Dwyane Wade blog

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

2012-01-12T21:23:00.000+01:00

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

2011-12-15T16:49:00.000+01:00

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

2011-11-18T16:03:00.000+01:00

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."

2010-11-02T11:00:00.004+01:00

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra enjoys Dwyane Wade-LeBron James matchup

2010-10-06T16:50:00.008+02:00

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?

2010-10-06T13:03:00.000+02:00

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

2009-12-28T12:31:00.002+01:00

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.

Wade To Debut 25th Anniversary Air Jordan

2009-11-17T17:05:00.000+01:00

Miami Heat superstar guard Dwyane Wade has won many honors for his stellar play for the Heat, but it's an off-the-court honor he may just be the most proud of. After years of pleading to join the Jordan brand family at Nike, his persistence is being rewarded in a big way as he will debut the 25th anniversary Air Jordan in February of 2010.

Michael Jordan hand-picked Wade to wear the shoes which will carry a retail price of $170. The shoe will be launched nationwide on February 13, which is just four days before Michael Jordan's 47th birthday. Still, Jordan isn't afraid to remind Wade that he's still the boss, and possibly the better player.

"He thinks he can beat me; I know I can beat him," Jordan said, smiling. "The only way to find out is to put these shoes on and go out and play. He's wearing my shoe. I'm not wearing Dwyane Wade's shoe."

Jordan Brand spokeswoman Terri Hines said Wade is the first pitchman for the Air Jordan other than Jordan himself.

Suns - Heat Preview

2009-11-04T16:48:00.000+01:00

The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat have very different styles of play, but one thing they have in common is undefeated records.

They won't have that in common anymore after Tuesday night.

The Suns and Heat both try to avoid their first loss when they meet at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Phoenix and Miami are both off to 3-0 starts, but they've gotten there in contrasting fashion. While the Suns are relying on a high-scoring offense, the Heat have been using defense to shut down the opposition.

Miami will try to contain the Suns after holding its last two opponents below 90 points, including a 95-87 home win over Chicago on Sunday.

Miami has held its first three opponents to 38.6 percent shooting, including 21.6 from 3-point range. The Heat have yet to be outrebounded.

Dwyane Wade scored 25 points Sunday, surpassing 10,000 for his career in the third quarter. The Heat limited the Bulls to 17 points in the fourth.

The only bad news from the otherwise solid victory was that Jermaine O'Neal broke his nose late in the fourth quarter. The oft-injured center doesn't expect to miss any playing time, though, and said he won't wear a protective mask.

Against the potent Suns, Miami may need its offense to score more than the 95.5 points it has averaged in the last two games.

Phoenix will be looking to force Miami to play up-tempo - a strategy that has paid off against other opponents. The Suns have given up 100 points in each of their first three games, but they are averaging 117.3 of their own and have reached 120 in their last two games.

Much of Phoenix's success has come from beyond the arc. The Suns are shooting 52.4 percent (33 of 63) from 3-point range for the season and are coming off a 120-112 victory over Minnesota on Sunday in which they connected on a season-high 14 3-pointers. Channing Frye hit six for a second straight game.

Steve Nash had another solid effort with 25 points and 14 assists. He had another scorer on the court with the return of Jason Richardson, who finished with 23 points in his first game following a two-game suspension for a drunk-driving conviction.

"I was definitely excited to get back on the floor," said Richardson, who shot 4 of 7 from 3-point range. "I feel I'm now a better person and a better player."

Richardson will be looking to help the Suns get their five-game road trip against Eastern Conference teams off to a good start. Phoenix will also visit undefeated Orlando and Boston, as well as Washington and Philadelphia. The Suns are looking for their first 4-0 start since 2004-05.

"It's great to start 3-0, it's important for us to do it while at home," coach Alvin Gentry said. "We have a huge, huge test coming up. We have five tough road games. But if we go 5-0 on the road, I'm not going to think we're great. And if we go 0-5, I'm not going to think the season's over."

The Heat swept last season's two-game series with the Suns, including a 135-129 victory in Miami led by 35 points from Wade, who is averaging 36.3 in his last three games against Phoenix.

Wades shoes stolen!

2009-06-28T12:48:00.000+02:00

A pair of NBA superstar Dwyane Wade's specially-made kicks were swiped from his alma mater's trophy case in Oak Lawn.

The shoes -- a pair of red, white and blue leather Converse -- were stolen from a smashed trophy case inside Richards High School on June 17, when police say a homeless man made his way through a side door of the school by way of an ongoing construction project.

Police arrested the man and recovered the shoes after they found him squatting in an abandoned Oak Lawn townhouse Tuesday.

Ryan Dace, 27, was charged with burglary in connection with the theft.

"He's a size 9," Oak Lawn Police Division Chief Mike Kaufmann said. "These things were a size 14 or 15."

Wade, 27, graduated from Richards in 2000 and returns often to host local basketball camps.

The Miami Heat star recently shot a Converse commercial in the school's gym -- named D. Wade Court -- and has provided basketball shoes, uniforms and sweatsuits for the entire Richards hoops program.

Last year, he chartered a plane from Miami to Peoria to watch the Bulldogs win the state championship.

Wade's stolen shoes were brought to Richards after he played on the bronze medal-winning Team USA in the 2004 Summer Olympics, Bulldogs basketball coach John Chappetto said.

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade to live it up at Nikki Marina

2008-08-30T12:57:00.000+02:00

Olympic fever takes place at Nikki Marina in Hollywood on Saturday night, when Dwyane Wade will host the Team USA Basketball gold-medal party, featuring DJ Top Feelin and DJ Griot. Red, white and gold attire is required. Party starts at 11 p.m.

A promo spot for Paris Hilton's My New BFF TV show debuted on MTV this week featuring Miami socialite Erin Newberg. In it, comedian Jeff Beacher grills Erin on why she should be the heir-head's new best friend, as Hilton and beau Benji Madden of Good Charlotte look on. The series premieres Sept. 30.

A laundry list of ''celebrity invitees'' for DJ Envy's ''Comeback'' Labor Day Birthday ''Swore'' -- we think they meant Soiree -- at The Fifth on Sunday, includes Brooke Hogan, LL Cool J, Lindsay Lohan, Tony Hawk, Lil Wayne, Ashley Tisdale, Justin Timberlake and Alicia Keys. Emphasis on invitees.

One confirmed appearance: Trey Songz, who will perform.

Radar Magazine ranked the worst colleges in the country with criteria such as ''incompetent professors, rock-bottom admissions standards and unbridled alcohol and drug consumption.'' So where did the University of Miami fall? ``Most Superficial.''

According to one student, if you love ''cellphones, Prada, Us Weekly, and have a mindless herd mentality, then by all means this is the place for you!'' Ouch.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington was spotted dining on lasagna with owner Angelo DiPiazza at Vignetto's Italian Restaurant in Plantation Tuesday.

Wade scores 19 as U.S. tops Angola

2008-08-14T19:03:00.000+02:00

Dwyane Wade led the U.S. basketball team to a 97-76 victory over Angola today, scoring 19 points as the Americans improved to 2-0 in group play.

Wade, the former Marquette star and guard for the Miami Heat, sank 6 of 8 shots from the field and 5 of 7 free throws. Dwight Howard added 14 points, and LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony each had 12 for the U.S.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd played 14 minutes in a reserve role and scored two points on 1-of-4 shooting.

The U.S. next will play Greece at 7 a.m. Thursday (Milwaukee time). Greece defeated the U.S. in the semifinals of the 2006 World Championships, forcing the Americans to settle for the bronze medal.

"It's been circled on my calendar for a while now," Anthony said. "Since we left Japan (at the worlds) it's been circled on my calendar."

Dwyane Wade Gets Misty Over Odom

2008-07-23T09:35:00.000+02:00

I know that the Shaquille O'Neal trade brought Miami a ring, and that means said franchise will live forever. That's the way things work in the NBA. Just ask the Sonics. But only a heartless cur doesn't harbor some fond memories of the Wade/Odom/Butler team of 2003-04, who nearly upset the Pacers in the conference semis playing a pre-Suns form of millennial small ball. That's why, with Shawn Marion considered expendable and Lamar Odom on the block, Dwyane Wade's getting sentimental—and thinking of a reunion, of sorts. From the Sun-Sentinel:
"I love L.O. as a person and, of course, as a player," Wade said. "We had one year together. I wish we could have had more. "It's a guy who I've always said it's a possibility when he left that he can maybe come back. ... A player like that, we would love to have a chance to get because he's so versatile. That's not to belittle Marion, but there's a special chemistry between Wade and Odom. Pair the two of them with Beasley and you've got a less redundant, and no less explosive, line-up than the good 'ol days. If a little deficient defensively—Butler, like Marion now, could pick up defensive slack. Also worth noting: Caron Butler's slipped through the fingers of both the Heat and Lakers. Right now, he'd probably be the second-best player on either team.

