The Truth From Wade: It Hurts

It really doesn't make much sense to criticize Dwyane Wade's shot selection at any point in a game.

The truth is, the guy has made so many from so many angles and at so many different clutch moments, that he's earned the benefit of the doubt there, hasn't he?

And despite the recent rash of speculation and concern about his conditioning, various nagging injuries and shots taken by local and national so-called experts, the truth is that Wade at 80 percent, or even 70 percent, still ranks among the league's most dominant and productive players.

Now, this is not to excuse D. Wade's transgressions when he commits them. Because the view from here is that he expects every single call anytime someone even thinks about fouling him. That's the monster that gets created when one reaches elite star status in the league.

But one point Dywane Tyrone Wade Jr. made in recent days, and reiterated after Monday's practice, was that he treats critics like he does so-called defensive stoppers. He blows by them and does his thing regardless of what's thrown his way.

The truth is, Wade didn't even bother to dismiss his varying ailments and aches Monday after shooting down just about every inquiry about them a day earlier following Sunday's 13 of 31 performance in the Heat's come-from-ahead loss to Portland.

The back spasms came from nowhere and have had a deep impact on his mobility. The sore right shooting wrist does impact his ability to control the ball, follow through on his release and finish strong at the rim. The knees and legs do ache at times. And that's all on top of the general burden he has to carry with this middle-of-the-pack team, one that's heavy enough alone to carry when he's healthy.

"You know what, more so than anything, I'm just happy that I can play through it," Wade said Monday of facing the mental and physical barriers. "Sometimes, certain injuries, some guys might not be able to play. I'm glad that God gives me the ability to at least go play and help my team in some way. That's all I can ask for."

Wade certainly has taken his share of shots. And he's responded by continuing to deliver his own. He's motivated to prove critics wrong. He wants fans to know that he'd love to score 40 points a night. Or, maybe not, actually. He's even cleverly tip-toed around this latest conditioning issue with Riley saying publicly that Wade "has a long way to go" to get back to being the "lean, mean, scoring machine" he was last season.

"I would love to live up to expectations every night, but I'm not looking to live up to other peoples' expectations," Wade said. "It's not my job to go out there and say I need to score 40 every night. That's what the fans want to see? I'm not trying to be in a battle with Kobe and LeBron and those guys in trying to lead the league in scoring. I'm trying to lead this team (to wins)."

But at the end of the day, the situation is what it is. The Heat is 13-12, 8-8 at home. In superior shape or not, Wade didn't get the kind of roster boost this summer he needs in order to contend for a championship right now. So now, it's a waiting game, albeit a productive one still destined for the playoffs. He's still showing up every night and giving what he can on the court, minus a possession or two to complain to officials.

That's nothing he hasn't done during every game over the course of the past four seasons. Having said that, the Heat's best shot at accomplishing anything is by having Dwyane take as many shots as possible. Even those shots from so-called fans, so-called critics, so-called experts that motivate him so much.

Then again, he's already taken plenty of shots this season. Figuratively and literally.

"As long as I'm able to play ... I'm happier than if I would be having to sit on the bench with a suit on."

And despite his latest T-Mobile spots, no one wants to spend another season analyzing his suit collection again. Been there and done that in 07-08.

The truth is, that was too painful for anyone to bear.

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

Comments

[SATANLOVES]

Screw the haters, DWade #1. He will be back to form sonner than you think.

Thanks pugtv, I knew that there was a dislike of Spo, but the survey results only 2 days in have been shocking so far. Is Eric Spolestra a good basketball coach? 49 people have voted No and 2 for Yes. That is amazing. To be fair I will leave the poll open for at least a week, so fans will have a chance to vote after other games too. Feel free to post the poll link on other blogs or websites. Most of the votes have come from this blog, Ira Winderma's blog and the Miami Heat Offical Facebook webpage. I have inlcluded a feature on the poll to make sure it only allows one vote per IP address, so it verfies that the votes are real as people can only vote once.

JUDGE ERIC SPOLESTRA: Ok bloggers, here is your opportunity to express your opinion on wether you think Eric Spolestra is a good basketball coach.

