NBA Trade Rumors: Crazy Dwyane Wade For Rajon Rondo Proposal Must Be Considered

The Boston Celtics are one of the stalest teams in the NBA right now and need a major shakeup.

At 4-5, the Celts only wins are over the Wizards (X2), Pistons and Nets. They just so happen to be the three worst teams in the Eastern Conference.

Something needs to change or this team is destined to throw together a .500 season and first round exit. They need new energy.

While it sounds incredibly wacky, Fox Sports’ columnist Jason Whitlock has provided a fantastic solution. He believes the Celtics should send Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen to the Miami Heat in exchange for Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers:

It’s always in the best interest of the NBA for the Celtics to be relevant. Boston needs an in-his-prime superstar to be a legit contender. The Big Three are too old. You put Wade with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and you have a nucleus that can scare people for this year and next year.

You add Rondo and Allen to James and Bosh and you have an all-time great team. I ran this trade past Bill Simmons last week, and he loved it.

Simmons is ESPN’s “sports guy” who is the unofficial biggest Celts fan.

From the Celtics point of view, it makes plenty of sense. Wade, despite dealing with nagging injuries, is one of the 10 best players in the league. He has championship experience, plays suffocating defense and can run the point if needed. He’s a team player and would instantly rejuvenate an aging team that could use a jolt.

While on paper the deal sounds bad for Miami, in reality it would make the Heat a real team. Right now they are three stars surrounded by a bunch of bench players. They don’t have a reliable point guard and don’t have a sharp shooter to spot up when LeBron James forces the defense into the paint.

Rondo and Allen make Miami a complete team. There wouldn’t be any questions who would take the last shot. There wouldn’t be any questions who the leader of the team is. Everybody would have a defined role. This may not be a big deal right now, but come playoff time it is.

Besides, how incredible would LeBron and Bosh be with a top-five point guard?

While this deal will likely never come to fruition, credit Whitlock for thinking outside of the box and coming up with something that really would work.

Then again, with the itchy trigger finger of Celtics GM Danny Ainge, it can’t fully be thrown in the trash.

Battier joins Heat; Chalmers, Jones re-signed

The Miami Heat made a bevy of moves on Friday to give support to their three superstars.
On the first day of transactions following the official end to the lockout, the Heat signed free agent forward Shane Battier. The 10-year NBA veteran split last season between the Houston Rockets and the Grizzlies appearing in 82 regular season games (59 starts) and averaged 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds.
Battier's signing will back the big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Additionally, the Heat re-signed guard Mario Chalmers and forwards James Jones and Juwan Howard Friday.
Terms of those deals were not disclosed, but Chalmers' is reported to be a three-year pact worth $12 million, while Jones' is a three-year deal worth $4.5 million.
The third year of Chalmers' deal is a team option.
Chalmers has played his entire three-year career with Miami, averaging 7.9 points, 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 26.7 minutes through 225 games. He is a 41 percent shooter from the floor with a 35 percent clip from three-point range.
Jones is an eight-year veteran with Indiana, Phoenix, Portland and Miami. In 447 career games with 73 starts, the Miami native averages 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 18.9 minutes a game.
Howard, a 17-year NBA veteran, averaged 2.4 points per game last season.
Miami also signed guard Norris Cole. The team acquired his rights during the 2011 draft fro mMinnesota. He played four seasons at Cleveland State.

Dwyane Wade mulls overseas, stands by Michael Jordan, puzzled by Shaq

Dwyane Wade was planning to be in the air Thursday. Instead, he finds himself grounded in the reality that his short-term NBA future is up in the air.

On a day he should have been in flight to Cleveland for a Friday game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat guard instead found himself at the Jose Marti Gym, on the set of a commercial shoot for a new Gatorade campaign that is launching early next year.

Launching, most likely, in the void of an NBA backdrop.

That had Wade considering where he stands in his career, with whom he stands, and how he stands with a former teammate.
In an interview with the Sun Sentinel, Wade said he plans to play competitive basketball this season, even if it means playing overseas amid the lockout.

But he also said he would not allow the lockout get in the way of his marketing relationship with Michael Jordan, even with the Charlotte Bobcats owner taking a hard-line stance against the players during the stalled negotiations over a new collective-bargaining agreement.

As for a former teammate using the lockout to break the locker-room code, Wade shook his head and smiled when Shaquille O'Neal's name was raised.

Foremost, Wade expressed disappointment over the lockout impasse.

"I can't imagine going a year without basketball and I don't think that will happen," he said. "Some way, some how, I'm going to be part of a team.

