He's not playing, but Dwyane Wade, or at least his image, can be found nearly everywhere

This is not where Heat guard Dwyane Wade expected to be, at the bottom of the standings, headed to the lottery, his team limping through his worst professional season.

'Right now,' he said of his ubiquitous promotional presence, 'I don't want to be out there.'

But he is, because major marketing isn't mapped out on a day-to-day basis.

So on Christmas, he unveiled a special edition of his Converse sneaker, even as the Heat was falling to 8-20, the first team in the league to reach that loss total.

Currently, he can be found on the cover of ESPN the Magazine.

And next week, he is scheduled for a media event at the Wal-Mart in North Miami Beach in conjunction with the release of his first DVD, Undeniable: The Rise of Dwyane Wade .

'When you have a lot of things coming out, you want to be at the top of your game, want the team to be at the top of its potential and make everything that feel-good story,' he said.

That has left Wade conflicted.

'Like, I did that ESPN magazine cover. I didn't want to do it,' he said of the timing of the release. 'But what I have to do is show my fans that through good and through bad, I'm still going to be me.'

Not only was Wade hopeful of delaying the magazine cover, he lately has avoided ESPN's networks.

'I don't even watch TV right now,' he said.

With the Heat carrying an 8-27 record into Wednesday's game against the Bucks at the Bradley Center, Wade said perspective is essential.

'I think everything that happens is a part of your story,' he said. 'Just like I've been in the league five years, five years from now we're going to look back at this year and laugh on it and say, 'I can't believe we went through that.'

'You understand you're going to go through good times and you're going to go through bad times, and this is bad basketball. This is the worst it's been.'

Wade said this is when it is easy to determine true loyalty.

'When things are not going good, and you're doing things that people are still coming to support, then they're going to be fans through thick and through thin,' he said. 'You appreciate them for that, because it won't always be bad.'

With Wade able to opt out of his contract after two more seasons, there is a concern that the losing, this precipitous decline from the 2006 NBA championship, could sour him on South Florida.

'We've got to do everything in our power to try to change it hopefully this season, and if not this season, then change next season,' he said. 'We don't want to go through this constant losing, like the last year and a half.'

Yet there are no guarantees.

'I signed a three-year deal and I'm not worried about anything until my contract comes back around,' he said. 'So right now, my only objective is to make the Heat as good and as competitive as it can be. And when the time comes for us to renegotiate, we'll renegotiate.'