VOTE NOW: Is Eric Spolestra a good basketball coach? Yes or No? http://micropoll.com/t/KCoqGZ875

[SATANLOVES]

sooner not sonner...

[rockstarjc]

im happy when wade go sign to other team... riley & mikey not making moves to upgrade the team to help WADE!!!

[UD's biggest fan]

"Now, this is not to excuse D. Wade"

Yes it is. We're tired of the excuses. He has talent on the team in Beasley who can help carry the offensive load. We've seen him do it several times. It's nobody but Wade and Spo's fault that a 70% Wade has to do everything on this team.

Enough of the excuses. Fans are tired of Spo shoving mediocre Haslem down our throats. What's he averaging in the past 5 games, like 6 points and 5 rebounds in 30 minutes?

Spo must go. He sucks.

[Noel Sandoval j]

Mr. Wallace I love your articles but on this one I have to disagree with you. Reason being at the beginning of the season D Wade had no nagging injuries and he was not even near at what he was last year, to be honest with you it's more than conditioning. I think what it is that he is not playing to his potential because he does not want to expose himself to maybe an injury that may cost him a lot of money since this is his last year with the team. You can tell that he is not attacking the basket like he did last year, he rather distribute to ball to others. Show me that you can score 40 points on a night that the team is lacking scoring, you did it last year why don't you do it this year. I love D Wade but the truth is that he seems uninterested in playing basketball more often than not.

[myndraize]

It will be so nice to see wade in another jersey,then the so called fans can have their messiah for the future.

[black the trucker]

NO MOVES BEING MADE, THIS TEAM WILL WIN AT MOST 45 GAMES... SO DON'T BLAME ANYONE ON THE TEAM, THIS ROSTER JUST NEEDS UPGRADES,,, NOT THE COACH NOT THE LEADER NOT ANYONE... MAKE SOME MOVES....BUT IF YOU DON'T MAKE ANY MOVES TRY TO GET THE 1ST PICK, JOHN WALL IS THAT GOOD... BUT I WOULD TRADE BEASLEY FOR GAY WITH COOK DOZIER FOR ALSO THABEET... BUT HEY KEEP HIM MAYBE TRADE WITH PICKS FOR THE 1 ST PICK AROUND DRAFT TIME OR DRAFT DAY... SIGN GAY IN THE OFFSEASON... HOW ABOUT LITTLE NATE, KNICKS WANT TO DEAL, GIVE BEVERLY OR DOZIER, MAYBE 2ND ROUND PICK... THE CAMBY DEAL IS THE DEAL THAT WOULD HELP THE INSIDE AND MOVE BEASLEY TO THE THREE, WHERE I THINK IS HIS NBA POSITION... TO SHORT AND GOOD SHOOTER... HE'S A THREE... GET BETTER WITH YOUR JUMPER AND YOU SHOULD BE OK... TAKE IT TO THE CUP MORE OFTEN, GET TO THE LINE, HIT YOU FREE THROWS, YOU SHOULD BE OK..

[Greg Gembe]

beas can't guard any three's in this league.

What? You can't hear me? OK, try this...

BEAS CAN'T GUARD ANY THREE'S IN THIS LEAGUE.

Hear me now?

[black the trucker]

OK, MAYBE JUST TRADE HIM TO THE GRIZZ THAN... GET GAY IN RETURN AND MAKE UP NEXT SEASON FOR TAKING THE WRONG PLAYER LAST SEASON.. YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PICK THAT WAS ALREADY MADE BUT YOU CAN TRADE THAT MISTAKE AND GET BETTER WITH OTHER MOVES OR PICKS...

[black the trucker]

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE OR PEOPLE TRYING TO POINT FONGERS AND NOT TRYING TO DO WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO GET BETTER... THIS ISN'T SO BAD, BUT THIS TEAM WILL ALWAYS BE LOOKED AT AS A THREAT AS LONG AS WADE IS HERE SO REALLY GET PLAYERS AROUND HIM... WHAT HE DID IN 06 WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF GREATEST CHAMPIONSHIP RUNS IN NBA HISTORY... BUT IF YOU DON'T MAKE THINGS BETTER AROUND HIM, I THINK, YOUR WAISTING A PLAYERS PRIME YEARS AND NOT GIVING YOUR TEAM WHAT THEY NEED TO COMPETE WITH THE ELITE TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE...