He's not playing, but Dwyane Wade, or at least his image, can be found nearly everywhere

2008-01-11T19:34:00.000+01:00

This is not where Heat guard Dwyane Wade expected to be, at the bottom of the standings, headed to the lottery, his team limping through his worst professional season.

'Right now,' he said of his ubiquitous promotional presence, 'I don't want to be out there.'

But he is, because major marketing isn't mapped out on a day-to-day basis.

So on Christmas, he unveiled a special edition of his Converse sneaker, even as the Heat was falling to 8-20, the first team in the league to reach that loss total.

Currently, he can be found on the cover of ESPN the Magazine.

And next week, he is scheduled for a media event at the Wal-Mart in North Miami Beach in conjunction with the release of his first DVD, Undeniable: The Rise of Dwyane Wade .

'When you have a lot of things coming out, you want to be at the top of your game, want the team to be at the top of its potential and make everything that feel-good story,' he said.

That has left Wade conflicted.

'Like, I did that ESPN magazine cover. I didn't want to do it,' he said of the timing of the release. 'But what I have to do is show my fans that through good and through bad, I'm still going to be me.'

Not only was Wade hopeful of delaying the magazine cover, he lately has avoided ESPN's networks.

'I don't even watch TV right now,' he said.

With the Heat carrying an 8-27 record into Wednesday's game against the Bucks at the Bradley Center, Wade said perspective is essential.

'I think everything that happens is a part of your story,' he said. 'Just like I've been in the league five years, five years from now we're going to look back at this year and laugh on it and say, 'I can't believe we went through that.'

'You understand you're going to go through good times and you're going to go through bad times, and this is bad basketball. This is the worst it's been.'

Wade said this is when it is easy to determine true loyalty.

'When things are not going good, and you're doing things that people are still coming to support, then they're going to be fans through thick and through thin,' he said. 'You appreciate them for that, because it won't always be bad.'

With Wade able to opt out of his contract after two more seasons, there is a concern that the losing, this precipitous decline from the 2006 NBA championship, could sour him on South Florida.

'We've got to do everything in our power to try to change it hopefully this season, and if not this season, then change next season,' he said. 'We don't want to go through this constant losing, like the last year and a half.'

Yet there are no guarantees.

'I signed a three-year deal and I'm not worried about anything until my contract comes back around,' he said. 'So right now, my only objective is to make the Heat as good and as competitive as it can be. And when the time comes for us to renegotiate, we'll renegotiate.'

Wade helps bring cash, happiness to Lauderhill kids

2007-08-22T00:03:00.000+02:00

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade took his first two shots since undergoing shoulder and knee surgery in the spring.His first effort glanced off the backboard and rim, but his second shot found its mark, much to the delight of the more than 200 community members, VIPs and guests who attended a check presentation last month at Lauderhill's City Hall Park.It was one of several lighthearted moments for the NBA star, who teamed up with Staples Inc. to present a $25,000 check to the city of Lauderhill as part of the Staples Dream Park Challenge with D-Wade. Wade quipped that the city voted more for him than the city's mayor, Richard Kaplan, then tossed out souvenirs to children from the Lauderhill Boys & Girls Club.
City Hall Park received the most votes (110,000 of about 250,000 votes cast), and received the grand prize for a park makeover. The other 13 parks received $2,500 each for improvements. Wade said that as he grew up in Chicago, he developed his game on outdoor courts such as the ones in Lauderhill. Wade said he didn't have the opportunity to play inside a gym in Chicago."It is very important to give back to local parks," Wade said. "That is the foundation for what I do in the NBA. "This is where it comes from, playing out here in the open parks on hot, sunny days when you don't have any water or nothing and you are just out here playing for the love of the game."Wade said children move him when he makes appearances such as this."I love to play basketball, but I also love to see smiles on the kids' faces," Wade said. "I love to see hope and opportunity in them. I grew up in the inner city and grew up in a poor neighborhood so I was one of those guys who wanted to have someone come back and touch my neighborhood.""This is the No. 1 thing to happen to the city since I have been here," said Irvin Kiffin, Lauderhill's Parks and Leisure Services director for the past 10 years. "Dwyane is an outstanding individual and for him and Staples to do something for the community is huge."A day like today is very important," added Kiffin, who said the money went to resurfacing the basketball courts, work on the playground and some work on the athletic fields. "Not only are they coming here to see Dwyane Wade, but it is bringing the community together, which is a wonderful thing. Image is everything at the park. We have a beautiful basketball court and then the word will get out that Dwyane Wade was here and that is good positive feedback."Wade's appearance left quite an impression with the crowd, which included 15-year-old Rashida Gayle, who along with her sister, Shari, gave him a scroll inscribed with a quote from Aristotle. They also had lunch with Wade and other VIPs."It is amazing that he came here," Rashida said. "I don't think anybody else who would have come would have affected me as much as him because I am not a big fan of the Heat, but I am a big fan of his because he is so humble and his personality alone. He didn't frown when he was on the stage. All he did was smile."

I apologize

2007-08-03T23:22:00.001+02:00

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Parker eager to play alongside Wade

2007-08-02T23:44:00.000+02:00

Smush Parker, the Heat's newest acquisition, might be one of the luckiest point guards in the NBA. After two seasons running point for Kobe Bryant in L.A., Parker will now back up Jason Williams in Miami and play with another megastar, Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
For Parker, playing with Wade comes as a relief.
'D-Wade is more of a people person than Kobe,' Parker said of Bryant, his often-mercurial teammate. 'I'm looking forward to jelling with Wade, and playing with him. He's going to be a great teammate.'
Parker signed a two-year contract with the Heat on Friday after starting at point guard for two seasons in Los Angeles. He was replaced by Jordan Farmar for the Lakers' playoff series against Phoenix after his season numbers were down across the board from a year before. The Heat has stressed Parker's defense and athleticism.
'I came to the Heat for the chance to bring a championship back to Miami. We have all the right pieces in place.' Parker said. 'Whatever they want me to do, I'll do. I'll be a floor leader, a coach on the floor. I'm a point guard; the offense and defense starts with me.'
Parker is the Heat's lone acquisition in an offseason framed by failure to sign Milwaukee guard Mo Williams or Rockets guard Steve Francis. Warriors swingman Mickael Pietrus and Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro remain outside possibilities through a sign-and-trade.
'I can't control who they bring in. I'm just confident that if I get the opportunities, I will perform.' Parker said.

Wade aims to be back by opener

2007-06-08T19:22:00.000+02:00

Heat guard Dwyane Wade said Tuesday he is optimistic about making it back from last month's knee and shoulder surgeries by the start of next season.
In his first interview since the May 15 procedures, Wade said the Oct. 30 start of the 2007-08 regular season remains a tangible target for his return.
'I'm confident I'm going to get back to where I need to be,' he said on a conference call from Chicago, where his wife recently gave birth to the couple's second child. 'It'll take a lot of hard work, and I'm not scared of that.'
The initial prognosis had Wade out as long as six months from the date of the surgeries. He had the option of putting off the surgery on his left shoulder and solely addressing the tendinitis in his left knee.
'I'm glad that I got both of them out of the way and got 'em done, so I'm [on] a faster pace to recovery,' he said, with his knee rehabilitation beginning two weeks ago and the work on his shoulder to commence next week.
Although he undertook an extensive rehabilitation program in order to return from his mid-February dislocated shoulder in time for the playoffs, Wade said that gain was lost when he underwent the May procedure that eliminated concerns about the shoulder again popping out of joint.
'It starts from scratch all over again, but it helped me mentally, knowing that I can do it,' he said.
Wade said he would move his rehabilitation program to Las Vegas to be with the U.S. national team when it reconvenes this summer for an Olympic qualification tournament, but would not participate.
'I do intend on going up there. I'm still a captain,' he said. 'I'm going to be there for moral support and support for my team.'
E. Jones WANTS MORE After spending the second half of last season with the Heat, guard Eddie Jones said he plans to play another season.
Jones, 35, becomes a free agent July 1, which would be the earliest the Heat could discuss yet another reunion.
'I feel like I still can play, and we'll see what happens,' the Weston resident and former Ely High star said last weekend at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, where he attended a dinner to benefit the Crockett Foundation.
Jones, who struggled in the postseason and was benched during the Heat's final playoff game, said he loves 'being here, my kids love it, my wife loves it, my family is here, my mother, my stepfather.'
WORKOUTS BEGIN The Heat worked out six draft prospects Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
In addition to Georgia Tech guard Javaris Crittenton, Southern Cal guard Nick Young and Virginia Tech guard Zabian Dowdell, prospects who stand as possibilities for the Heat's No. 20 selection in the first round, the Heat also worked out Florida forward Chris Richard, Maryland guard D.J. Strawberry and Providence center Herbert Hill.
The Heat does not currently hold a second-round round selection in the June 28 draft, which came as a bit of a surprise to Richard, who said, 'That's news to me.'
Crittenton and Young are expected to be taken in advance of the No. 20 selection, but Young said he learned a lesson from the plummet of Notre Dame's quarterback at the NFL Draft.
'You never know,' he said. 'With the Brady Quinn thing ... you've just got to stay focused.'

