Imagine, a franchise that was once reluctant to sign local players making a seventh title run with two homegrown talents.

Wade addresses his future, and reverberations are felt throughout the NBA, including deep inside the Bulls' executive offices. That's how it is in a league where top-end talent is at such a premium that teams have been prepping for the sadistic game of musical chairs that will be free agency in 2010. It also describes the game of wait-and-see the Bulls and other franchises that might end up dog-paddling their way to the free-agent bonanza are playing.

Wade told the Miami Herald he might not sign a long-term deal unless Riley takes steps to put a championship contender on the floor by next season. That's because the former Richards star doesn't want to do what the Bulls might be forced to do -- collect cap space and wait for next year. Riley has said he only will make improvements after Wade agrees to a long-term contract, meaning the star and the president have competing stances.

It was the first time Wade hasn't downplayed the possibility of playing for another team.

''As it stands today, 2010 is an opt-out year for me, and I'm looking forward to 2010,'' he said.

''As I said to Pat Riley, I'm all about winning. I want to make sure we're putting ourselves in position to not just win games, to not just get in the first round, but to compete for a championship. And if it's not happening this year, then me signing that deal to give myself flexibility is pointless. I will wait until that's happening.''

JUST WHAT THEY NEED

You never know how this type of long-term negotiation is going to play out or what will end up tipping the scales. That's why every new development on the free-agent front bears close scrutiny, why what Wade said while appearing at a Miami-area youth center seems potentially significant.

''I'm concerned from the standpoint of, I don't want to be fighting for eighth place or seventh place, coming off last year, where we fought for fourth,'' Wade told the Herald. ''I don't want to step backwards. I want to continue to take steps forward. If other teams have made moves that are going to be productive for them and we haven't made any, then we might be stuck. And that 'stuck' doesn't mean fifth. It might mean lesser. I would like us to make some kind of move.''

It's not easy selling what the Bulls are selling in the wake of Ben Gordon's necessary departure. It was too much money to invest in a talented but incomplete player, especially when the Bulls are positioning themselves to land a bigger fish. They have an imperfect team with an uncertain future that desperately needs a pillar to twin with Rose. They must do all they can to acquire such a player, even if it means having a less competitive team next season.

The problem is, there's no guarantee Wade, LeBron James, Bosh or Stoudemire will play here. In other words, the Bulls might take a step backward with hopes of landing a player they might be unable to acquire. This is a mean game. Getting caught without a chair is a possibility. That's why it's a tough sell, especially heading into a winter sports season where the team they share the United Center with is considered a contender to win a Stanley Cup. Not even Blackhawks marketing guru John McDonough could build an advertising campaign around: Be Patient. We Might Be Able to Make a Splash Next Offseason.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FREE AGENTS

That's why everything the biggest free agents say and do between now and then will be examined with rubber gloves and tweezers. James might or might not have told Trevor Ariza that he plans to remain in Cleveland past 2010. Wade has been very diplomatic when talking about his future. He likely means too much to the Heat for Riley to risk alienating him. Then there's the money, which almost always proves to be the deciding factor.

Wade can sign a six-year, $130 million deal with the Heat, compared with a five-year deal worth about $100 millioin with another team.

As true as that might be, the possibility of Wade leaving South Florida seems more likely after he made it clear that he is focused on 2010 and the possibilities that await. ''I've got time,'' he said.

If he has time, the Bulls have hope.