Dwayne Wade

[MSU Cat]

This guy is the best player in the NBA right now. How about those numbers and his attitude after the win last nigh?

[TrueblueCATfan]

He is awesome.............I love watching him play .....and to think 3 years ago I did not like him when his Marquette team beat our Wildcats and kept us from going to the final four

[kybuc]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ak75b5CIGToEtXEob8ozJxG8vLYF?slug=dw-wade062006&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Here is a pretty good article about him.

[Aike]

Dwyane Wade is a pretty good player, but he's not close to the best. Shooting 97 free throws in 6 games will make anyone look and feel untouchable. NBA officiating has become disgusting.

[KY Blue in Carolina]

Aike wrote: Dwyane Wade is a pretty good player, but he's not close to the best.


I have to disagree with that statement. Wade is in the very top echelon of NBA players IMO.

[wildcatfaninnc]

Aike wrote: Dwyane Wade is a pretty good player, but he's not close to the best. Shooting 97 free throws in 6 games will make anyone look and feel untouchable. NBA officiating has become disgusting.
Dwyane Wade is one of the Top 4 players in the league hands down.

[Aike]

Here are some guys who I personally would select ahead of Dwyane Wade: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal, Elton Brand.

I would put these guys on par with Wade: Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady (if healthy), Amare Stoudemire (ditto).

I would take Wade before these guys: Gilbert Arenas, Michael Redd, Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Ray Allen, (I guess this could be a long list, but these are star caliber players who I personally think aren't as good as Wade. I'm just trying to be objective.)

These guys may have more upside that Wade: Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul.

I'm not sure where to put this guy, but I think he's scary good and would love to see what he could do with a made for TV event like Wade just got: Rashard Lewis.



I respect all of your hyperbolic opinions, but having watched far too much NBA basketball, I think I can craft a fair argument for the above lists. I would hope that upon first glance most of your reactions would be, "Oh yeah, there are a lot of other good players in the NBA."

Actually, I would hope that you basketball purists would be disturbed by the farce that the NBA has become. And of course, congratulations are in order...


CONGRATULATIONS MIAMI CHEAT...2006 NBA CHAMPS!!

[Athens2005]

Wade is so good that people spell his name wrong in thread titles. ;)

[KY Blue in Carolina]

Aike wrote: I would put these guys on par with Wade: Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady (if healthy), Amare Stoudemire (ditto).
While I think he's better than most of this group... By expressing this you're discounting your previous description of "pretty good". These are some very, very good players.

[KY Blue in Carolina]

Aike wrote: I respect all of your hyperbolic opinions, but having watched far too much NBA basketball, I think I can craft a fair argument for the above lists.


You respect our opinions.... yet refer to them as hyperbole?

Either the definition of hyperbole escapes you; or are you in fact discounting our opinions?

[hoosierhateruklover]

I can't stand Dwayne Wade and I can't stand the Heat...I wish the Lakers and if not them at least the Spurs will get their act together so all these lousy Eastern Conference teams stop winning it all.

[MSU Cat]

Why do the Lakers fans discount this championship? Yeah, DWade has Shaq and some pretty good players around him. Didn't Kobe have that when he was with Shaq? Gary Payton was on the Lakers team that lost to the Pistons with those two. The difference is players were able to put their egos aside for the good of the team and it won them a title. The Lakers are a very mediocre team right now with Kobe Bryant. How good were the Bulls without Michael Jordan? They would have been mediocre as well. One great player can make a difference. That's my problem with Kobe. I'm not discounting the fact that he's an incredible basketball player with tremendous talent who can score at will. I just feel like Kobe is in it for Kobe.

[Athens2005]

Here's a transcript, of sorts, from Phil Jackson's sit down with Dan Patrick yesterday.

--

Dan has players rated: 1 Kobe 2 LeBron 3 Wade, does Phil agree?

Yes - Kobe, LeBron, Wade

it really depends on mood of the referees

seen players suddenly not get calls

thought they were generous with Wade

--

How do you take advantage of preferential treatment?