[black the trucker]

HEY, I KEEP WATCHING ESPN WAITING TO HERE OF THE TRADE THE MIAMI HEAT HAVE JUST MADE, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR... JESUS...

[UD's biggest fan]

So John Wall is that good playing in College even though Beasley was better than anything he's put up.

John Wall will be mediocre playing next to Wade. He won't get enough of the ball to be a factor under Spo's coaching.

[Joel Delgado]

We need to beat Utah, then lay a christmas ass whipping on the Knicks and after that we have two very winnable games against Indiana and New orleans.I hope there's a trade in the works soon cause this team needs a shake up,doesn't have to be a major trade maybe get Camby,get rid of James Jones(too much money sitting the bench),Cook and Diawara(not doing much of anything).Till Mourning comes back,LETS GO HEAT!!!!!!

[Michael Wallace]

As always, I appreciate the comments on the blog - even the ones I disagree with (or ones when you disagree with my premise).

Let me respond to a few things I see here so far today ...

Noel, it is clear that Wade is off a bit this season from the standard he set last year. But I'm not sure you can suggest that he's sort of taking it easy because he doesn't want to get hurt. A freak injury during warm-ups can knock him out for the season, let alone just one hard drive to the basket. I will say this, Wade and Riley both view next season as far more important than this one. The difference is, Wade has to be accountable in front of the media for this team's performance every night. Riley can sort of pick his spots to duck his head out and address concerns.

Greg,
I'm with you there on Beas guarding threes. The only problem is that Beas is having just as difficult a time guarding fours, too. Miami needs to get away from the notion of Beas every being a defensive stopper. Even a little bit of one. The focus should be on allowing him to create matchup problems to his advantage on the offensive end. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to take Martell Webster into the post at times during Sunday's loss.

[Greg Gembe]

Mike

Thanks for the reply. I think we all know Beas doesn't put for the effort on defense. We all suppose he will never be a defensive 'stopper' at any position. I guess some of us were just hoping he wouldn't morph into Antoinne Walker before our very eyes.

I agree 100% in that he should post up more. He is missing more than 7 of every 10 3pters he chucks up, so why not drive or post up??? Shooting jumpers is easier than banging in the post, let's start there.

I'm not privy to every game as you are, or have inside access to players/coaches, but I would believe the coaching staff, would encourage him to take his game inside more often.

[UD's biggest fan]

Michael Wallace, with all due respect to you Haslem's defense is a myth. It has been a myth so far this season. He is yet to stop anyone at the 4 position.

I don't know anyone else on this team that is a defensive stopper other than Wade when he puts his mind to it.

Beasley's defense isn't that much worse than Haslem's defense. What Beasley struggles with is team defense, but that is something that can only improve with more playing time at the 4 in games.

How did taking him out and leaving Haslem in for defensive purposes help us in our last game? As I recall Portland proceeded to light us up as we couldn't even buy a bucket.

Beasley's defensive foibles have been blown way out of proportion and Haslem's perceived ability to stop people on defense is beyond hyperbolic now. NOBODY in the NBA comes to face Miami and trembles at the thought of being guarded by Haslem. You can however bet a couple of good bucks that quite a few of them are worried they will be embarrassed on defense by Beasley.

Haslem is a great bench player who should be getting no more than 18 minutes per game as a backup PF. He can earn the rest of his minutes backing up JO and Joel depending on match-ups.

Let me say that again for emphasis. No one in the entire NBA trembles at the thought of being guarded by Haslem, however, several worry about the prospect of guarding Beasley.

Riley says we have enough talent to finish top 4 in the East. Figure out why we blow leads at home in the 4th. The problem isn't Beasley on defense because he's not even in the games late in the clock. The problem lies elsewhere.