Dwyane Wade and Wife Have Second Son

2007-06-02T19:57:00.000+02:00

Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and his wife, Siohvaughn, became parents Tuesday for the second time.
The couple's second son, Zion Malachi Airamis Wade, was born at 9:45 p.m. at a Chicago hospital, weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces. He joins older brother Zaire, 5, in the Wade household.
"We are very excited and blessed to welcome our second child into the world,'' Wade said on his Web site. "We are really happy and everyone is healthy.''
Wade was the MVP of last season's NBA finals for the Heat, whose title defense ended in the first round of this year's playoffs. The All-Star guard underwent surgeries on his left shoulder and knee earlier this month and will not play with USA Basketball during the FIBA Americas tournament - an Olympic qualifying event - in Las Vegas this summer.
Wade averaged 27.4 points this past season for the Heat despite missing 31 games because of several injuries, primarily a dislocated left shoulder suffered in February.

Commentary: Means to an end

2007-04-29T22:55:00.000+02:00

This ends soon for the Heat - if not Sunday afternoon in AmericanAirlines Arena, then almost certainly Tuesday night in the United Center in Chicago - and it ends ignominiously.
Whenever it does conclude, Heat coach Pat Riley needs to win an argument with himself. He needs to talk himself into quitting.
Don't be mistaken.
This isn't a call for Riley's dismissal. Not at all.
This is a suggestion that Riley once and for all should get away from coaching and tend solely to his duties as team president. He should give in to the fatigue accompanying the relentless monotony of the courtside job. Riley has done so, memorably, on previous occasion in Miami and elsewhere, but he should make it stick this time. He should retreat to his president's office and set about undertaking single-minded reconstruction of the Heat.
Riley, for my money, remains among the upper echelon of NBA bench bosses. He's willful. He's tough. He's smart. He's a leader. He still makes a considerable difference on any sideline he patrols, and the Heat team Riley built and led to a championship a season ago will stand forever in franchise history as documentation of his formidable presence and influence.
But the best thing Riley could do for himself and the team now is to infuse it with a new and young-blooded coach of his own choosing, whose lack of familiarity with Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade would provide the Heat with the clean slate it needs.
Riley's exhaustion is showing, and the 3-0 hole Miami is standing in against Chicago in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series has exacerbated the wear.
Last season took a lot out of Riley, and hardly has this season - complete with his prolonged absence because of hip surgery - reinvigorated him.
"Last year was the hardest season I ever had," said Riley, 62, who has coached all or parts of 23 seasons in the NBA, after practice Saturday afternoon. "I took over and never got up to speed. There was no planning. I spent seven weeks trying to talk Stan (former coach Van Gundy) out of quitting."
Now, can he talk himself into doing so?
"When the season's over, I'll address a lot of things," Riley said.
The Heat has a still-young superstar in Wade, yet there's precious little vibrancy to the team. That's in part a representation of Riley's surrender to O'Neal's increasing frailties. O'Neal requires more and more physical protection each year, and there's a widespread residual emotional effect on everyone around him as he's accommodated.
Ask yourself: Isn't the Heat's on-court style and off-court demeanor much more reflective of Riley and O'Neal than it is of Wade?
Now, ask yourself: Isn't it time for that dynamic to change?
Hand over the keys
Age, as the Heat is discovering against the Bulls, isn't playing well this time around.
O'Neal isn't going anywhere, but Riley, by concentrating only on duties as team president, could begin the process of transforming the Heat into a group that better fits Wade's talents and, sure, even his sensibilities.
Wade, for his part, calls Riley "top of the line" and has enjoyed his guidance.
Riley and O'Neal have done their best to give Wade room to grow both as a player and a person. But there comes a time when providing room to grow isn't enough. There comes a time when someone like Wade - a great player and an emerging identity not just for the Heat, but for the game - needs a space all his own.
Nobody should understand such a thing better than Riley and O'Neal, who long ago secured iconic stature with their multiple championships.
Riley, though, is the one who best can facilitate a transformation of the Heat, because he's the one who can be director without being coach. He's the one who can be the merchant of change, and, hey, it has occurred to him before - once right here in Miami - that the best place for change to start is in the coach's chair he occupies.
Riley stepped away from the Heat bench previously when he handed the team to Van Gundy, remember? Maybe he decided he wanted it back or maybe he's telling the truth about having tried to convince Van Gundy to stay.
Doesn't matter. Old news.
Doesn't matter in this instance, either, that Riley took the Heat to the title in relief of Van Gundy.
What matters is the state of the team, which is awash with questions.
Riley stayed the course with much the same group of players that won the championship, and it didn't work out. If such a result wasn't 44-38 predictable during the regular season, neither should it have come as a shock. And though Miami's first-round playoff predicament is startling, it also might have been expected, considering how disjointed the season was with significant injuries to Wade and O'Neal added to Riley's surgery.
It all seems to have caught up to the Heat.
"I don't want to make that assessment right now," Riley said. "I really don't. I think everybody knows what it is and what the adversities were. We overcame a number of them, and that's where we are. That's how we got to this point. It isn't the best situation, because continuity is really what makes a team consistent. But that's what we had to deal with."
A new start will be required.
It should be a dramatic one Riley can make happen by winning an argument with himself.

Dwyane & Shaq 2gether again

2007-04-24T23:32:00.001+02:00

Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal will be in the starting lineup together tonight against the Bulls for just the fourth time since the All-Break.

Understandably, they're chemistry continues to be a work in progress.

Wade said there are times when he's uncertain how aggressive he needs to be offensively when he and O'Neal are on the court. Wade deferred to O'Neal early in Game 1, and O'Neal responded with 10 points in the first quarter and 17 in the first half before he was limited by foul trouble.

Wade scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 96-91 loss to the Bulls. Injuries throughout the season have prevented Wade (wrist, shoulder) and O'Neal (knee, calf) from spending much time together on the court. The two have combined to miss 70 games because of injuries.

Wade said he would rather get O'Neal going early and rely on his own offense late in games. Finding that balance has been difficult at times.

''It's something I go through back and forth,'' Wade said. ``I try not to be too aggressive [early]. I try to be patient. When it's time to be aggressive, be aggressive. But that's not the easiest thing in the world. I feel like I can get a shot at any time.''

At times, O'Neal has questioned why his role in the offense diminishes late in games, particularly when he's not in foul trouble. There were several games late in the regular season when O'Neal was effective and aggressive in the first half and nearly nonexistent in the fourth quarter. O'Neal said one problem was that perimeter players were settling for too many long jumpers.

''I'm very unselfish, so when I kick it out, we have to mix it up more,'' said O'Neal, who attempted just four field goals in the second half Saturday. ``They [Bulls] were jamming the post, and I really don't like to force shots. We have to do a better job, whether that's kicking it back in or hitting open shots.''

Heat coach Pat Riley said O'Neal continues to get plenty of ''touches'' throughout the game and disputes that the offense gradually shifted away from him in Game 1.

''He had 38 touches in 24 minutes,'' Riley said. ``We're running out whole offense through him. You can say whatever you want to say. He's the guy that brought us here, that's helped us get a championship, that's made us what we are.''

Heat first in Division without Wade!