Riles did it the right way, gave Wade the middle of the floor allows refs to 'see fouls'

--

What about Shaq's quote on Riles?

Shaq always says the best is who he is with at that moment

Complimented Riles

Doesn't hurt him at all

He couldn't get Shaq to play screen rolls, Riles did

--

Why was Riles able to get it out of him?

Phil got that ability out of him in a different way (allowed him to slack at times)

They didn't need him to score

--

Did the Lakers make the right desicion on Shaq?

Yes

Teams never get enough back for a dominant center

--

Do the refs affect who you pick?

Needs to decide on potential or now at 26th

3 point line is a very important part of the game now

Maybe not a better game, but its different

--

What do you think about comparing Wade to MJ?

Can't compare until he gets more championships

Kobe's competetive drive, intensity and championships are very similar

--

How would MJ do now?

PJ would just spread the court and let him drive

MJ couldn't get a call against Utah in the finals. How many throws would he get today?

Subs don't get calls, you hope your top two players do

--

Can an owner affect a game?

Mark put himself on the backside of the game

He should have kept a lower profile

Refs couldn't help but be affected

--

Could you coach for an owner like that?

Depends on if he can be told to shut up and sit down

He wants the space to make decisions

Mark has been a very affective owner

--

Was AJ outcoached?

Unfortunately there were many things that looked questionable in the finals

Did a great job in earlier rounds

Players were able to front Dirk without foul calls

Wade was able to run through screens without a foul call

All the ref rules were out the door by the time the series was over (Riley influence)

[TrueblueCATfan]

According to Shaq he is the BEST out there.........Wade was on LIVE with Regis and Kellythis morning..dressed to the hilt and nothing but ALL CLASS...........

[Mountain Cat]

My starting 5 is still:

5. Shaq

4. Dirk

3. Lebron

2. Wade

1. Nash

They are each the best in their position, IMO.

[Aike]

Dwyane Wade is great when compared to, say, me. All of the NBA players are. However, I consider him pretty good when compared to Kobe, LeBron, Jordan, etc.

I was just joking around with the hyperbole comments. Put it this way. I think calling Wade the best player in the league is way over the top, but I respect that some might feel that way. For a shooting guard who shoots 17% from the three point line, he's doing alright. Maybe part of it is that he gets bailed out time and again when he drives? Hands down top 4? I think I listed enough comparably talented players to call the hands down part into question. But, that's just one man's opinion.

As far as being close to the best, that is all in how you look at it. There were time in years past when Clyde Drexler might have been considered one of the five best players in the league. Numerically, that is close to number one. However, was he really close to being as good as Jordan, Bird, or Magic? I personally don't think so, but maybe you disagree. For my money, Dwyane Wade is Clyde Drexler, to LeBron James' Michael Jordan.

[flacat22]

Aike wrote: Dwyane Wade is a pretty good player, but he's not close to the best. Shooting 97 free throws in 6 games will make anyone look and feel untouchable. NBA officiating has become disgusting.


Mr. Cuban is that you?

[Mountain Cat]

Aike wrote: Dwyane Wade is great when compared to, say, me. All of the NBA players are. However, I consider him pretty good when compared to Kobe, LeBron, Jordan, etc.





D-Wade - Finals MVP. He carried this team on his back, and then said all the right things about the MVP award being a team award. Ya gotta love this kid.

Kobe OTOH was a distant second fiddle as Shaq carried LA on his back and Shaq won 3 Finals MVP's.

[Athens2005]

Mountain Cat wrote: Aike wrote: Dwyane Wade is great when compared to, say, me. All of the NBA players are. However, I consider him pretty good when compared to Kobe, LeBron, Jordan, etc.





D-Wade - Finals MVP. He carried this team on his back, and then said all the right things about the MVP award being a team award. Ya gotta love this kid.

Kobe OTOH was a distant second fiddle as Shaq carried LA on his back and Shaq won 3 Finals MVP's.