[dfranco]

go heat

[ebag]

mike wallace,

great to see you responding to some of the comments.

as far as beasley playing the three: wouldn't the size advantage be a defensive advantage for the heat. maybe beasley can't chase people around screens all night long, but if you have beasley, udonis, and j.o as your front line, thats a lot of big people between you and the hoop

[Michael Wallace]

OK,
One more take on this Beasley issue. For debate's sake, how much defense does Carmelo Anthony play? Seriously. You don't think defense when you mention Melo, because it really doesn't matter what his defensive assignment is. He's on the court to create as many offensive headaches as possible for opponents. When I mentioned Beasley's defense, all I said was that he'd never be a defensive stopper. I've also written here before that I think Beasley, at times unfairly, gets held to a higher defensive standard by this staff than some others. He's not asked to be that. He's asked to handle his team assignment. He needs to be on the court to create as many offensive mismatches as possible. That's my point.

It never fails, but this always evolves into some sort of either-or scenario regarding Udonis Haslem. The truth is, Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki and LaMarcus Aldridge drop jumper after jumper after jumper over both Beasley and Haslem. I've said from jump that you should be able to support Beasley without bashing Haslem. And vice versa, or whatever that saying is. I guess that's impossible for some. But don't blame each other. I understand the frustration when Beasley has it going and then, for some reason, goes to the bench.

[UD's biggest fan]

Michael Wallace, thanks for clarifying. It's not that we want to debate Beasley vs Haslem because ideally all Heat fans want them both on this team. Haslem is the perfect back up for Beasley. The problem is that when you follow the Heat you notice that there is always some excuse Spo has for taking Beasley out in favor of Haslem late in games. It's either he got his 3rd foul or we wanted to go with our vets or some other lame excuse. It invariably makes this an either-or situation.

Some of us feel that ultimately this team will be better off closing games with Beasley more often that with his alternative, whoever that may be - James Jones, in the game against the Magic on the road for example.

Also how come Wright has been able to establish enough confidence to close out some games and Beasley, our undeniable 2nd best player, always has to sit out? Is our book of closing plays averse to talent?

Haslem just happens to be collateral damage due to the way Beasley is handled.

[Ed E Jones]

Uh oh the Wallace has come to the blog to increase the ratings, welcome I've been trying to hype this blog for a while now.

Its all perception vs. reality as I've always said. The perception has been that Haslem is a "solid to above average defender" and Beasley is a "below average defender" So when we watch a game and Haslem gets scored, or blows a defensive assignment, we don't really notice it because he's Udonis Haslem. When Beasley does the same thing, it holds more clout because our perception is that he's a bad defender.

I can tell you this for sure, Beasley has some mental issues with defense. In his mind he's so scared to get scored because of the way he's been handled. I'm sure in scouting reports against Beasley they say to go at him because when his man is scoring it affects Beasley negatively on the offensive end as well. Its that constantly looking over your shoulder syndrome that causes you to sometimes not focus on what's ahead.

Go Heat.

[taheati]

Riley's right.

Wade's right.

Spo's right.

Jeff's right.

Greg's right.

Mike's right.

They can't all be right can they?

Somebody's gotta be wrong, right?

Not necessarily.

Gut-check time (Riley). Absolutely. Way past time in fact. The Heat aren't getting stops. Just as they failed to stop the Blazers on Sunday despite 2 x 6-pt leads in the 4th. Losing leads and failing to close out games isn't about Beasley or x, y, z not getting minutes. It's ALL about the Heat as a TEAM not getting stops when it matters, i.e., "gut-check" time.

Wade the warrior (Wade). No one's dissing Wade and nobody's taking anything from Wade that Wade isn't giving or hasn't already given. Like giving opponents a free ride to d-up your game when you don't start the season with your legs ready to go -- as Wade himself admitted several weeks ago. My only worry is, is there something else going on with Wade's bod that hasn't been detected yet? Something easily or readily corrected if/when/once diagnosed. I can still remember the "minor" bruise to Shaq's thigh just before the 2005 playoffs that -- after blood began to pool -- became not so minor & ultimately doomed Miami's postseason. Ditto Olympic docs missing signs of Zo's kidney disease until Heat docs noticed something irregular during a routine physical. Wade is too important to *assume* everything health-wise is good until or unless Wade is carted off the court. Preemption + intervention = prevention.

Spo on Portland, Beasley. All true. It was O'Neal, not Haslem, who replaced Beas when Beas drew a foul defending Roy and Portland already within 2. Sitting Beas was Spo's last gasp attempt to shore up Miami's interior d and, according to other reports, give Beas a short blow (Beasley has a slight asthma condition which the team constantly monitors).

