Is it Time for Heat to Exercise Caution With Dwyane Wade?

Few people would care to admit it, but Miami’s wunderkind is getting older. Wade is on the wrong side of 30, with anything but a clear bill of health to back his name. And after a tumultuous postseason performance that saw the elusive guard have the knee in question drained, one has to wonder, is it time for Wade to slow down?

Or, better yet, is it time for the Heat to monitor Wade more closely, limit his minutes, essentially proceeding with extreme caution moving forward?

Some may already believe Miami has. After all, Wade’s 33.2 minutes per game last season were the lowest he’s tallied his entire career. And yet, those aren’t truly telling. Every team in the NBA was being overly cautious with regard to their players, the direct result of a brutally truncated schedule.

What we’re talking about here is moving forward, looking ahead toward this upcoming season, when the schedule is back to normal and the playing conditions are anything but unjust. Should Miami use Wade more sparingly?

Absolutely not.

Yes, the guard seems built like a house of cards, but he’s been hitting the floor his entire career, and if the Heat try and use him to his dissatisfaction, plenty of more sideline altercations with Erik Spoelstra are sure to follow.

And let’s also not forget, the Heat are fresh off a championship. Sure, LeBron James led the charge, but this accomplishment doesn’t happen without Wade; the body-sacraficing guard is still far too important to spend any more time on the sidelines.

No, this is not to say that the Heat must rush Wade back from his knee injury, or any other future injury that he may incur. But it is to say, Miami cannot limit Wade for fear of losing him down the line.

Yes, he’s on the wrong side of 30, and yes, he’s been hitting the floor hard for almost 10 years, but reducing his role makes little sense. At least right now, because he’s still a guy who’s going to give you 20 plus points per game and a concerted effort on both ends of the floor every night.

If the Heat really want to repeat as NBA champions, if they really want to start a dynasty of their own, they’ll accept the fact that such a road leads through both James and Wade, not through one, and around the other.

Wade may be at a substantial risk for injury nowadays, but Miami’s hopes of building an unprecedented legacy are at an even greater one if they opt to diminish his role with the team in any capacity.