The NBA should do what the NHL does.

In hockey, they have a play-off MVP. In basketball, the only MVP is in the Finals.

Bryant carried the Lakers to many play-off series victories during the 3-peat from '00-'02. (Most notably against Sacramento and San Antonio in '01 & '02, and he wasn't too shabby against SA in '04, but they failed to win a title that year, so it's somewhat forgotten).

Shaq was always the dominant force in the Finals, as none of the three teams - Indiana, Philadelphia, or New Jersey, had anyone who could defend him (Indiana came closest, but that was also Shaq's best season, when he was completely unstoppable - except for on the FT line - he missed 25 Free Throws in Game 2 of the 2000 Finals).

If Shaq had ever only been able to muster a 5 point performance (see: Game 2) during the Lakers 3-peat days, I'm sure that Phil Jackson would have cut Kobe completely loose in an attempt to get back into the series.

Similar to what he did in game 4 of the 2000 Finals, after Shaq fouled out.

It's convenient to get caught up in the moment and forget the past; nonetheless, it doesn't change the past.


Dwyane Wade is wonderful player. He does lack a consistent outside shot, and whether or not he develops that, really remains to be seen.

His defense is often-criticized, but no one doubts his ability to score.

One thing I like to look at, when placing this series (and Wade's performance) in historical context is the way that the big games were pulled out.

When you look at the Bulls three-peat from '91-'93 and '96-'98, people distinctly remember John Paxson's 3 pointer in '93 (Game 6), and Steve Kerr's 3 pointer in '97 (Game 6).
And of course, everyone remembers Jordan sticking the game winner (after the push-off of Byron Russell) to clinch the Finals in '98 (Game 6).

Those players made plays to win ballgames.

When people think back on these Finals, they will think back to games 5 & 6.
And what they will see is Dwyane Wade hitting Free Throws (and missing 2 as well, but that's okay, they still won the game).

Sure, Dwyane Wade is a pretty clutch Free Throw shooter. That's great.

But, when people look at how he got to the free throw line, about 75% of the people will say that he got there unjustly (95% of the rest just don't want to criticize officials).

In game 5, trailing by a point, not only did he step into the backcourt (it's funny, the league gave an explanation for this, but what they described as happening is not what happened - they do this a lot), but the Mavericks played great defense on him.

Then, as he started to go up for a shot, the whistle blew. But, it wasn't either of the officials that were closest to the play that made the call. It was the trailing official who made the call.

Now, ABC & ESPN struggled to find a replay of anything close to resembling a foul. They did eventually find an angle of Devin Harris' hand maybe touching Wade's arm.
But, most have said that the touch was after the whistle had been blown.
Also note that the foul was not on Harris, it was called on Nowitzki - go figure.

So, Wade then hits the 2 free throws. Great, he didn't choke. Good for him.

But, while a large portion of the media (aside from just Mark Cuban) focused on the terrible foul call, and a number focused on how great a play it was by Wade, another portion of the media talked about Dallas' choking.
Well, if the referee doesn't call that foul, then the game is over, Dallas leads the series 3 games to 2, and nobody is saying Dallas choked, instead, they "came up tough when they had to."

And that's what the media does. They don't want to analyze officiating (which Mark Cuban has begged them to do for years now). Instead, they write a story wherein the winner did everything right, and the loser did everything wrong - especially once you get close to deciding a series. (Sometimes early in the series, they'll say, "X team won in spite of . . .").

Anyway, so you look at game 5 and say, "Okay, Wade got the hometown star call, it happens all the time."

Well, shift to game 6.
Up by 1 point late, Wade again drives by his man and as Nowitzki approaches him. Wade shoves Nowitzki with his right hand - foul on Nowitzki.

If that is rightfully called an offensive foul, then it's Mavericks ball, down 1. But, the officials, as apparently instructed by the league ;), call a foul on Nowitzki - who quite frankly wasn't even guarding Wade yet - just heading toward him.