Jeff van Gundy on Wade. True enough. Wade occasionally lags in transition. So does every other player in the NBA, elite or not, including Kobe, LBJ, KG, TD. No expertise required. You can see it on DVR. The only question with Wade, is it happening more frequently this season and *if* so, why.

Greg on Beas. Agreed. Man-d is still a Beasley work-in-progress. But man-d is also EVERY player's work-in-progress, including Haslem's, O'Neal's, Anthony's, Chalmers, Arroyo etc. Opposing 4s are converting at 50%+ in effective FG% (eFG%) against Beasley *and* Haslem. Opposing 5s are converting at 50%+ eFG% against O'Neal *and* Anthony. It's true Beasley's defensive intensity may neve match or exceed his offensive obsessivenss. But it's also true Beas has made huge strides in man + help D since his rookie year else Spo wouldn't start him no matter how much he scores.

It's all relative (Wallace). Always. Arroyo? Arroyo wasn't benched because god told Spo to play Chalmers. Arroyo missed twice and fouled twice to start the 3rd. The teams were already tied when Carlos took a seat. Beas? See Spo on Beas re 4thQ minutes, trying to stop Miami's (defensive) bleeding. Melo? What Wallace said about Melo also applies to Wade, Kobe, LBJ. Do you want your superstars expending every ounce of energy to make every possible stop at the risk of early or crunchtime foul trouble? There's a balance between aggressive defense and aggressive offense that Wade usually manages deftly. However, what Wade gives -- including the most important gift any franchise can receive -- doesn't mean a free pass for *everythhng*. Look at the HOF. What makes "great" players is even "greater" accountability. Stockton & Malone never won a ring. But they were always accountable in victory and defeat. Wade's been the same way. Accountable. Now, with a season uphill and a mind + body "perhaps" offkey, is no time to change.

[True Heat Fan]

Man Just Fire Spoelstra and Hire Byron Scott

[taheati]

And despite his latest T-Mobile spots, no one wants to spend another season analyzing his suit collection again. Been there and done that in 07-08. The truth is, that was too painful for anyone to bear.

---

Disagree. Unless he starts going all Craig Sager with his colors, I think Wade's taste/wardrobe is mostly fly.

[taheati]

One more thing, which we posted earlier -- which you DON'T hear media mouths mentioning whenever they go off on Wade's "supporting cast."

The *myth* that Wade is carrying a heavier burden *because* Heat teammates aren't carrying their share is just that -- MYTH.

For 2009-10, Wade's teammates are contributing 71.3 ppg at .474% (cf. Wade at 26.6/.432%)

In 2008-09, Wade's teammates contributed 68.1 ppg at 444% (cf. Wade at 30.2/.491)

So -- not only are Wade's teammates SCORING MORE per game than they did last season, they're also CONVERTING MORE than Wade per FGA per game.

This is the FIRST season in Wade's career where Heat teammates are converting at a higher, statistically significant rate than Wade.

In 2004-05, Miami's team FG% was .486 to Wade's .478, which falls within the statistical margin of error.

Otherwise, in every subsequent season since Wade joined the Heat, Wade's individual FG% has always exceeded the team's FG%.

Wade knows this. That's why Wade feels his way around each game trying to do what's best for the team, even if it means shooting less, distributing more; even it means "experts" unfairly and ignorantly ripping Wade's teammates while Wade -- and they -- know better.

[Greg Gembe]

I thought Melo's defense on Kobe during last year's playoff matchup up was pretty good. Here's a SF guarding one of the more offensively talented SG's in the league, and doing a decent job contesting shots, staying between his man and the basket. He will probably never make an NBA all-defensive team based on his talent (remember Wade made the 2nd team his, I believe, second year, and was probably the third or fourth best perimeter defender ON HIS TEAM behind Jones, Posey, and maybe R. Butler -- thanks NBA marketing).

Haslem has been asked to defend the 3, 4, and 5 spots during his stay in Miami, and has accepted that role. Not alot of other forwards in this league would be up to that challenge. And I love the stats being put up on the post, but how do you measure help defense? Does anybody track players who slide over to stop dribble penetration on someone else's man, forcing them to make an extra pass instead of shooting a layup? You can't solely use point scored against a certain position. How does that work when a team plays a zone?

