Nothin’ but Net: Never forget the greatness of Wade

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – We still reside in an era of historical greatness.

Kobe Bryant is an all-time great, maybe a top-six player in the game.

Tim Duncan is the best power forward ever to wear high tops.

Dirk Nowitzki might just be the top foreign power in the long tradition of the sport.

Kevin Garnett may go down as one of the best leaders in basketball.

LeBron James hasn’t finalized his legacy, but at 30, it’s already among the immortals.

Every generation features the elite. Every generation also forgets someone and his ranking among the true titans of the industry.

This generation’s forgotten man is Dwyane Wade.

It’s forgivable to forget about Wade’s occupancy on the Mount Rushmore of two guards along with Michael Jordan, Bryant and Jerry West. James’ arrival in South Beach in the prime of his career, coupled with knee injuries that made Wade walk like Verbal Kint, robbed him of some quality years.

When James came to the Miami Heat, there was a learning curve. They went to the NBA Finals, but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. It was late in their second season together that James, Wade and Erik Spoelstra landed on the formula – James was Batman, Wade was Robin.

That worked to the tune of two NBA titles. James almost single-handedly carried the Heat to the second ring against the San Antonio Spurs. Wade was hobbled and ineffective. But, it was Wade’s decision to accept a lesser role that made Miami the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals the last three trips.

Sacrifice is required within the framework of a team. Chris Bosh did it is as well and the results are what we as a society admire. The Heat won as a team, based not solely on James’ immense talents, but on two other Hall of Famers willing to do whatever was required at the expense of individuality.

It’s something I won’t forget when I reflect on the legacy of Wade. Could he have been the Dwyane Wade of old with the injuries? Probably not at that time, but it was necessary for him to be.

Don’t forget the Wade of old. His numbers pre-LeBron were 25.4 points, 6.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals and almost a blocked shot per game. Wade’s numbers were as stout in the postseason with averages of 26.3 points, 6.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and a full blocked shot a game. That is obscene production and displayed an all-around game that led to five All-NBA honors (twice first team), three All-Defensive honors and three times finishing in the top six in MVP voting.

Wade led the Heat to a title in 2006 and, yes, he had Shaquille O’Neal still close to his prime. But Wade averaged 34.7 points in that six-game Final series and went 37-for-46 from the foul line in the last two games, both Heat victories.

Things cooled statistically when King James took his talents to humidity, but Wade is back at it.

Healthy for the first time in years (OK, he missed 18 games this season), Wade is once again carrying the load for the Heat. After a nice trade deadline pickup in Goran Dragic, Bosh’s season ended due to blood clots in his lungs.

Wade stepped in and is trying to lead Miami to the postseason. Wade has scored at least 25 points in seven straight games, averaging 29.1 points per game in that span. Miami is 5-2.

“This is what I love to do,” Wade said. “This is the fun part of this game. I mean, obviously the last couple years I had to do what I had to do for that team. But now for this team I get to be a little bit back to my usual self, having the ball. I’m not going to do it right every time, but I like my chances most nights.”

The Heat are in a dog fight for one of the two available spots in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They are seventh, one game ahead of the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics, 1 1/2 games in front of Charlotte. And, Miami is 2 1/2 behind the sinking Milwaukee Bucks for third.

Wade is doing everything within his power to make the playoffs happen. The Heat would classify as one of those teams no one would want to see in the postseason. Wade, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen have championship pedigrees. Luol Deng is a postseason veteran.

If they stay at seven, who knows? The Cleveland Cavaliers are second in the conference. We’d all enjoy that matchup and so would Miami. The Heat beat the Cavs handily both games in South Beach, so it’ll be fun to watch.

It already is, thanks to Wade. It was so easy to forget how spectacular a player, both offensively and defensively, he was (defense is not where it was before).

Wade is turning back the clock to a time when he was the elite of the elite. Everyone should enjoy seeing one of the best ever return to form.

Don’t forget the legends.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

– I say this every year, and I know I’m in the majority, but I don’t get why people love college basketball so much more than pros. The tournament’s format is the obvious reason, but when I watch college basketball, I see undisciplined players chucking up an alarming number of 3-pointers. The argument is about diving into the stands and the kids care more. I don’t buy that, either. It’s a played-out position. Scoring is down in college, attendance is down. I love college basketball. I grew up in the Big 5 and the tournament is the best piece of American sports theater there is. Just don’t believe what most say about college. We poo-poo NBA players because they make money? That’s idiotic. There’s a passion in professional basketball. For every kid diving into the stands, I’ll show you a kid with no interest in defense and more of an interest in holding his fingers in an “OK” position after he makes a 3.

– I took Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Virginia with Kentucky beating Duke. I think Wisconsin and Arizona could play with Kentucky. Gonzaga is really good, but I worry about their recent form in the tournament. Mark Few hasn’t done well when his teams are highly ranked. My dark horses are Wichita State and Utah.

– Fred Hoiberg of Iowa State is the name most frequently mentioned as a potential college coach who could go to the NBA. I’ve seen the Cyclones play and was mightily discouraged in the preparation and focus of his team on Thursday. It’s a small sample size, but Iowa State acted like it didn’t have to do anything to win.

– Kevin Durant’s foot is not healing and he’s been shut down from basketball activities. There goes that intriguing matchup with the Golden State Warriors. Durant might return, but it doesn’t sound likely.

– Almost every player, collegiate or professional, walks when he takes the ball at the top of the key under pressure. Reggie Miller brought it up about D’Angelo Russell from Ohio State on Thursday, but everyone does it. Bugs me.

– Movie moment – Sean Penn once derided Nicolas Cage for acting in blockbusters instead of true art. Now, Penn is in a shoot-em up action movie. Funny how that works.

– TV moment – Another plug for “The Last Man on Earth.” There are so many possibilities with this show, I can’t wait to see what they do. It’s a blank canvas.

Categorized in: NBA

Tags: Heat, Miami, Miami Heat