Despite an eloquent written statement following LeBron James' departure from the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade has been relatively silent regarding his ex-teammate, but while he was back in Chicago earlier this week for the "Dwyane Wade and Brandon Marshall Sports Academy", #3 was back to his friendly and outgoing himself when asked questions by the media.

SB Nation's Windy City Gridiron was there to capture Wade's conversation, and was kind enough to share it with us. Wade was asked who his favorite player to battle on the hardwood and wasn't shy in his response. Wade explained that he is longing for his next battle with LeBron James saying:

"Well, it used to be Kobe Bryant... the second best all time.... now, I have a new favorite player to play against... my former teammate, LeBron James."

It's obvious that Dwyane's competitive fire has been sparked and he is no doubt getting prepared to play the new and improved Cavaliers this season. It's of course Interesting that Wade considers Kobe the second best of all time, however it's evident that there is a tremendous amount of respect between the two.

The Dwyane Wade vs. Kobe Bryant battles have been some of the most entertaining to watch as an NBA fan, and the LeBron vs Wade contests of the past have been captivating as well. I have no doubt that while LeBron and Wade have no bad blood between them, Wade is emotionally invested and will give his all against LeBron to deliver some very entertaining basketball.

Perhaps another poster on Anderson Varejao is in order?





Special thanks to Stephen Ronkowski (@Ronk_WCG), of Windy City Gridiron for contributing.