This isn't about supercoolbeas vs Haslem, they can co-exsist. But there isn't a GM, coach, scout, or player in the NBA that thinks Beas' defense is on the same level as UD's.

God's Son's biggest fan

[UD's biggest fan]

There isn't a coach alive that will play Haslem as many minutes as he gets with Beasley on the roster and slide Beasley to SF except Spo.

Haslem is good for the Heat in an energy-off-the-bench type role. Extended minutes at PF isn't his strength. He's even a better C than he's a PF. If anything, he should be taking minutes away from JO and Joel Anthony, not the 2nd best player on the team.

[Greg Gembe]

"Extended minutes at PF isn't his strength"

...unless you are trying to win a Championship.

[rockstarjc]

NO MOVES ARE BEING MADE OR ATTEMPT BY RILEY & MIKEY..., SO I THINK THEY GONNA LET WADE WALK AWAY FROM THIS TEAM!!!

THERE'S NOTHING HELP OR UPGRADE WADE WOULD EXPECT HERE AT MIAMI SO I RATHER LOVE TO SEE WADE SIGN TO ORLANDO MAGIC THAN TO STAY HERE WHERE THE ORGANIZATIONS SUCKS!!!

GO TO ORLANDO WADE... YOU GOT A GOOD COACH THERE ALSO GOOD TEAMATES & HANDOFF THE TEAM TO ITS 1ST CHAMPIONSHIP RING!!!

THANKS FOR THE 2006 CHAMPIONSHIP WADE!!!

I THINK WADE WOULD BE HAPPY TO PLAY ALONG WITH SUPERMAN!!!

THOUGHTS!!!

OPEN YOUR EYES GUYS OUR ORGANIZATION SUCKS!!!
IM A HEAT FAN BUT WHAT I SEE NOW IS....

ORGANIZATION SUCKS!!!
WE ARE WORSED TEAM IN NBA IF WADE IS GONE!!!

[pugtv]

Greg Gembe,

"But there isn't a GM, coach, scout, or player in the NBA that thinks Beas' defense is on the same level as UD's."

So do you have a survey to support this or are you just ranting?

[pugtv]

Heatstroked,

"This is the FIRST season in Wade's career where Heat teammates are converting at a higher, statistically significant rate than Wade. "

Impressive. Did you go through the task of calculating statistical significance? How large was your sample pool and at what degree of confidence? I don't doubt you. I'm just curious. I'm always more impressed at people when they back up what they say with numbers.

I'm less impressed with guys like Greg Gembe who tend to just rant and ramble without any real back up to what they say.

[WadeForPresident]

1) Yes, Wade shouldered the load last year and proved he could, but it didn't warrant Riley to reward him with any real help - let moon leave, resign Diawara/and some other garbage players and sign Q...

2) If no rewards or new personnel or a chance at a championship, and Riley's trying to mess up his rep (he won't resign, no he's stopping up from making moves...to...he's out of shape -- these can stick with players...rights trying to lower his value -- sabotage his free agency), Wade shouldn't put himself in harms way. He's going beyond by playing with injuries, playing heavy minutes, etc. Basically he's gone.

3) Look at Miami...its all Riley's doing - look at their talent, their coach, compare to ours...we had their coach, and Riley showed him the door...why shouldn't Wade leave?

[Greg Gembe]

No stats, no ranting.

Just observing the game as a spectator, and I stand by my statement. Actually, it's a very easy statement to make and accept. I wasn't trying to fill your extensive basketball background with facts, just my opinion. I would hope you could name at least one NBA personnel that disagrees with me. Oh, you can't...well, I'll stand by my statement until you do.

[WadeForPresident]

1) Yes, Wade shouldered the load last year and proved he could, but it didn't warrant Riley to reward him with any real help - let moon leave, resign Diawara/and some other garbage players and sign Q...

2) If no rewards or new personnel or a chance at a championship, and Riley's trying to mess up his rep (he won't resign, no he's stopping up from making moves...to...he's out of shape -- these can stick with players...rights trying to lower his value -- sabotage his free agency), Wade shouldn't put himself in harms way. He's going beyond by playing with injuries, playing heavy minutes, etc. Basically he's gone.

