The Miami Heat are one victory away from being crowned the 2012 NBA champions, but win or lose, they may have reached an impasse with Dwyane Wade.
By anyone’s standards, Wade had an exceptional season, averaging 22.1 points, 4.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game while posting a 26.37 PER, good for third best in the league behind LeBron James and Chris Paul. Yet despite Wade’s prolific season and heralded reputation, there’s something wrong.
Wade has continued to blow up the stat lines—or fill them as much as one who plays alongside James can—throughout the postseason, but his tendency to disappear for half the game and struggle at the free throw is truly disconcerting. And that’s not even the worst of it.
Wade is a walking injury risk. Never in his career has he appeared in all 82 regular season games and he is now on the wrong side of 30. Every time he flies through the air, only to come crashing back down to earth, wide-spread panic ensues throughout South Beach, rendering this an issue the Heat can no longer overlook.
As much as Wade has done for the Miami franchise, it may be time to consider capitalizing off his trade value. Unlike Kobe Bryant, Wade does not have the skills on the perimeter to adjust his game to his age. He’s as revered as he is because he can get to the rim.
While Wade continues to slash through the pain and attack the basket, his injury history suggests that one of these days, when he hits the ground, he’s not going to be able to get back up for quite some time. That’s something a star-studded, but role-player limited, Heat team cannot afford.
That said, trading Wade tomorrow, or even before next season, is likely not an option, or rather, an avenue the Heat decide to explore. However, Miami cannot turn the other way anymore. Wade either needs to hone his jump shot and adjust his game to fit his physical well-being, or has to be eventually shopped.
If Wade continues down this path, the one that everybody continues to turn a blind set of eyes to, the Heat are screwed. His body will not hold up forever, and the second championship that he is a heartbeat away from capturing, could prove to be his last, and the Heat’s last in the Wade era for that matter.
Unless they do something about it. Whether that entails shopping him or forcing him to adjust his offensive and defensive schemes is irrelevant. Miami simply has to take some form of action.
Before it’s too late.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
