Heat camp chatter:

• Dwyane Wade disputed a report in Newsday (N.Y.) that he would love to play for the Knicks and said he has a hunch he will remain with the Heat after he can opt out of his contract in summer 2010. ''That's my goal,'' Wade said, indicating he would love to retire as a Heat player.

The Newsday story ''was reported wrong,'' Wade said Friday. ``When they asked me about [Knicks coach] Mike D'Antoni, I said when I played with him in the Olympics, if it was between him and Nate McMillan, I love being on the court with him. Miami is where I want to be. If I say I like a city, people will say I want to be playing in that city. And that doesn't mean that at all.''

Pat Riley consults Wade on personnel and Wade said, ``I appreciate that because it's his and Micky Arison's team, and he doesn't have to. To have that relationship with him means a lot.''

• Though the Heat did not meet Shawn Marion's request for a contract extension, he has decided not to ask for a trade because ''I like being a Heat player,'' Marion said. He added, ''I'm a wanted player,'' but one Western Conference executive said potential trade suitors have been put off by agent Dan Fegan's desire for a ''maximum-level extension'' or something approaching it.

• Though nobody would be surprised if Erik Spoelstra opens games with a traditional center ( Mark Blount or Jamaal Magloire), Wade and Michael Beasley love the promise of an undersized frontcourt of 6-8 Udonis Haslem, 6-9 Beasley and 6-7 Marion, which Spoelstra will use at times.

''With us three and Dwyane . . . it's hard to double team when you have so many scoring threats,'' Beasley said.

Haslem said that smaller lineup ''is not going to be easy right away'' but ''I'm not shying away from the challenge'' of playing center with that group.

• Beasley said Haslem has been like a ''big brother'' and he wouldn't oppose coming off the bench.

• Magloire, in decline since his 2004 All-Star appearance, said he's in the best shape of his career and ready for a renaissance. ''I think the world of myself,'' he said. Blount trained all summer with an ex-Navy SEAL, but we'll see if lifting 100-pound sandbags over his head will help his deficient rebounding.

• Beasley said he takes ''pride in defending now.'' Why? Because ''Coach Spo was yelling at me.'' OK, then. Beasley's offense has wowed teammates. ''Guys who have been in the league 10 or 11 years can't score around the basket as well as he can,'' Haslem said, amazed that he can shoot well with either hand.

• Spoelstra said he wants defense foremost from his starting point guard and then to ''organize the offense.'' Who's the best defender among Marcus Banks, Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn? ''Marcus,'' James Jones said.

Quinn, who's proficient at setting up the offense and shot 40.3 percent from three-point range, said, ``There is still a level of underestimation [of me] because of the way I look.''

CHATTER

• Dolphins rookie defensive end Kendall Langford has made such an impression that offensive linemen from each of Miami's first three opponents told him afterward how impressed they were. ''The guy is going to be a good player -- good strength, good hand use, fits the 3-4 defense well,'' CBS insider/former Redskins general manager Charley Casserly said.

• The Dolphins still aren't sure what to do with 2006 first-rounder Jason Allen, who's now playing mostly cornerback in practice (and some safety). ''It's hard to know where he [best] fits,'' safety Renaldo Hill said. Allen laments that he hasn't found his niche, ``but I'm staying positive. They see me as a multi-task guy.''

• CBS analyst and former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, so impressed with both Dolphins' lines against New England, surprisingly said off-air that ``I don't think [competing for a playoff spot] is unrealistic. You've seen too many turnarounds to say that can't happen. It's a wide-open division, and they can play with anyone. They physically dominated that game.''

• One team that spoke to the Marlins said Dan Uggla is expected to be available via trade, in addition to Mike Jacobs and others. . . . UM might redshirt Randy Phillips (knee surgery) so the Canes have a solid senior starter at safety in '09. . . . The Baltimore Orioles, in talks to move spring training to Vero Beach in 2010, officially informed Broward County they will return to Fort Lauderdale Stadium in spring 2009.

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