''The sooner the better,'' Miami coach and president Pat Riley said today, before the Heat played host to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If Wade chooses the rehab option, he could return to Miami's lineup in about six weeks, or with around 10 regular-season games remaining. He was presented with his recovery options Thursday, one day after suffering the injury in a collision with Houston's Shane Battier, but has not announced any final decisions.

Riley said the team ''encouraged'' Wade to collect more information.

''He's sore. He's all strapped in,'' said Riley, who spoke with Wade for about 10 minutes by telephone Saturday night. ''We had a good conversation.''

That conversation, though, did not include Riley offering any opinions on which tact he wants Wade to take. It was the first time Wade and Riley had spoken since the injury; Riley said he FedEx'ed Wade a letter on Thursday because he was having trouble reaching him by telephone.

''I asked him why I wasn't in his 'Fave 5,' '' Riley said, referring to Wade's sponsorship deal with T-Mobile. ''I did, because obviously, I wasn't getting through.''

Wade entered today as the NBA's fourth-leading scorer, averaging 28.8 points per game, and ranked seventh in the league with 7.9 assists per game.

Wade has not met with reporters since suffering the injury. He was not expected to travel with the Heat tonight to New York, where the team will meet the Knicks tomorrow, but may rejoin the club before the reigning NBA champions get to meet President Bush at the White House on Tuesday.