2007-03-30T19:30:00.000+02:00

When Dwyane Wade dislocated his left shoulder nearly five weeks ago, there was considerable sentiment around the NBA that the Miami Heat would be hard-pressed to simply make the playoffs.That sort of talk isn't happening now. Wade's still hurt, yet somehow, the defending NBA champions have clawed their way into sole possession of first place in the Southeast Division for the first time all season.Miami (38-32) got there Monday night, when it beat Atlanta and Washington (37-32) lost at Utah to fall a half-game behind the Heat. That series of events also pushed Miami to third in the Eastern Conference standings, a spot it'll seek to keep on Wednesday when a three-game road swing opens in Toronto."We've got something in front of us right now," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "Now we've got Toronto, Minnesota and Detroit, so we've got big games coming up. They all mean something now, and I just hope our guys will come with a sense of urgency."Since Wade got hurt, the Heat typically have brought the type of urgency Riley is seeking.When Washington won at Detroit on Jan. 30, the Wizards were eight games ahead of Miami in the standings. Miami won later that night to get within 71/2 games, and was still six games behind Washington on as Feb. 23, two days after Wade dislocated his left shoulder.Wade hasn't played since -- he's rehabbing and hoping to be back next month -- but the margin between the teams has vanished.The Heat are 12-4 since Feb. 23, the Wizards 6-11. And Orlando, which also led the division for a time in the early portion of the season, has also spiraled down over the last 41/2 weeks; the Magic, who were ahead of Miami for much of the season, are now 51/2 games behind the Heat and down to seventh in the East.But there was no raucous celebration in the Heat locker room Monday night. No celebration at all, actually, as some players said they didn't even know they were in position to reclaim first place."You can't get wrapped up in watching other scores," Heat forward James Posey said. "When that happens, you can have some slippage, so you just worry about what you've got to do."True, but for the first time all year, the Heat controls its seeding fate.When the three-game road trip ends in Detroit on Sunday, a second matchup with Toronto -- the Atlantic Division leader also vying for the No. 3 seed in the East -- awaits in Miami on April 3. From there, the Heat will have road games in Cleveland, Boston, Charlotte and Orlando still to play, plus home matchups with Charlotte, Indiana, Boston and an April 11 showdown with Washington that will likely go far in deciding the division title.Of the 12 remaining games, seven are against teams with sub-.500 records."I'm a firm believer that in order to be a true championship team, you have to win at home and win on the road," Heat center Shaquille O'Neal said. "I've had home-court advantage throughout, I've had the No. 4 spot, I've had the No. 5 spot. So we just have to play these next 12 games and whatever spot we get, we have to formulate a strategy and stick to the strategy."

Wade's comeback?

2007-03-24T20:32:00.000+01:00

Dwyane Wade sat before a bank of microphones on March 5, saying he would need at least two weeks of rehabilitating his dislocated left shoulder before deciding whether to return to the Miami Heat this season.
It's been two weeks. Still, no one knows for sure when the NBA finals MVP will be back.
And if a timetable exists, Wade isn't saying just yet.
'Physically, I'm doing good,' Wade said Monday on a conference call to announce his plan for upgrading his old high school gym at Richards High in Oak Lawn, Ill., a Chicago suburb. 'I've been working out every day and doing what they're telling me to do. So I'm doing all right.'
Somewhat surprisingly, so are the Heat _ who, even without their leading scorer, have rallied nicely to rise in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Miami lost 97-83 to Orlando on Sunday, a defeat that halted winning streaks of nine straight overall and 14 in a row at home _ both were the longest current runs in the NBA. But even with that defeat, the Heat have gone 10-3 since Wade got hurt.
'I see him on the court every day,' Heat coach Pat Riley said. 'He seems to be progressing. They're advancing with their drill work and he's got the heavy ball, how high he can get his arms up and stuff. He feels stronger, but we won't know for a while when, exactly, the day will come when he'll start to play _ so we're not even thinking about it right now.'
When Wade got hurt, he had two options: Rehab or surgery.
He chose rehab, with the hopes of returning sometime this season, but with the caveat that season-ending surgery remains a possibility if the shoulder doesn't get strong enough to allow him to play. And after one of his first workouts after the rehab regimen started, he realized how difficult getting ready again will be.
'It was rough, and right then, I thought surgery might not have been that bad,' Wade said. 'It's hard work, but if I can get back, then it'll be worth it to me to go through it all.'
Wade was averaging 28.8 points when he got hurt, and at the time, the Heat were on the playoff bubble. But now they're firmly in the mix for an Eastern Conference postseason spot, plus have climbed within one game of Washington in the Southeast Division race.
And teammates, while acknowledging they don't know when it will happen, still insist they expect Wade back.
'With our No. 1 option out, Pat asked me to use my experience and get everyone involved,' Heat center Shaquille O'Neal said. 'We've got a lot of veterans who know what to do when it's time to step up, and when we get our No. 1 option back we'll be ready.'
Wade was not at the event at his high school on Monday because of the rehab schedule, but has been cleared to travel; he accompanied the Heat to the White House for a championship celebration earlier this month.
He's been back on the bench with teammates in recent weeks, but even that provides a reminder of how severe his injury was: Something as simple as clapping his hands is still difficult because of the compromised range of motion in his shoulder.
'It's always hard not to get on the court and not to do something that you love doing, especially at this time of the year,' Wade said. 'This is the exciting part of the season, going into the playoffs. It's hard, but my team is playing well.'

Cavs beat Heat

2007-02-11T20:08:00.000+01:00

With a straight face, LeBron James insisted he wasn't trying to prove a point or silence any critics. That's not how it looked, though. James ended a mini-scoring slump with 29 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers did a better job containing Miami's Dwyane Wade on Friday night in a 103-79 victory, snapping the Heat's five-game winning streak.
James had averaged just 17.7 points _ almost nine under his average _ on 39 percent shooting in the past four games. But going head-to-head against his good friend Wade, and perhaps inspired by his doubters, brought out the best in James, who scored 16 points after halftime and added seven rebounds and six assists.
Recently, James had taken heat for his poor free-throw shooting and for the Cavaliers' inability to win showcase games against quality opponents. For now, that kind of talk should quiet down.
'I don't care about that stuff, us being 0-5 on national television and LeBron not being the same player he was,' he said. 'I don't get into that. My teammates know what I'm capable of.'
Wade finished with 27 points, but he never got a chance to take over the way he did a week ago when he outscored Cleveland 24-23 in the fourth quarter and had a season-high 41 points in Miami's 92-89 win.
Sasha Pavlovic scored 15 points, added a career-high six assists and made the game's biggest defensive play on Wade in the fourth when the Cavs, who played their most complete game this month, pulled away.
Shaquille O'Neal had 14 points in his seventh game back since undergoing surgery on his left knee. The Heat were held to 43 percent shooting and failed to score at least 90 points for the first time in 18 games.
'It was a sluggish game for us,' Wade said. 'I don't know why. All of us were a little sluggish and Cleveland took advantage of it.'
Last week, the Cavaliers blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter when they were unable to slow Wade. They led by 12 points after three quarters this time, but before they let Wade get warmed up, Cleveland pushed its lead to 17 on two nice plays by Pavlovic.
He first surprised Wade near the top of the key by slapping the ball away from the Miami All-Star. Pavlovic grabbed it and sent a pass ahead to James, whose dunk made it 81-64 with 8:19 remaining.
'There's no stopping him,' Cavs coach Mike Brown said of Wade. 'You have to make him work for everything. I thought our guys did a nice job of doing that, and he still almost got 30. He's a handful.'
After the Heat closed within 12, the Cavaliers reeled off eight straight points, with James twice threading inside passes to Anderson Varejao for easy buckets.
James, who has been slowed by a sprained right big toe, capped the third quarter with a vicious dunk over Alonzo Mourning to give the Cavs a 69-57 lead.
Dribbling near the foul line, James spotted an opening and drove the right side before cocking his arm and delivering a facial on Mourning, who wasn't called for a foul despite striking the All-Star forward in the nose.
Wade had nearly as many turnovers (5) as points (7) in the first half, but Miami's slashing superstar doubled his scoring total in the first four minutes of the third as the Heat began cutting into an 11-point deficit.
But the Cavaliers responded and pushed their lead back to double digits thanks to rookie Daniel Gibson. He faked an outside jumper, took off toward the basket and turned in the air before bouncing into the 300-pound-plus O'Neal while being fouled and making an off-balance layup for a 60-49 lead.
Gibson missed his free throw, but his bravery inspired the Cavs.
'He could have smushed me,' Gibson said. 'It was either me or him. I better be careful because next time he might murder me.'
Lately, Pavlovic has made the most of more playing time and came in averaging 13.8 points in his last five games. He had an immediate impact, scoring 11 of Cleveland's 17 points in one stretch as the Cavaliers took a 44-33 halftime lead.

