You forget that Wade is not on a contending team. What also hurt him was disappearing for almost one season because of injury. The NBA has a Big 3. Despite playing in a horrible market like Miami, Wade is not far behind the other 2. And like it or not, Houston isn't exactly the strongest hotbed of NBA passion. There are a number of places Wade could go and get a lot more buzz than here. The Bulls would be a much bigger splash for him.
i just disagree wade rivals the media attention hype of lebron/kobe. lebron could go to memphis right now and they would sell out every game. lebron is a global icon (same with kobe). wade is a superstar, but he's not an icon. but yes, he would make a bigger splash going to a bigger media market like chicago (the MJ comparisons would surely help him). hell, i still contend iverson is a bigger star than wade (probably still one of the top 3-4 most popular players in the L). if iverson does indeed return to philly, look for sellouts to happen despite them being a mediocre team.