3) Look at ORLANDO...LOOK at MIAMI and realize this has nothing to do with Wade, it's Management and Coaching, but more so management...its all Riley's doing - look at their talent, their coach, compare to ours...we had their coach, and Riley showed him the door...why shouldn't Wade leave?

[UD's biggest fan]

...unless you are trying to win a Championship.

Posted by: Greg Gembe | Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 09:45 AM
----------
Big time myth. Yes Haslem was our starting PF in our only championship but he was arguably the least important player on that team who got consistent minutes.

He played next to Shaq and was also our starting PF when we were SWEPT by the Bulls the following year.

I'm all for giving him credit for his hustle, grit and whatever purity Spo likes to say he has. However, he's the past and has never contributed more than 10/8 in his however many years of starting for us. You don't win with just Wade. You need talent. Beasley is far more talented and his impact is already showing on this team. In the month of December we've lost every game in which Beasley has scored fewer than 20 points and have won every game in which he's scored 20+.

There is no Shaq on this team to absorb Haslem's lack of talent and to maximize his energy play. We need Beasley's talents backed up by a few minutes of Haslem's grit and leadership.

Last year, our best performance in the playoffs saw Beasley getting 22/15 on the Hawks. Guess how many minutes Haslem played? 12.

We have a winning formula. Run the offense through Wade and Beasley with JO being a 3rd option. Bring in Haslem as part of the normal bench rotation and also to play C in short spurts with Beasley at PF. It is so simple, yet for whatever reason we keep inventing excuses not to play Beasley. Even Wright has been allowed to close games.

Nothing against Haslem at all, but we simply don't have enough talent on this team to make his energy pay off playing extended minutes over Beasley. We simply don't.

[UD's biggest fan]

Oh and by the way, Beasley is already averaging 18/8 in his past 15 games or thereabouts. He is already a 20/10 player at the age of 20 even with us misusing him at SF and going for long stretches of the game ignoring him on offense.

Wade touches the ball almost every single play. There is no reason for Beasley not to do the same when he's in with the 2nd unit yet we keep seeing isos for Joel and Haslem who can't dribble or really create shots for anybody.

We are severely wasting talent on this team.

Same goes for JO and Q (although he seems to get a lot of assists from his buddy Wade).

I really don't see any star - LeBron, Bosh or Joe Johnson - sitting down in the summer and saying to themselves that it would be really awesome to be coached by Spo. Get real.

[Greg Gembe]

"we had their coach, and Riley showed him the door...why shouldn't Wade leave?"

Except, Riley got SVG to stay longer than he wanted to. That's SVG's words. Shaq was the reason SVG left. It's not hard to follow the path Shaq leaves. Do you think his welcome is about worn out in Cleveland. I do. Three different coaches in Phoenix. He's a coach/team killer, so you'ld better have a strong coach that is willing to deal with his sh*t. Recall the almost physical fight between Shaq and Riles during a practice? I do. Shaq tanked the season after that.

"Last year, our best performance in the playoffs saw Beasley getting 22/15 on the Hawks. Guess how many minutes Haslem played? 12." Hats off to Spo for staying with the hot hand. I would rather win regardless of who gets minutes/shots.

"In the month of December we've lost every game in which Beasley has scored fewer than 20 points and have won every game in which he's scored 20+."
Well, damn, you're making my arguement for me. Looks like if we get more consistancy from the #2 draft pick, we'll win more games. Maybe bring that 3pt % up above 30%, maybe take higher percentage shots, drive the ball to the basket instead of taking lazy*ss jumpshots.

[pugtv]

Greg Gembe,

"I would hope you could name at least one NBA personnel that disagrees with me. Oh, you can't...well, I'll stand by my statement until you do."

I'm not trying to convince you of one thing or another. I'm just trying to sort out accurate statements from BS statements. I'm filing yours under BS.

[UD's biggest fan]

"Last year, our best performance in the playoffs saw Beasley getting 22/15 on the Hawks. Guess how many minutes Haslem played? 12." Hats off to Spo for staying with the hot hand. I would rather win regardless of who gets minutes/shots.

