A wireless communication device is adaptively operated in a wireless communication network. The wireless communication device includes a receiver subsystem having a total number of available receive chains RT. Current signal conditions are determined at the wireless communication device for signals transmitted by a given base station over the wireless communication network. Current system information regarding the wireless communication device and regarding the wireless communication network are determined. Based on the current signal conditions and the current system information, a minimum number of receive chains needed to receive and successfully decode data transmitted by the base station over the wireless communication network is determined. Specific ones of the total number of available receive chains RT are selected such that the minimum number of receive chains needed to receive and successfully decode the transmitted data is selected.