Wade Caps Special Day With Big Effort

2007-02-05T19:02:00.000+01:00

Dwyane Wade heard raucous chants of 'MVP,' had a mountain of memorabilia to sign and saw his picture hanging high above the court. Little wonder he's so comfortable in Milwaukee.
Wade capped his special weekend with another brilliant performance in the Bradley Center with 32 points and 11 assists, and Jason Kapono added a career-high 28 points to lead the Miami Heat over the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 on Saturday night.
'It was great,' Wade said. 'It was very special for me and my family ... a win-win all-around. Marquette won, the Heat won and I got my jersey retired.'
Wade, who went 11-of-17 from the field, also extended his franchise-best streak of consecutive games with at least 20 points to 14 as Miami won its third straight and snapped a five-game road losing streak. He also had his collegiate jersey retired Saturday in a ceremony during the Providence-Marquette game.
'He's the greatest guard I've ever played with, and I've played with some great ones,' said Shaquille O'Neal, who quietly had 20 points in 20 minutes after first-half foul trouble. 'We talk all the time. We stay on each other all the time. We're the best of friends.'
Wade's performance trumped Mo Williams' career-best 38 points on 16-of-31 shooting that led five players in double figures for the Bucks, who have lost four in a row and 15 of the last 17.
Williams still doesn't have backcourt mate Michael Redd (left knee). Redd is expected to practice on Monday and may be back as early as Tuesday against Orlando
'I definitely don't feel comfortable shooting 31 times,' Williams said. 'When Mike is there, I'm 15, 16 shots. I'm comfortable with that.'
Eddie Jones returned to the court for the first time since signing with the Heat on Thursday. The 35-year-old guard, one of Miami's most popular players from 2000-05, was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. He played six minutes and scored two points.
Wade, O'Neal and Kapono quickly erased an early second-half deficit by feeding off each other during a torrid shooting display in the third. All three scored in double digits in the quarter as the Heat scored 41 points on 15-of-19 shooting from the field.
O'Neal had 11 points in the quarter, including an alley-oop slam off Wade's pass during a 22-4 run that gave Miami control of the game.
On the next possession, Wade found Kapono crosscourt for a 3-pointer. Kapono, the league's most accurate 3-pointer shooter at 55 percent, went 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in the period with 14 points as Miami led 90-78 lead after three. Kapono finished 6-of-7 from 3-point range.
'It was rhythm and guys did a good job of setting screens,' Kapono said. 'I'm a slow guy. It takes time for me to get my shot off. I'm a slug.'
Milwaukee got 16 points and 11 rebounds from Charlie Villanueva, 11 points from Ruben Patterson and 10 each from Charlie Bell and Earl Boykins. The Bucks went on an 11-2 run to cut the Heat's lead to 92-87 early in the fourth after a 20-foot jumper by Williams, who said after the game that the Bradley Center remains Wade's home.
'He always plays well when he comes here,' Williams said.
Miami stretched the lead back to double digits when O'Neal, who didn't head to the other end of the court to play defense on one play, was all alone on a fast break. He made a behind-the-back pass to Udonis Haslem, who finished with 11 rebounds, for a dunk to make it 101-91 and the Bucks never got within striking distance again.
Wade already had a busy weekend back in his old college haunt where he led the Golden Eagles to a 31-1 home record and the Final Four in 2003. His jersey was retired earlier Saturday and his picture now hangs directly beside the school's postseason banner and one honoring Al McGuire's 1977 NCAA championship team on the Bucks' home court that they share with Marquette.
For a while, Wade looked to steal the entire spotlight.
O'Neal was expected to play more than the 28 minutes he logged in the Heat's 92-89 victory over the Cavaliers on Thursday night.
But after scoring the game's opening basket, O'Neal picked up two fouls with 10:16 left in the first quarter and his third two minutes into the second.

Heat lose to Knicks

2007-01-28T21:49:00.000+01:00

This time, the Miami Heat were the ones with no answers. And Shaquille O'Neal has seen enough of that. Jamal Crawford connected on 16 straight shots from the field and scored a career-high 52 points, leading the New York Knicks to a 116-96 victory over the Heat on Friday night.
Four nights after the Knicks allowed 27 consecutive points in an embarrassing loss to a Miami team that was without Dwyane Wade and O'Neal, the Heat (19-24) were the helpless ones.
'We have to take one game at a time and take care of business, and we haven't been doing that,' O'Neal said. 'We just have to step up and play. Everyone has to do their job and everybody has to want to be here and everybody has to want to play. I'm getting sick and tired of this. I've never been five games under .500 in my career. It's embarrassing.'
Crawford missed his first four shots, then didn't misfire again until 2:16 remained in the third quarter. The Knicks had a 20-point lead by then on their way to snapping a two-game skid.
Crawford finished 20-of-30 from the field and 8-for-10 from 3-point range, helping the Knicks shoot 53.6 percent. He left to a standing ovation with 6:51 remaining, shortly after his final basket allowed him to surpass the 50-point performance he had for Chicago against Toronto on April 11, 2004.
'The way how Jamal played tonight was incredible,' Knicks guard Stephon Marbury said. 'That was the best performance I've ever seen inside the Garden other than Michael Jordan.'
No player had made 16 consecutive attempts in a game in the last 10 years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
'It felt great to get the win, more importantly,' Crawford said. 'They embarrassed us pretty good when we were down there. It looked good, like everything was almost going to go in.'
Wade scored 37 points for Miami, which lost for the fourth time in five games. O'Neal scored 11 in 15 minutes.
O'Neal, in his second game back after missing 35 in a row because of knee surgery, rejoined the starting lineup _ Alonzo Mourning was inactive because of flulike symptoms. Starting point guard Jason Williams was limited to 21 minutes off the bench because of a sore left foot.
O'Neal said perhaps it was time for him to start being harder on his teammates. Wade won't go that route, but sounded just as frustrated.
'I'm not a motivator. I've never been. Anybody looking for me to come in and make a speech, it's not going to happen,' Wade said. 'I just try to go out there and play and hopefully my play speaks for itself.
'Guys have to look at themselves in the mirror more than anything and come out and try to put their best foot forward. But I'm not a motivator, and that's not my job. My job is to go out there every night and prove and show my teammates what I'm going to bring to them. And that's why I try to do.'
Marbury returned from a sore knee and had a season-high 13 assists for the Knicks, but starting center Eddy Curry was sidelined after leaving Wednesday's loss to Phoenix with a strained left calf.
Knicks coach Isiah Thomas kept Crawford in the starting lineup and moved Quentin Richardson to small forward, sending Jared Jeffries to the bench. Jeffries has been struggling, and Thomas has repeatedly been asked why he was keeping him in the lineup instead of David Lee.
'I didn't want us to fall behind 10, 12 and lose confidence without Curry,' Thomas said. 'I wanted to make sure I had some more offensive punch on the floor.'
Crawford sparked the late first-half run that helped New York seize control, then never let Miami get close in third quarter by scoring 23 points, one shy of the Knicks' record. He hit his first eight 3-point attempts, finishing one shy of tying another New York record.
Allan Houston had the last 50-point game by a Knicks player on March 16, 2003, against Milwaukee. The club record for consecutive field goals made is 19 by Johnny Newman, though not all in one game.
New York got off to a much better start than it did Monday in Miami, when it trailed 40-12 after one quarter in a 101-83 loss. The Heat were up 44-42 after Antoine Walker's 3-pointer with 6:09 remaining in the second quarter, but that was their last field goal of the half.
Crawford scored five quick points to give the Knicks the lead and spark a 23-5 run that he capped with a four-point play with 0.2 seconds remaining to send New York to the locker room with a 65-49 advantage.

Wade outscores Bryant

2007-01-17T23:42:00.000+01:00

This is what they all came to see: Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, generally considered the best shooting guards in the NBA, dueling it out to the finish.
Story continues below
Even with Miami's attention on him, Kobe Bryant (25 points) still scores the Lakers' last six points of regulation and six of their 14 in OT.
This is no longer about Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, who didn't play in either the Christmas Day or Monday night game because he's still recovering from knee surgery.
This was about Bryant and Wade defending each other when it mattered most, about Bryant and Wade directing their teams' attacks, about who would get the upper hand this time.
Bryant's Lakers won in overtime, 124-118 over Wade's Miami Heat before 18,997 at Staples Center.
Wade outscored Bryant just like he did in their first meeting this season, getting 35 points and eight assists. Bryant had 25 points and eight assists that told much of the story.
He scored the Lakers' final six points of regulation and six of their 14 in overtime. He also found Brian Cook for a three-pointer that gave the Lakers the lead for good, 117-114.
"I was just waiting for the ball," said Cook, who had 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting, including 4 for 6 on threes.
"My man was leaving me to double Kobe all night. I knew it was good when it left my hands."
The Heat drew within one twice after that, but Bryant answered with a basket the first time and free throws the second, with 37.2 seconds left.
Wade then drove to the hoop and kicked the ball out for James Posey in the corner, but his pass was intercepted by Smush Parker, who was fouled and sealed it with free throws.
"Dwyane Wade penetrates, and he likes to dish it to either corner," Parker said, "and I just gave him a little head fake like I was going to double him and I got back to the shooter."
Said Wade: "I just read it wrong. I had a step on Kobe, I tried to draw and then kick, but Parker stayed home. So it caught me at the last second. It was a great defensive play on Parker's side. I should have put it up."
When it was over, Bryant and Wade sought each other out and hugged, a sign of respect for what each brings to the court.
Bryant said he aggravated his sore left groin but described his duel with Wade as "enjoyable."
"Wade stepped up to the challenge, and that's part of what makes him a special player," he said.
They were the stars of this shootout, which featured 23 three-pointers, including 14 by the Lakers.
Parker had 17 points, including five threes, and Luke Walton had 10 points and 10 rebounds as seven Lakers scored in double figures. Cook also had 10 rebounds.
"You've got to make three-pointers against Miami," Coach Phil Jackson said. "If you don't, you're going to be in a vacuum. You've got to be able to pull up and hit some shots."
The Lakers led 108-101 after Bryant's jumper with 3:31 left, but Miami scored seven straight and tied the game on a three by Jason Kapono with 1:58 left.
Bryant scored on a runner over Udonis Haslem for a 110-108 lead, and Wade missed a jumper over Bryant, but the Lakers couldn't secure the rebound. Parker ran the ball down but was off balance and threw the ball out to Kapono, who passed to Haslem for a dunk.
Bryant tried to force the issue when he went around Wade in the final seconds. But Haslem stepped in, drew contact and forced Bryant to throw the ball back out.
Maurice Evans threw up a desperation airball, and the game went into overtime tied at 110.
"We felt like we should have won it in regulation," Bryant said. "We didn't do it so now we have to regroup. We have to rebuild that energy, and that takes some maturity to do. We were able to do that."