"I can't see myself sitting out a full year, not playing basketball, at some kind of high level. Obviously, the level I want to be playing on is the NBA level and that's what we're going continue to try to do, but if that is not the case, I will try to find a way where I can play at a high level."

With the lockout in its fifth month, he said it just might be time for Plan B.

"I have gotten on the phone with my agent, saying, 'Listen, maybe we need to peak our head on the other side and see the possibilities,' " he said of playing overseas. "Obviously, to have a season and go back January 1st and to know you need 30 days once the deal is complete, something's got to be done soon. But you've got to open up the possibility, so I am looking."

Relaxed amid the mayhem of the commercial shoot, Wade smiled through the interview, notably wearing a Jordan Brand sleeveless T-shirt.

Amid the recent height of lockout rancor, Jordan was singled out by several of Wade's union brethren for his uncompromising lockout stance against the players. Wade is among the leading endorsers of Jordan's apparel.

"I really didn't need to get involved in all that," Wade said. "Obviously I wear a different hat than certain other guys that got involved in it. And I stay away from it. I have an obligation and I have a job to do and I'm going to do my job."

Several players vowed to shun Jordan's merchandise, including Paul George, Klay Thompson and, most notably, Washington Wizards guard Nick Young, who posted on his Twitter account, "I'm not wearing Jordans no more. Can't believe what I just seen and heard from M.J. Elvis Done Left The Building."

"That's on Nick Young," Wade said. "That's his moment. Obviously, that's his own choice and decision and, you know, that's something he's going to have to deal with. I can't let that affect me. I have my own things to run, my own stuff to think about what I'm doing with my own shoes.

"Obviously, I heard about it, because you can't do nothing but hear about everything now, because there's nothing else to do."

Amid that void of games entered O'Neal, with his just-released autobiography and ensuing media blitz. Included in that blitz have been O'Neal tales of unease with then-Heat coach Pat Riley and Wade during the center's final days in South Florida, after the three shared in the 2006 NBA championship.

Wade said he felt O'Neal violated the players' code in revealing an ugly practice-court incident with Riley that led to O'Neal and Jason Williams being banished from the gym.

"Obviously I was there, so I knew some of the stuff that went down, so I laughed," Wade said. "It's not for the outside to know."

As for O'Neal now speaking of a diminished relationship with Wade, Wade said he was surprised.

"I did hear that and I didn't really understand that part," he said. "It's not the same relationship, but that won't be because I didn't want it to be. It's just the way it is.

"I've always praised Shaq and thanked him for everything he did for my career and for the Miami Heat, but he wanted to move on and he moved on."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra enjoys Dwyane Wade-LeBron James matchup

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra wasn't exactly subtle when he described Thursday what it has been like to watch LeBron James and Dwyane Wade face one another in practice.

``They're like two colossal titans going at it,'' Spoelstra said. ``No one is backing down.''

Those ultracompetitive moments between James and Wade on the court have been the highlights of Miami's training camp over the past few days. On Friday, the intensity is expected to increase a few more notches when the Heat holds its first ``open'' game-like scrimmage.

The 6 p.m. session will be broadcast by NBA TV, and the scrimmage will be played in front of soldiers stationed at Hurlburt Field and nearby Eglin Air Force Base. Spoelstra said James and Wade will spend part of the scrimmage playing on the same team but also will be split up at other times and face one another.

``Time will be starting and stopping,'' Spoelstra said of the controlled scrimmage. ``But I know guys have been looking forward to getting out [and playing]. What I've noticed in five practices is the idea of moving the ball and playing unselfish. That's not something we have to stress.''

With the Heat opening the preseason Tuesday against Detroit, Wade and James soon will be headaches for opposing teams. But for now, they enjoy sharpening their skills against one another daily.

``For one, we want our teams to win,'' James said. ``We do whatever it takes to get that edge. We hate to lose, especially to each other. I think you all saw that when Cleveland went against Miami. And we don't want to lose to each other here. This is picking up our teammates.''

Before coming to Miami, James said he never had a teammate who could match his intensity and talent on the court every day in practice. Wade said the only other time he experienced that dynamic was in his 2003-04 rookie season, going against Caron Butler in early Heat workouts.

``When I came in, I had a challenge with Caron, but he went out early with knee surgery,'' Wade said. ``Eddie [Jones] was a little older, so he wasn't trying to battle with me. But me and LeBron, we push each other and make each other better.''

Wade said the two don't keep score in practice battles.

``Right now, we're just trying to get it all together,'' Wade said.

"I'm not really saying, ‘I've got one up on you or you've got one up on me.' I know I've (had to) run more after practice than LeBron."