"In the month of December we've lost every game in which Beasley has scored fewer than 20 points and have won every game in which he's scored 20+."
Well, damn, you're making my arguement for me. Looks like if we get more consistancy from the #2 draft pick, we'll win more games. Maybe bring that 3pt % up above 30%, maybe take higher percentage shots, drive the ball to the basket instead of taking lazy*ss jumpshots.

Posted by: Greg Gembe | Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 01:00 PM
-----------
I'm not making your point.

My point is we should play him and involve him more.

Right now we use him as a 3 to get Haslem playing time at the 4.

How can he play as a 4 when he's being used as a 3? He's getting essentially the same minutes at the 4 as he got when he was Haslem's back up last year. His extra playing time is coming from him playing the catch-and-shoot 3 on the perimeter. For all intents and purposes, Spo coaches as if Haslem is still the 4 on this team and Beasley is his back up.

[black the trucker]

well, looks like someone touched a nerve... wade, main man, keep doing what you do... we will make the playoffs and if they don't make any moves this year, we'll be back next year...

[heatfan]

Does Wade realize if he goes to a team with established vets he is not going to heave 25 of his ugly jumpers every night? He is going to have to share the ball? Wade loves his stats. He loves it more than wins. It is obvious. There are games where team game is clicking and the Heat are rolling and you will see Wade just start throwing bricks because he wants his numbers. He does not need to score 30 a night now. Look at the record of team when he has good all around stats. It is a lot better than when he is shooting 13/35. It is ridiculous. Wade can be so special but does not want to share spotlight. Beas will never be allowed to shine in Miami and it is sad. They are not going to let him put up 25-30 with 12-15 boards. Cant overshadow Wade. If Wade has all spotlight he might stay next year. That is the hope of Riley. For me and what I see we need some players that want to play team ball. There is a good core here. Jo and Beas can get you 20-25 a night if they get touches. Chalmers could score more if allowed to do more than just drop off passes to Wade. Give this team a chance.

[WadeForPresident]

I don't think Shaq's a team killer...he's went to the finals with all of his teams except phoenix. You need team work to do that...He made his contract top heavy to help the Heat on the condition that they keep talent and remain competitive...the heat didn't and he called Riley out on that...and we all know the Heat offense is old and stagnant, from the 80's. He called Riley out saying his offense was the crappiest he ever play under...why is Shaq now the team killer? remember it was Kobe doing all the talking in LA and Anfernee would admit he was the problem in Orlando and has said so...Shaq's bad now because Riley has this way of coming off clean and giving his players negative stigmas as he tried to do by saying wade was the reason no talent came in or now trying to make Wade into the Fat Lazy player...This hurts players...Riley constantly sabotages players from Walker (a career 19.6 ppg player before the heat - Riley won't admit that he just never drew the guy up plays and Walker's a player that needs plays drawn up, not a freestyler), to Wayne Simeon leaving with the rep of always being hurt, to Shaq being a team killer...

[WadeForPresident]

by the way, here's some trivia - every star player who has come to the Heat has had a point drop off...and somehow that will be spun to a positive that Riley makes his stars not score as much...its has to do with his crappy offense and somehow not knowing how to use his stars (the blue print is right there cause usually they were stars on other teams...) Only star player that didn't have the dropoff was Zo. Blame Shaq, Wade, Walker, etc. for that....

[pugtv]

Posted by: UD's biggest fan | Wednesday, December 23, 2009 at 02:38 PM

I suggest you stop discussing issues with Greg Gembe. He has consistently shown himself as illogical. Don't waste your time.

[dfranco]

go heat!!

[Greg Gembe]

Riley's offense of the 80's stagnant? What the ???? Did you watch any 1980's basketball? Let me introduce you to the Showtime Lakers. Stagnant? Wow, I've got big shoulders, so when people disagree with my points and spit personal sh*t at me, I'm good with that. But saying the Riley's offense of the 80's (with it's 4 championships under Riles) was STAGNANT, I mean, it's like teeing the football up for me to be a lowlife hater like some of these basketball guru's on this post. Obviously, I'll be the man and not call out this ridiculously insane comment personally, but it reinforces my opinion of the vast difference in basketball IQ among the posters here.