He started for the U.S. Team at the 2006 World Championships and was the second leading scorer, earning another bronze medal. And he went into the 2006-07 season as one of the three or four best players in the league. When Wade is at the top of his game, his combination of quickness and relentlessness makes him impossible to stay in front of.

The guy just does not stop attacking the basket, and most of the time, you have no choice but to give up two points or put him on the foul line. Just ask the Dallas Mavericks.

But perhaps as a result of playing so much basketball through the summer of '06, Wade broke down. He dislocated his left shoulder in February of 2007 and had surgery on the shoulder and his left knee that summer, keeping him from playing with the U.S. Team in 2007.

The knee never got back to 100 percent, and Wade played just 51 games for the Heat this past season, shutting it down in early March. While the Heat's season was essentially over anyway, Wade's status was certainly a concern for his other team.

The selection for the 2008 edition of the U.S. Men's Senior National Team was a 10-month long process. Once his team won gold at last year's FIBA Americas tournament last September, Managing Director Jerry Colangelo started constructing his roster for the Olympics.

Considering his talent, Wade's name was on the list from the start. But considering his lingering injury issues, it was written in pencil.

"From the time I took on this responsibility," Colangelo said of his job this week, "one of my biggest concerns has been injuries, how that could just dash away all kinds of planning. And of course, to have a player go down like Dwyane Wade, one of the real premier players in the world, that raised some real questions. He's been really injured for two years."

So come June, Colangelo needed to know how his potential sixth man was doing. At the time, Wade was working out with trainer Tim Grover in Chicago, so Colangelo called Grover up. Grover told him that Wade was at 80 percent with his conditioning, and would be ready for the Olympics in August.

Colangelo trusted Grover, but he wanted to see Wade for himself. So, he flew to Chicago and watched Wade work out and take part in a scrimmage.

"[Eighty percent] is what it looked like to me," Colangelo said, "I saw a couple of explosive things, but he wasn't 'back' yet."

But Colangelo's evaluation was more about Wade's status mentally than physically.

"He was really refocused on coming back and proving to people that he could," Colangelo said, "because some people doubted that. And I suggested to him he create a little bit of an edge."

"He didn't ask me anything," Wade said of the Chicago meeting, "and I didn't have to sell myself. He just saw that I had the eye of the tiger and I was ready to go."

And since he arrived in training camp, Wade has proven to the rest of the world that his health is no longer an issue. And more than just being healthy, he's got that edge that Colangelo talked to him about.

While outsiders were curious to see how Wade would perform in the U.S. Team's pre-Olympic exhibition schedule, Colangelo knew back in June that he would have the real Dwyane Wade on his squad.

"There was no doubt in my mind he would be [ready]," Colangelo said.

Wade's teammates had no doubts either.

"I went to Chicago and worked out with him," LeBron James said Saturday. "So, before we even got here, I already knew he was gonna be ready. He promised me that he was gonna be ready. So, what he's doing now is not a surprise to me."

Chris Bosh said that once he saw Wade's name on the final roster, he knew the guy drafted one spot behind him in 2003 would be at his best.

"I don't think he would come out this summer if he wasn't healthy," Bosh explained. "And if he's healthy, we know what kind of basketball he's capable of playing. So, we expected that before we even started."

Still, seeing the way Wade has performed in games, has given his teammates an extra boost in confidence.

"He looks like Dwyane from before, if not better," Deron Williams said. "The way he's getting to the basket right now is unbelievable. There's nobody right now that can stay in front of him."

In their five exhibition games, Wade led the U.S. Team in scoring with 18.0 points per game, shooting an unreal .723 from the field. And he's not only getting to the basket, his jumper is on as well. He hit 5-of-7 from beyond the arc in the five games.

The U.S. roster is talented from top to bottom, and when you have James and Kobe Bryant, the two best players in the world, starting at the wings, you're in good shape. But when you have a healthy Dwyane Wade coming off the bench, there's no letup.

And if they win gold here in Beijing, he will likely be one of the big reasons why.

John Schuhmann will be covering USA Basketball through the Beijing Olympics. Send him a question or comment.