Wade's 40 for Kobe's not so happy Christmas

2006-12-27T19:42:00.000+01:00

Imagine that! Kobe wasn't angry with Wade's 40 as much as he was with Arenas' 60 :)
Mybe he likes Dwyane better! Read on!

Dwyane Wade scored a season-high 40 points and passed out 11 assists in a spectacular one-man Christmas performance to lead the Miami Heat past the Los Angeles Lakers 101-85 in Miami on Monday.
Wade hit 12-of-20 shots and contributed four steals, four blocked shots and four rebounds while playing spirited defense against Lakers star Kobe Bryant in sparking the defending National Basketball Association champions to victory.
"This was a great game," Wade said.
"It's a great opportunity on Christmas Day. We wanted to go out there and take charge from the start and that's exactly what we did."
The Lakers, led by 16 points from Bryant and 13 from Frenchman Ronny Turiaf, fell behind by 14 points in the first half and could never overcome the Heat. Bryant hit only 4-of-17 from the field.
Wade ranks fourth in NBA scoring with 28.1 points a game while Bryant ranks sixth with 27.8 points a game. Bryant was impressed with Wade's one-man show.
"He is a hell of a young player," Bryant said. "He's really matched for coming off those screen-and-rolls and attacking. He's a phenomenal, phenomenal player."
The Heat improved to 13-14, matching Milwaukee for eighth in the Eastern Conference with their first triumph of the season over a club with a winning record.
Miami star center Shaquille O'Neal, who won three NBA titles while playing for the Lakers, didn't play on Monday. He has been out for more than six weeks with a knee injury, leaving Wade in command of the Heat attack.
The Lakers slid to 18-10 on the season. Only San Antonio, Dallas and Utah have won more games this season.
Wade scored 18 points in the third quarter as the Heat, who led 47-40 at halftime, grabbed their largest lead to that point at 74-58 on a Wade jumper before the Lakers trimmed the deficit to 74-64 entering the fourth quarter.
Turiaf jammed in a slam dunk over Wade off a no-look, behind-the-back bounce pass from Bryant to pull Lakers within 41-35 late in first half after they had trailed the Heat by as many as 14.
Bryant shot 1-for-9 from the field in the first half, managing only four points but playing solid defense in the second quarter as Miami went more than six minutes without a basket.

Dwyane Wade Marquette University stats

2006-12-26T22:42:00.000+01:00

Games FG% 3PT% FT% SPG BPG RPG APG PPG

*2000-01 Marquette -- ---- --- ---- --- --- --- --- ---

2001-02 Marquette 32 .487 34.6 69.0 2.5 1.1 6.6 3.4 17.8

2002-03 Marquette 33 .501 31.8 77.9 2.2 1.3 6.3 4.4 21.5

Div I Totals 65 .495 33.3 74.5 2.3 1.2 6.4 3.9 19.6

*2000-01 Academically Ineligible

Dwyane and Christmas

2006-12-25T19:51:00.000+01:00

First of all, I want to wish you a happy Christmas!
Now you can read an article about meaning of Christmas to Dwyane...

A kid jumped atop a picnic table, threw his tiny arms in the air and let out a loud, delightful shriek.
"Here he comes!" yelled the boy, who couldn't have been older than 8 or 9.
With that, the 250 or so underprivileged kids crammed in the back of a South Florida arcade began stampeding toward the guest of honor. Their tiny hands smudged the windows he walked by on his way to greet them, and they all began screaming indistinguishably as he neared the entrance.
Later, when asked what he thought of the tiny mob, Dwyane Wade shook his head and laughed.
"That was cool," Wade said. "Crazy. It's something that's very special to me."
The Miami Heat guard is an NBA champion, a finals MVP for his work against the Dallas Mavericks last June, a multimillionaire, and one of U.S. sport's most recognizable faces.
Yet he still marvels about making kids yell when he shows up to throw a Christmas party.
"See, to us, this is what the holidays are about now," says Siohvaughn Wade, Dwyane's wife.
It used to be different.

The Wades would do what just about everyone else does on Christmas morning: Wake up early, rush to the tree and start ripping into the pile of wrapped boxes.
That was before they could afford to give themselves whatever they wanted.
These days, with Wade in the final year of his first NBA contract _ one paying him $3.84 million (euro3 million) this season _ and less than a year away from entering a new deal that should pay him somewhere in the range of $63 million (euro48 million) over the next four seasons, money is no longer a concern.
So how many elaborate gifts are awaiting Wade on this Christmas, when he'll lead his Miami Heat against fellow superstar guard Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers?
Apparently, none.
"People like us 'get' all the time," Siohvaughn Wade says. "Constantly getting, constantly buying stuff, always getting something for free. So for the last three or four years, we haven't done the thing where we set a bunch of presents under a tree. We don't feel like there's a need anymore. Now, to be honest, we just give."
Wade arranged for his Converse shoes and brand of clothing to be distributed on Saturday at his mother's place of worship, the New Mount Nebo Missionary Baptist Church in southwest Chicago, and soon he will be sending another 100 pairs of kids' sneakers to the same church for another giveaway.
He's sent shoes to soldiers in Iraq, and to people struggling after Hurricane Katrina.
He's helped others privately and, truthfully, he'd rather do it all without fanfare.
"It's about giving. That's what Christmas means to me more so than anything," Wade says. "It's not just giving presents, giving certain gifts. It's about giving what you can. For me and my family, it's about giving love, about giving cheers, about giving joy, putting smiles on kids' faces because they're the future. Hopefully, when they get older, they'll pass it on and it'll keep going down the line."

Dwyane Wade pictures, wallpapers and photos

2006-12-24T18:58:00.000+01:00

It is the best that I just give You links to the galleries, isn't it?
So, here they are...

Wallpapers:
http://www.dwyanewade.com/media/wallpapers.php
http://www.coolbuddy.com/wallpapers/sports/nba/Dwyane_Wade_home.htm
http://www.godesktop.com/free_desktop/Sports/Basketball/Dwyane_Wade/main.html

Pictures & Photos
http://www.bballone.com/dwyanew/dwyanewadepg.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3708/photos

I see no point in continuing... Hope you found the links useful!

Interesting facts about Dwyane Wade

2006-12-24T18:52:00.000+01:00

Known for dunking on Jermaine O'Neal in the 2004 playoffs, Dwyane Wade thought he would try it on Shaquille O'Neal. Much to his dismay, he fell down and Shaq simply told him, "Don't ever try that again."
Contrary to commercials from the 2005 NBA playoffs, Wade's nickname Flash is not derived from that of the DC Comics superhero of the same name. It references a Queen song "Flash", from the soundtrack of the 1980 film Flash Gordon. Shaquille O'Neal, who gave him the name, even sang part of the song in an interview, saying "He's the greatest in the universe." In his earlier years, Shaq would say this about himself.
Is one of only four active players who have won the Finals MVP trophy (Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups, and Shaquille O'Neal)
Was named to People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2005.
Wade won the 2006 PlayStation Skills Challenge by beating LeBron James in the final round.
Won an ESPY for break out athlete of the year in 2005.
Won an ESPY for best NBA player in 2006.
Named NBA's best dressed player by GQ Magazine in 2006.
Wade chose number 3 because it represents the Holy Trinity.
He gives 10% of his salary to a church in Chicago.

