Miami.

Smith to Dan Patrick on Monday:

I got a call last night from a source and I double-checked it with another and they told me essentially that LeBron James and Chris Bosh are going to tag team and go together and join Dwyane Wade in Miami. Read more…

With unrestricted NBA free agent Dwyane Wade mulling his future as a member of the Miami Heat, Miami-Dade County Commissioners apparently think they can contribute to securing the superstar for South Florida.

WAXY-AM and MIAMI HERALD columnist Jorge Sedano first reported today that the 12 commissioners were considering officially changing the county name to “Miami-Wade” for a week.

The county may be renamed Miami-Wade County from July 1st through 8th.

The county commission will hear a resolution from Commissioner Joe A. Martinez that will change the name of Miami-Dade County to Miami-Wade County for that week of the free agent moratorium.

Wade may agree to terms anytime, but cannot officially be announced as a member of the Miami Heat until the moratorium is over on the 8th.

The County Commissioners did indeed meet today and voted on the resolution. Read more…

This week Dwyane Wade has gone from one ugly legal situation to another. In the latest chapter of his three-year custody battle with estranged wife Siohvaughn Wade, Mrs. Wade was briefly jailed Tuesday after not showing up for two scheduled court appearances on Monday.

(LeBron: Pay Attention)

Mr. Wade is seeking full custody of his two young boys and wants Mrs. Wade to undergo a court-ordered psychiatric examination. Meanwhile, last week Siohvaughn Wade filed a lawsuit against Dwyane Wade’s current girlfriend Gabrielle Union, claiming Union and her husband engaged in “sexual foreplay” near the couple’s children.

Can’t get any worse than that for Dwyane Wade, right?

Depending on your perspective, it can.

Read more…

After missing two court appearances Monday and previously disregarding court orders involving the custody of her two children with Dwyane Wade, Siovaughn Wade was placed into custody at Chicago’s Cook County Jail today.

The estranged wife of the Miami Heat forward will have to pay a $10,000 bond for release, per an order from Cook County Circuit Judge Marya Nega.

Earlier today, Siohvaughn Wade’s attorney did attempt to block the jailing. Read more…

Monday saw another bizarre turn in the child custody case involving Dwyane Wade and his estranged wife Siohvaughn.

The couple, which has a divorce proceeding scheduled for September, was to appear in Chicago’s Cook County Circuit Court this morning to address the custody arrangement of their two-year-old and eight-year-old boys.

After Siohvaughn didn’t show for the morning hearing, Judge Marya Nega gave the mother of Dwyane Wade’s children an afternoon deadline to appear in court or face jail time. When that afternoon deadline passed, Nega ordered the Cook County Sheriff’s Dept. take Mrs. Wade into custody. Read more…

The wife of Dwyane Wade filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Chicago’s Cook County Circuit Court against the NBA player’s alleged mistress, actress Gabrielle Union.

In the court filing, Siohvaughn Wade alleged Union “engaged in sexual foreplay with Dwyane Wade” in the presence of Wade’s 8-year-old and 2-year-old sons while she visited the NBA player’s home in Miami.

Emotional distress of the children is subsequently claimed by Siohvaughn Wade, who is demanding over $50,000 in damages from Union.

Also alleged in the lawsuit (PDF): Read more…

The E! True Hollywood Story is starting to leak oil, witness the “Basketball Wives” offering aired last night. The episode revealed nothing new or of interest, except the inexplicable reaction of Dwyane Wade and Quentin Richardson to innocuous comments made about Wade by his former wife and high school sweetheart Siovaughn:

(DWade can’t trot his wifey prop out for AT&T anymore)

Wade Tweeted about his wife being on the show: “Don’t Believe everything u read or hear. Thts all imma say about that. Ontothenexttopic.”

Richardson: “Shouts out to my brow @dwadeofficial for taking the high road on a lot of foolishness!! I don’t know many who could handle things so well!!”

The comments that Siovaughn made about her ex-husband on the show?

Read more…