SLAM: What was your reaction when you found out the trade was official?
Dwyane Wade: I didn't know what to feel. It was like I was happy and sad at the same time. I was also numb, because I lost some teammates I care for dearly. But I was happy that if it was anybody, it was Shaquille O'Neal.

SLAM: With Shaq, it's always been him and another guy: Shaq and Penny, Shaq and Kobe. Now it's you. Do you like that, or do you want to shy away from that two-man team thing?
Dwyane Wade: I don't think you can shy away from it. I mean, that's what Shaq brings. Shaq told me, whenever you see his name you'll see my name, and vice versa. So I'ma do what I need to do'what we both need to do'to help the guys around us. We are the main focal point of the offense, so we just gotta do what we do to help the other guys get opportunities.

SLAM: At Marquette, everybody saw that as your team, and by the end of last year, people saw this as your team as well. Did you enjoy that, and are you content to share that role?
Dwyane Wade: I enjoy anytime somebody looks at me being the leader, but at the same time, if I'm gonna take a backburner to anybody else, I'll take it to Shaq. I'm only 22 years old'he's gonna make me better, and hopefully we can win some championships together. And once it's time again to be that person who leads his team, I will be. But right now, even though Shaq is the focal point, I feel like I'm still a leader of the team, because I do have the ball in my hands a lot, I gotta make a lot of plays.

SLAM: You mentioned the downside of the trade, obviously losing some teammates. Was there one guy you were particularly close to?
Dwyane Wade: It was a close group in general, but one guy, Caron'me and Caron was close. We both from the Midwest, we been knowin' each other since grade school. We watched each other grow up, and then we got a chance to be teammates, so that special bond was there.

SLAM: With all those guys gone, depth is one thing people are knocking you guys for now.
Dwyane Wade: We gon' be all right. Maybe if you look on paper, it don't look like that. But if you know basketball, then you know we got enough. You know we got guys that can do different things and make shots and score when need be. So we don't really worry about that at all.

SLAM: What about chemistry?
Dwyane Wade: I think it's coming along. I mean, of course it takes time, but I think we'll know one day, just like last year.

SLAM: Pat Riley resigned about a week before the start of your rookie season. Did the coaching change throw you off as far as your development last year?
Dwyane Wade: It did, actually, more than most people know. For one I was playing a new position, and when Coach Riley was here, I got a lot of freedom to do things. Then once the season started, it was a difference. At first we was gettin' the ball to Lamar all the time, you know, I just felt like I was out there. So it was really hard for me to make that adjustment, but as I learned my role, and as coach seen I could make plays happen, he started letting me go more. So I did have a tough start, but we got midway through the season, I knew my role and everybody else knew my role.

SLAM: Do you feel like your role will be pretty much the same this year?
Dwyane Wade: Yeah, it's not gonna change so much. A lot of people try to put a knock on me and say I can't shoot the ball well, but the makeup of my team is not for me to sit out there and shoot jumpshots all day. The makeup of my team is for me to drive and get guys the ball. I mean, we got a lot of shooters around, so I'm gonna continue to try to do that, and continue to drive and get myself shots also.

Courtesy of 'SLAM' on Dwyane Wade, pick up SLAM issue 84