Dwyane Wade name misspell

2006-12-24T18:39:00.000+01:00

Dwyane's name is often misspelled as Dwayne. I would like to ask him if he's annoyed by that... I certainly would be! There is even a story that he turned down Duke University's offer because they typed his name DWAYNE... I'm not sure if that story is true (my brother told me he had read it in a magazine), but anyway, you can't say it isn't intertesting!
Further on, almost 50% of people searching for his info thinks it is spelled Dwayne!
Despite the unorthodox spelling, Wade's first name is pronounced as Dwayne and OFTEN in print media, it is misspelled as such.

Dwyane Wade Converse shoes

2006-12-24T18:21:00.000+01:00

I play in those white, the first. I don't like them the most, but here in Croatia, I couldn't find better :)

Dwyane Wade Jersey

2006-12-24T18:05:00.000+01:00

Pictures of all Wade's jerseys!
Personally, I like white one's!

Dwyane Wade complete biography

2006-12-24T14:53:00.000+01:00

For a unique player, Dwyane Wade sure brings to mind a lot of cliches. He can run the break, stop and pop, take it to the hoop, find the open man and make the big defensive stop. He’s unselfish, unflappable, unassuming, and often unstoppable. For a long time, Dwyane was also relatively unknown and definitely underappreciated. In a league where players are glamorized for “doing it all” (and even more act like they know it all), he is being recognized as a player apart, the kind of difference-maker you need for a championship run. Whatever the job, Dwyane gets it done. This is his story…

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. was born on January 17, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois. His parents, Dwyane Sr. and Jolinda, split up when he was young. They maintained a civil relationship, however, so Dwyane and his sister, Tragil, got to spend plenty of time with both.
Up until his eighth birthday, Dwyane lived on Chicago’s South Side with Tragil, their mother, her new husband, and his two daughters. Dwyane and his sister became particularly close during this period. He admired her mental strength and her commitment to their church, the Blood, Water and the Spirit Ministry. Religion was very important to the entire Wade clan.
Well mannered and well adjusted, Dwyane liked sports, particularly football and basketball, but never really thought of playing professionally. That began to change when he moved in with his father and his new wife and three sons, an arrangement agreed to by Dwyane's mom.
Dwyane Sr. worked in a printing plant, making enough money to afford a home in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn. An excellent hoopster in his younger days, he coached a team of teenagers at the Blue Island Recreational Center. He often brought Dwyane to practice, teaching him the basics of the game and schooling him on its nuances. The team’s best player was Dwyane’s step-brother, Demetrius, who also contributed to his basketball development.

With his new family so completely immersed in the sport, Dwyane’s love for basketball blossomed. He became a big fan of Chris Webber and Michigan’s Fab Five. The team’s athleticism and cohesiveness captivated him.
Despite his passion, Dwyane was not much more than an average player. But what he lacked in the skills department he made up for with toughness and intelligence. He and Demetrius took on all comers on a court in the family’s backyard. Dwyane Sr. was their most troublesome opponent. Their dad often challenged them to games of 21, where it was every man for himself under the backboard.
When it came time for Dwyane to start high school, he followed Demetrius to H.L. Richards in Oak Lawn. Known as a football powerhouse, the Bulldogs were also in the process of building one of the area’s top basketball programs. Demetrius was the centerpiece of coach Jack Fitzgerald’s squad.
Initially, Dwyane made a bigger impression on the football coaches at Richards than he did on Fitzgerald. A gritty cornerback and wide receiver, he showed promise on the gridiron, but couldn’t kick his obsession with basketball. Dwyane spent his second season with the Bulldogs on the sophomore team, as Demetrius led the varsity to a record of 28-2.
Dwyane was able to deal with his shortcomings on the hardwood thanks in part to his girlfriend, Siohvaughn. The two had met several years earlier, before either one had any real interest in the opposite sex. They became friends, and later began dating as freshmen. Dwyane and Siohvaughn have been together ever since.
Determined to earn regular time on the varsity, Dwyane worked out all summer long before his junior year with Richards assistant coach Gary Adams. He improved his ballhandling skills, and also his outside game, shooting hundreds of jumpers a day. Dwyane’s body cooperated, too, as he shot up up nearly four inches to more than six feet tall.
Always a tenacious rebounder, Dwyane now had the size and skills to excel in all phases of the game. Recognizing an emerging star, Fitzgerald made the junior his go-to guy. With Demetrius lost to graduation, Dwyane did it all for the Bulldogs. If Richards needed to break the press, Fitzgerald put the ball in Dwyane’s hands. If they needed a hoop in close, they fed the ball to Dwyane in the post. For the year, he averaged 20.7 points and 7.6 rebounds, and opened eyes all around Chicagoland.

Among those who took notice was Larry Butler, coach of the AAU Illinois Warriors. Already the state’s top amateur squad, the Warriors boasted a roster that included future pro and college stars Darius Miles, T.J. Cummings, Matt Lottich, and a good buddy of Dwyane’s, Odartey Blankson. Butler wanted a player to complement Miles, and Dwyane was the perfect fit. No only could he could run the break, but he could start it with a rebound and finish it with a twisting lay-up. (Dwyane didn’t start dunking until his senior year at Richards.)
Playing with the Warriors earned Dwyane the one thing he truly needed: exposure. To this point, college scouts barely knew he existed. Now they were checking their programs to find out about the rock-solid swingman. His biggest moments came during the Nike Peach Jam. Though never the dominant player of the floor, Dwyane displayed a knack for the game, especially in crunch time, that savvy evaluators couldn’t miss.
Heading into his senior year, Dwyane was becoming a hot commodity among midwest schools. Marquette, DePaul and Illinois State were all interested, and he responded to the extra attention with a marvelous season. Dwyane went for a double-double almost every game, with averages of 27 points and 11 rebounds. Richards surged to a mark of 24-5.

The scholarship offers didn’t come, however. The problem was Dwyane’s low score on the ACT. Fearing he wouldn’t be able to cut it academically, most schools backed off. Marquette was an exception. Assistant coach Tim Buckley loved everything about Dwyane, on the court and off. He helped convince head coach Tom Crean to give the teenager a shot. Marquette accepted Dwyane as a partial qualifier, meaning he could practice with the basketball team as a freshman but not suit up for games.
Watching from the sidelines was hard on Dwyane. Crean eased his burden by keeping him intimately involved. The coach made sure Dwyane sat next to him during home contests, constantly quizzing him on how he would handle different situations. The frosh wasn't allowed to travel with the Golden Eagles, so when they played on the road, Crean passed a cel phone around the locker room after each game so that Dwyane could talk with his teammates.
As the season progressed, the frosh gained maturity and confidence. In the classroom, he studied hard and maintained good grades. On the practice court, he added dimension to his game and some 20 pounds of muscle to his frame. By the fall of 2001, Dwyane was champing at the bit to start his college hoops career.
Crean, in his third year at the helm, was just as excited to welcome Dwyane aboard. Formerly an assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State, the coach was in the midst of an impressive rebuilding program. The Golden Eagles had finished above .500 in his first two campaigns, and with Dwyane and incoming freshman Travis Diener joining senior point guard Cordell Henry, Crean had the makings of Conference USA’s most versatile backcourt. Along the front line, sophomore center Scott Merritt was expected to provide much of the scoring punch.
Dwyane’s impact was felt immediately. In his first five games, all wins, he averaged more than 20 points, nine rebounds, and nearly five assists. After a good showing in the Great Alaska Shootout, Marquette shot to #17 in the nation. Dwyane was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and the Conference USA Player of the Week.
As the calendar turned to 2002, Dwyane continued his fine play. He torched DePaul for 35 points, including an eye-popping reverse dunk on an alley-oop pass from Henry. In February, he helped Marquette break Cincinnati’s 20-game winning streak with 25 points in a 74-60 victory. A crowd of almost 19,000 showed up at the Bradley Center for the contest, and mobbed Dwyane and his teammates afterwards.
The Golden Eagles headed into March Madness with high hopes. But they ran into a buzzsaw in the form of cat-quick Tulsa, and bowed out in the opening round 71-69. For Dwyane, the loss was softened somewhat by his selection as First Team All-C-USA and Honorable Mention All-America. Marquette’s leading scorer, he set a school record for sophomores with 571 points. Dwyane also topped the team in rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots.
But Dwyane’s most memorable moment of the season occurred away from the court when Siohvaughn gave birth to the couple’s first child, Zaire Blessing Dwyane. Being a father agreed with Dwyane, but he didn’t lose his focus on basketball. Over the summer, he pored over hours of game film, and noticed that his effort on the court was uneven at times. For the 2002-03 season, he vowed to maintain a more consistent energy level. He also spent plenty of time working on his jumper from beyond the 3-point line.
Marquette returned virtually the same team for the '02-03 campaign, though Crean scored two recruiting coups with Mississippi State transfer Robert Jackson and prep star Steve Novak. The pair was slotted to join Dwyane, Diener and Merritt in the starting lineup.

