Imrem: Wade and Delle Donne have their reasons

Apparently the exodus from Illinois knows no borders.

So to speak.

It's one thing for my doctor to move to Palm Springs and your bartender to move to Las Vegas.

It's something altogether different when indications are that one of Chicago's best basketball players might leave town.

Dwyane Wade?

Oh, yeah, he makes two.

But we were referring primarily to Elena Delle Donne.

Which begs the question: Would Chicago miss her or him more?

This isn't exactly like whether you would miss Bruce Rauner or Mike Madigan more if they fled Illinois.

If local sports fans are smart they'll want Wade to stay with the Chicago Bulls and Delle Donne to stay with the Chicago Sky.

More to the point, if their teams were smart they would have built cultures that Wade and Delle Donne couldn't tear themselves from.

It's well known that Delle Donne wants to leave the Sky for a fresh start elsewhere. Meanwhile, Wade delivered a message this week that he might opt out of the second year of his contract with the Bulls.

(The pity is the Sky having to be clumped in the same paragraph as the Bulls, which right now would be an insult to any pro sports franchise.)

The Bulls are dysfunctional, their front office, coaching staff and players fitting like me in one of LeBron James' best Sunday suits.

I don't know a lot about the Sky, but reports are that Delle Donne isn't thrilled about their direction and she also wants to play closer to her Delaware hometown.

Word is that Della Donne would even sit out a season to get away from here.

Was it something said, what we eat, how we smell?

Maybe Chicago would be close enough to Delle Donne's home if the Sky were run like the Cubs are now.

Wade certainly wouldn't want to leave if the Bulls were run like the Blackhawks are.

Delle Donne and Wade symbolize the divide between the stays and stay-nots in Chicago sports.

Players don't want to leave the Cubs and Hawks.

Dexter Fowler would have preferred staying with the Cubs, but Chris Sale wasn't devastated when traded from the White Sox. Corey Crawford would prefer staying with the Hawks, but it wouldn't be shocking if Jimmy Butler wants to leave the Bulls.

The Bears? All of them worth mentioning are gone already anyway.

It's all part of the potential mass flow of premier athletes from Chicago, willingly or otherwise.

So, again, let's say Chicago can keep only one between Delle Donne and Wade.

Which should it be?

Delle Donne has to be better at H-O-R-S-E based on outside shooting; Wade better at one-on-one based on hops.

Advantage: Even.

As a Chicago native, Wade can do more to fight urban violence; Delle Donne could speak better for women's rights.

Advantage: Even.

Delle Donne is in the prime of her career and a former WNBA MVP here; Wade is a three-time NBA champion elsewhere and in the twilight of his career.

Advantage: Delle Donne.

Sports are games of inches or even just an inch, and Delle Donne stands 6-feet-5 to Wade's 6-4.

Advantage: Delle Donne.

"Elena Delle Donne" is a poetic name; "Dwyane" Wade's first name is spelled wrong.

Game, set, match: Delle Donne.

OK, so the question is moot anyway.

Both probably will escape Chicago along with Chris Sale, my family doctor and your favorite bartender.

mimrem@dailyherald.com