INSPIRATION 

Growing into his role as the latest potentially dominant big man for the Heat, power forward Chris Bosh met Thursday with Heat great legend Alonzo Mourning about expectations.

Mourning, the Heat's vice president for player programs, has attended practices during training camp.

"That's what he was brought back to this team to do - to relate to us," Bosh said of Mourning. "The best part about it is he's been a big man and he has a [championship] ring. I'm one of the two."

James said just seeing Mourning on the sideline has provided inspiration.

"Zo is a true warrior of this organization," James said Thursday. "We all know the story about his kidney and how he battled that and fought through it. Any time you look over at him, you always can say, 'Well, I can do it just one more time, I can give it just one more push.' ''

AGELESS WONDER

Spoelstra has been impressed with the conditioning level of his players. That especially has been the case with forward Juwan Howard.

``I wanted to ask him the other day if he was 27, not 37,'' Spoelstra said. ``He's kept himself in great shape.''

Has D-Wade Usurped Kobe Bryant As The NBA's Top SG?

I was running across the NBA forums yesterday and found a very interesting piece on Yahoo.com that listed the top 30 shooting guards at the moment. It was well thought out, well researched, and a very impressive piece as well. Much to my surprise though, I was shocked at who was picked as the NBA's number one shooting guard not being named Kobe Bryant.

Rather than Bryant, it was the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade coming in at number one. Wade has no doubt impressed every NBA fan with his uncanny ability to drive and making difficult shots, come through in the clutch, and carry an entire team of no-names and rookies to post seasons. Kobe Bryant can boast nearly all the same accolades as Wade while also showing off a more complete jump shot with more range to spare.

Both players have had their success and both have had their failures. In the case of Bryant, he has seen success since joining the league when he was traded to the Lakers following a 53 win season. The duo of himself an Shaquille O'Neal would go on to win three consecutive titles before the two separated and Bryant was forced to play with teammates that weren't exactly up to par.

Kobe missed the post season for the first time in the 2004-'05 season as he saw his stats drop, including a near career worse 43% from the field. He was forced to play alongside scrubs such as Chris Mihm, Smush Parker, and Kwame Brown as he won 34 games. The next season would be off the charts for Bryant as he averaged 35 points and leading the Lakers back to the post season.

After a few months of demanding a trade, Bryant would receive a new big man to look to in Pau Gasol and has been to the NBA finals for the past three years, winning two in the process.

Wade joined the Heat after the team won 25 games, so unlike Kobe joining an already successful team, Dwyane was thrown into the fire and joined a starting lineup of Eddie Jones, a sophomore in Caron Butler, and veterans in Lamar Odom and Brian Grant. Originally, Jones and Odom were the team leaders, but by playoff time it was already Wade's team as he led them to their first second round appearance in four years.

Wade would receive help the next season in Shaquille O'Neal and would win a title two years later. The following two years would be disasters as constant injuries would hamper Wade's performance and the team would finish a league worse 15-67 that was complete with O'Neal being traded away and an injured Wade that appeared ready to hit the showers for good.

He was able to bounce back though and lead two awful Heat teams to the post season and now has received what he has deserved for so long by actually getting NBA players to join him on the team. LeBron James and Chris Bosh are now in Miami to help Wade attempt to secure another title.

Both players stories are somewhat similar. Their beginnings aren't nearly the same, but both have had great teams and have then had to recover and show a sense of resiliency when they lost their great team. Kobe suffered with a 35-win team and Wade suffered with injuries and a 15-win squad.

I have always believed there were three players that were on a completely different level than what any other NBA player is on. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade are a part of this elite class and I have believed for the past two seasons that Bryant and James have been duking it out for number one. Two seasons ago, I truly thought that Wade could have been number one after winning his first scoring title, but it was a season much similar to that of Kobe's when he averaged 35 points on a terrible team.

Bryant and Wade are the easiest to compare due to the fact that they play the same position and need to rely on their game that they have developed over their careers, unlike James who usually relies on his on otherworldly athleticism to his advantage.

I have always held Kobe in the highest regards of an NBA player. He is the closest item we will get to Michael Jordan and is the best overall player in the game today when it comes down to offense, defense, and making plays when it matters most. The next Michael Jordan comparison would be Dwyane Wade who on a nightly basis exhibits pure, raw skill that has only been seen by Jordan and Bryant.

Wade has shown that he can show up to the occassion no matter at what stage and considering that he has faced double and triple teams for the past two seasons and still continues to put up the stat's he achieves is nothing short of amazing. Not to mention, his NBA finals performance has been recognized by analyst's as arguably the greatest finals any one player has ever had.