Then, on the Final Play, as Jason Terry is shooting a three, Gary Payton grabs and holds onto his jersey.

That should've been 3 shots. But, it wasn't. The league had its champion.

Again, Wade is a great ballplayer. But, when you are put on the FT line 97 times in a 6 game series, your life is easier. (FWIW, Jordan used to get about 10.5 FT's a game in the play-offs/Finals).

Give Miami credit for recognizing A) That Shaq was sucking in this series, and B) that Wade was getting a myriad of calls in his favor.
It was the only logical decision to make, and it continued to work.
I don't fault Wade for getting all the calls, and I certainly don't fault Riley for seeing to it that he continued to get the ball.

I do fault the league, though, for allowing this travesty to happen, and turning a large number of its fans away from the game.

If you don't believe me, just do a few searches on the internet.
There are plenty of reputable (neutral?) sportswriters who are commenting on this.
Most NBA fans that I speak to saw what happened, and find it perfectly disgusting.

Granted, there will always be the contingent of sportswriters who refuse to discuss officiating as an aspect of the game.
Unfortunately, the officials have made themselves a huge aspect of the game.

Sad thing is, pre-season, I picked Miami to win it all, for this exact reason. I told people that the league is completely maninpulated by its officials, who report not so indirectly to David Stern.

I did throw in the Flip Saunders factor, but also the fact that the majority of fans are not tuning in to watch the Spurs & Pistons - the 2 best teams.
(If you don't believe me, then ask yourself why the league put the majority of the Spurs & Pistons 1st round games on NBA TV - how many of you even get NBA TV?)

But, as the season progressed, I saw that Miami wasn't even that good of a team.
They struggled against any decent opponent, and were literally run off the court by some of the more up-tempo Western Conference Teams.

But, once the play-offs arrived (& Tyson Chandler got hurt), the NBA was back to its old charm.

Dragging out the Detroit-Cleveland series to 7 games (even though the Pistons could've swept that thing had they been able to get a call at the end of games 3 & 4).
All the while, Miami is resting after knocking out New Jersey in 5.

So, we get to the ECF, and the Pistons have just had to grind out a 7-gamer, while Miami rested.
Miami takes game 1, and then the refs tried to hand Miami game 2 as well. (After one bad call at the end of game 2, that almost cost the Pistons the game, the great Dick Bavetta cussed out our beloved Tayshaun Prince in defense of himself!)

Anyway, this is what the league does. You don't have to believe me. But, if you'll open your eyes and watch, you'll see it.

But, don't believe me. As I mentioned before, go read the articles yourself. Watch the games again. See who is saying what and what are they saying.

Yes, Wade is great. But, don't forget this is the same Mavericks team that let one player score 62 points on them in 3 quarters this year.

A player that according to some on here, is not even as good as Wyade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-BoeBedZ3k

http://www.ericfolkerth.com/B1082610743/C1360270701/E20060621011743/

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/rockets/2005-05-09-van-gundy-clarifies_x.htm

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/news/story?id=2051807

http://www.realgm.com/src_goaltending/4/20020328/nba_officiating_is_foul/

http://www.blogmaverick.com/entry/1234000970073680/

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/060620

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/saraceno/2006-05-11-saraceno-cuban_x.htm

http://www.lunaradventures.net/2006/06/19/nba-finals-blog-mavericks-vs-heat-game-5-and-the-worst-referee-call-ive-ever-seen/

http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2006/03/consipiracy_the.html

http://sportsprof.blogspot.com/2004/06/what-to-make-of-nba-officiating.html

http://www.nbarefssuck.com/news.html

[m0fats]

I didnt read a word of that essay, but i applaud you for the EXTENSIVE information it provided.

The thought of him being the best in the game crept into my mind as his little jumper in the lane sank EVERY TIME against my Mavs. Of course I don't really think he is the best shooter(kobe), penetrator(james?), or any other number of superlatives, but he does have an incredibly solidcombination of those skills which puts him up with the ELITE, not just really good.