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Wade hopes his shoulder will heal in time for playoffs

Dwyane Wade is not ready to give up on the season. So let those Eastern Conference teams hoping to sneak into the playoffs in his absence -- notably the Knicks and the Nets -- beware.

Wade, the Miami Heat All-Star guard, announced on Monday that he would rehabilitate his dislocated left shoulder for two to three weeks in hopes of returning before the playoffs. Wade was injured on Feb. 21 in a collision with Houston's Shane Battier. He said he also tore the labrum in the shoulder.

Wade, on the advice of the Heat, sought a second opinion from the orthopedic surgeon James Andrews.

"That's my decision, to rehab for the next two or three weeks and see if I have the strength and the confidence in my shoulder to play at a high level, especially to the end of the year going toward the playoffs," Wade said at a news conference in Miami. "And if not, then possibly surgery."

Wade said that he could not damage the shoulder further, but that he was aware that it could easily dislocate again.

"Both doctors thought it would be a great thing to do because of my youth," said Wade, who also consulted with the team doctor Harlan Selesnick. "Because of my history of injuries, I normally come back quicker than most."

Wade may be 25 years old, but center Shaquille O'Neal, who scored 31 points on Friday to lead the Heat to victory against Detroit, turns 35 yesterday.

"The fact that there's a possibility will give us hope; that's a lasting hope," coach Pat Riley said. "We have to admit he's a pretty good player. He'd probably be a pretty good player with one arm."

Riley added: "This is what you do when you're a defending champion. He has made that decision to try to rehab it and hopefully help the team, and he should be admired for that."

Riley, also the Heat's president, grew defensive when it was suggested that the organization put pressure on Wade to try to return. But he implied that the Heat encouraged Wade to reconsider having surgery immediately.

"We told him to make his decision," Riley said. "That's why we gave him a second opinion. He's a warrior, he's a soldier. And these are his guys."
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