On offense, both players are unstoppable when they hit a few consecutive shots. Obviously, Kobe doesn't have much more to prove when he has scored 81 points in a game, but Wade can boast the same ability to explode offensively at any time. It doesn't exactly translate to 81 points, but he can consistently hit over 30 points in any game.

Without a doubt, Kobe contains the better jump shot and the better range, but Wade holds the advantage when it comes down to driving and drawing contact. Through the number of double and triple teams he has had to face on a daily basis, Wade has learned how to play them. He has learned when to anticipate what defenses to expect, how to slash through double teams, and how to perfect the art of the pick and roll.

Defensively, it is a draw. I might get some flack for believing that the two are equals as defenders, but both have their advantages and both have their flaws. To each of their advantage, Kobe could be a better lock down defender than Wade, but Wade has the advantage when it comes down to shot blocking. Wade isn't just a weak side blocker either, he has blocked numerous dunks going straight up.

Bryant has been known to be a determined defender and will usually play his lock-down , hard nosed defense when he is motivated rather than playing like that in every game. Wade's defense can be too risky and even lazy at times, as he would rather go for steal's in the open court instead of sticking on a defender. While his anticipation skills can be brilliant at times, it can also hurt the team.

In the closing minutes of games, no one can do it quite like Kobe can. He has hit a plethora of shots in the waning moments to go along with his considerable number of game winners. Not to say Wade hasn't either, but Kobe Bryant in the clutch is one of the toughest players in NBA history to defend. Nobody can show up in moments like that better than Bryant, so it is basically incomparable.

While Bryant has played unbelieveable since showing up as a fresh faced high schooler, his age is beginning to catch up on him. I realize that no NBA player contains the killer instinct or the desire to win more than Kobe, but that finger injury took a lot more out of Bryant than what we see on the court. While he was able to learn to shoot with his left hand and feature a brand new post game, the fact of the matter is that Bryant is getting older and injuries can't heal as quick.

Wade on the other hand is just beginning to enter his prime at 28 and now has a team ready to win, rather a team struggling to hang on. By the time Wade has finished his career, he could leave just as outstanding a legacy as Bryant has so far. For those who want to dispute that LeBron is the leader of the Heat, then you need to remember that it was Wade who recruited James and Bosh to come to his Miami Heat.

The strongest advantage Wade holds over Bryant is youth. Dwyane has dealt with his fair share of injuries, but because he was young, they were able to heal quickly and he has since recovered from ailment's that could have ended the career of a player at Bryant's age.

Each player has gone through success and each player has gone through their share of struggles. They have both shown an unbelievable sense of resilience and an uncanny desire to win that cannot be compared with anyone else in the NBA at this moment. Their committment's to their team have been tested with Bryant having to deal without any sort of second scoring presence and Wade having to deal with two consecutive seasons of mediocrity and the possibility of wasting his prime years with a team that simply cannot get better.

At this moment in time and for the upcoming season, I still believe Kobe Bryant is the best shooting guard in the NBA and I say that as a Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade fan. I give him the number one spot now because he still contains the versatility and killer instinct that Wade does not yet quite possess. After this season, it could be a completely different story.

The upcoming NBA finals will be the closest chance we see of both players in their primes facing off against each other in a seven game series if the two teams do meet. Kobe's age and injuries might catch up to him following the end of this upcoming season and then we can say that Dwyane Wade has become the number one shooting guard in the NBA, as well as saying that he is the best player in the NBA.

It's a scary thought that Kobetime might be coming to an end in the near future, but the new generation is showing that they have no problem in following in the footsteps of the great's like Kobe Bryant. In due time, Wade will get his recognition as the number one player at his position, but for now the face of the NBA is Bryant's and rightfully so.

Even with his age and ailment's catching up to him, Bryant still has the killer instinct on offense and defense that no one else can boast. For now he remains as the self- anointed 'Black Mamba', but 'Flash' is waiting in the distance for his time to emerge as the new player to imitate in pick-up games and to lead team's to championships year after year.

Beasley and Wade keep Heat hot

Michael Beasley was under siege in the Miami Heat postgame locker room. Some teammates went with verbal jousts, and more daring ones tried to unbraid his hair.

All in good fun, a reward of sorts for taking his first charge of the season.

“Felt like we won a championship,” said K-State’s Beasley.

Yep, just about everything seems to be working for the Heat these days.

Dwyane Wade scored 25 points in only 28 minutes, Jermaine O’Neal added 19 points, and the Heat enjoyed its largest victory margin this season by topping the Indiana Pacers 114-80 on Sunday night.

Beasley scored 16 points.

The capper came with 6:24 left, when Beasley stepped in front of Indiana’s 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert, took his long-awaited charge and then rolled around in delight.