Wade visits United Center (update)

Dwyane Wade followed through on his offer to meet with the Bulls at the United Center this morning. He stayed for about two hours and drove away in a black Escalade without speaking to reporters.

The biggest question is whether Wade arrived with an open mind, ready to consider signing with the Bulls, or as a double agent committed to thwarting the Bulls' efforts to sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

The pitch to Wade was easy for the Bulls. All they had to do was to state the obvious. Wade could convince Bosh to join him in Miami, where they'd join a lineup of Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers and whoever the Heat can sign with the $10 million in leftover cap room.

Or Wade could simply join forces with Bosh in Chicago and play with Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah. He'd have a better team with the Bulls, but has steadily pledged allegiance to Miami for the past few months.

MORE ON LEBRON
The LeBron James recruiting pitches began Thursday in downtown Cleveland with the Nets and Knicks arriving for sit downs with the King.

The Heat and Clippers are expected to meet with James on Friday, followed by the heavyweight showdown between the Bulls and Cavs on Saturday.

As I've said all along, this is a two-team race between the Bulls and Cavaliers. Does James want to stay loyal to his hometown and wait for the Cavs to retool their roster, or would he rather challenge for a title next season by playing with Derrick Rose and possibly Chris Bosh?

Maybe the Cavs could challenge for a title next year, but the Bulls can offer two teammates better than anyone he's played with in Cleveland. The Bulls are cautiously optimistic.

SECOND MEETING WITH BOSH
Chris Bosh revealed that he spoke with the Bulls, Rockets, Heat and Raptors late Wednesday/early Thursday in Dallas. He flew to Chicago this morning and is expected to meet with Miami president Pat Riley and may also have a more formal meeting with the Bulls scheduled.

My feeling is if LeBron James settles on the Bulls, Bosh will join him here. If James stays in Cleveland, the Bulls will have a tougher challenge trying to convince Bosh to choose Chicago over Miami (unless Wade joins him here).

NBA NOTES
--The Bulls reportedly plan to meet with New York forward David Lee on Friday and have had discussions with Joe Johnson, probably by phone.

The New York Daily News reported that Johnson told Knicks officials he’s gotten a five-year offer from Atlanta, not a full six-year maximum deal worth $120 million, as has been reported.

If LeBron James and Dwyane Wade say no, the Bulls might still try to sell Johnson on the benefits of joining Bosh in Chicago.

--A couple of early transactions were Drew Gooden agreeing to a five-year, $32 million deal with Milwaukee and Minnesota giving Darko Milicic four years and $20 million. Neither move makes any sense.

RUDY GAY STICKS WITH GRIZZLIES
According to nba.com, Rudy Gay decided not to wait for a qualifying offer and agreed to a five-year deal worth around $80 million to stay in Memphis. Not a surprise. The Grizzlies couldn't afford to let him walk.