Early in the season, the Golden Eagles established themselves as the class of Conference USA. The Wade-Diener backcourt proved lethal, while Jackson and Merritt did excellent work in the paint. Marquette steadily climbed the national rankings, eventually reaching the Top 10.
Dwyane was the player opponents concentrated on stopping, but the job was nearly impossible. Whatever the Golden Eagles needed, he found a way to provide. In a late-season matchup at Louisville, he spearheaded a fierce rally that erased a 19-point deficit. Down the stretch he nailed a pair of 3-pointers to seal the victory. A week later Dwyane put up 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Marquette beat Cincinnati to claim its first conference title.

As the Golden Eagles prepared for the national tournament, Dwyane was determined to avoid another early exit. In its opener, however, Marquette got a scare from Holy Cross, failing to put the game away until the closing minutes. Diener keyed a 72-68 victory with a career-high 29 points, while Dwyane posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists. Typical of the junior, when he realized that his backcourt mate was feeling it, he fed the ball to him as often as possible.
Next came an overtime thriller against Missouri. The Golden Eagles blew a 10-point lead, but got a clutch trey from Novak to tie the contest at the end of regulation. Marquette sizzled in the extra period, hitting all of its shots from the field and the foul line. Dwyane finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
Facing defensive-minded Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16, Marquette gutted out another tough win, beating the Panthers 77-74. Dwyane stepped up in the second half, connecting for several big baskets with time winding down. His 22 points topped all scorers.
In the Elite Eight for the first time since 1977, when legendary coach Al McGuire led Marquette to the national championship, the Golden Eagles drew No. 1 seed Kentucky. The Wildcats never knew what hit them. Marquette won easily, 83-69, behind a sparkling performance by Dwyane. With 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, he recorded just the third triple-double in March Madness history. He was a no-brainer choice as the MVP of the Midwest Regional Final.
Marquette’s magical ride ended in the Final Four against Kansas. The talented Jayhawks throttled the Golden Eagles with their transition game, winning 94-61.
But the season was still a huge success, particularly for Dwyane, who wowed NBA scouts with his versatility, leadership and composure. A consensus First Team All-American, he averaged 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.2 steals. Now a certain a lottery pick, Dwyane opted to enter the NBA Draft. Everyone at Marquette wished him the best. He had been a model student-athlete during his three years at the school, and brought the Golden Eagles back to national prominence on the hardwood. With a wife and son to support, he deserved to cash in as a high first-rounder.

Dwyane lasted until the fifth selection on draft day. To no one’s surprise, LeBron James went first to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then three teams that could have used Dwyane—the Detroit Pistons, Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors—passed on him. That left the Miami Heat in great position. The team had an interesting collection of players, including small forward Caron Butler, shooting guard Eddie Jones, and big man Brian Grant. Pat Riley also had his eye on free agent Lamar Odom. Dwyane was the type of player who could help this nucleus gel. And between him and Odom, Riley would have two players who could run his offense.
Dwyane slotted into the rookie salary structure at more than $7 million over three years. The 2003-04 campaign opened on an ominous note for the Heat when Riley resigned as head coach. He handed the reigns to assistant Stan Van Gundy, and Miami proceeded to lose its first seven.
Dwyane’s adjustment to the pro game contributed to the team’s struggles. Opponents wanted to see whether he could knock down the outside jumper consistently, so they backed off when he had the ball on the perimeter. This made Miami’s half-court offense bog down at times. On the break Dwyane had no trouble getting to the hoop, but finishing plays was difficult for him. To cure this problem, assistant coaches Bob McAdoo and Keith Askins gave Dwyane a taste of what it would have felt like if he had pursued a football career. In practice, they donned big blocking cushions, and battered him as he took the ball to the rim.
Durability also became an issue. Dwyane missed a couple of games early on with a hip pointer, and then fell hard on his right wrist during a game in late November. When the contusion didn’t heal, he sat out nearly all of January.
Ironically, the time off proved beneficial for Dwyane and Miami. He picked up helpful hints by watching and listening to his teammates and coaches, and the Heat began to get more comfortable with Van Gundy. When Dwyane returned, the team had climbed within reach of a playoff spot.
Dwyane recorded his first career double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds in February against the Orlando Magic. Four days later, he set a franchise rookie record by converting 15 field goals against the Atlanta Hawks. The following week he was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week, becoming the first Heat rookie to earn the honor.

By March, Miami had moved up to eighth place in the East, and Dwyane was garnering support as NBA Rookie of the Year. He wound up third in the voting behind James and Carmelo Anthony. At 17 points and more than four assists and rebounds each night, Dwyane was producing in all facets of the game. Just as impressive was his 47.4% shooting from the field, second only to Sam Cassell among the league’s guards. With Dwyane and Odom leading the way, the Heat won 17 of their last 21 games to finish at 42-40, good for second place in the mediocre Atlantic Division.
In the playoffs, Dwyane amazed onlookers by rising to the occasion time and again. Miami opened the postseason against New Orleans, and in Game 1 they got a feel just how tough the Hornets would be. The visitors kept the contest close, knotting the score at 79-79 with seconds remaining. Dwyane took over from there, nailing a 10-footer at the buzzer for the win. He finished his playoff debut with 21 points.
With the teams trading victories in the see-saw series, Miami looked to Dwyane again in Game 5. This time he canned a clutch 3-pointer to break an 80-80 tie and put the Heat ahead for good. Two days later, in a New Orleans win, Dwyane established a franchise rookie playoff record with 27 point. In the decisive Game 7, the Heat relied on a balanced team effort to win 85-77, and move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
There they faced the equally athletic Pacers. Miami pushed Indiana to six games, but Jermaine O’Neal was too much for the Heat to handle. That’s not to say Dwyane didn’t put up a fight. For the series, he topped the team in scoring (21 ppg), playmaking (5.7 apg) and shooting (48.9% from the field), all the while logging more than 40 minutes a contest. In the process, he joined Stephon Marbury, Michael Jordan and Billy Ray Bates as the only rookies in NBA postseason history to lead their clubs in points and assists.
Dwyane’s sparkling playoff performance helped convince Riley and the rest of management that the Heat were perhaps one impact player away from contending for the NBA title. Of course, that player—Shaquille O’Neal—was a pretty tall order. But with Kobe Bryant unhappy in Los Angeles, and Phil Jackson on his way out as Laker coach, Shaq was looking for a new home. Miami offered Odom, Grant and a first-round pick. LA wanted Dwyane. The Heat refused, but did add Caron Butler to the mix, and eventually landed the hulking center.
Meanwhile, Dwyane was honing his game with the U.S. Olympic team. He received rave reviews from the coaching staff, including Detroit head man Larry Brown, and his teammates applauded his professional approach in practice and games. But Dwyane wasn’t able to lift the Dream Team to gold. After suffering a head-scratching loss to Puerto Rico, the Americans wound up with the bronze medal. In the win over Lithuania for third place, Dwyane had nine points and a game-high six assists.
Once back in the States, Dwyane and Shaq became fast friends. The big guy loved his new teammate’s me-second attitude, and talked up Dwyane in the press at every opportunity. Nicknaming him Flash, Shaq also made sure to stick it to Bryant, intimating that Dwyane was the better all-around player.
The duo of Dwyane and Shaq quickly turned Miami into the East’s best team. The Jones boys, Eddie and Damon, provided perimeter scoring, while Udonis Haslem was a nice complement on the low block. Some wondered whether Shaq’s presence would stifle Dwyane’s development, but they had the exact opposite effect on each other. Because it's all about winning for both players, neither was afraid to defer to a teammate with the hot hand.
As the 2004-05 campaign progressed, that hot hand belonged to Dwyane more and more often. In the preseason, he looked to get his teammates involved. But it soon became clear that the Heat was most dangerous when Dwyane shouldered more of the scoring burden. Thanks to his explosive first step, there were few defenders in the league who could stay with him when he went to hole. The result was usually either a bucket or a trip to the foul line, though the other Miami players learned to be ready for a bulls-eye pass if they were left alone.

By the All-Star break, Dwyane was being mentioned among the league's Top 10 talents. His impact on the Heat was obvious, as he and Shaq led the squad to the East's top record at 59-23. Dwyane upped his numbers markedly in every significant category, including scoring (24.1 points), rebounding (5.2 boards), passing (6.8 assists) and shooting (48% from the floor and 76% from the line). He was also a terror on defense, averaging more than a steal and a block per game. Fourteen times Dwyane posted a double-double, and in late December he orchestrated a win over the Pistons in Detroit with a triple-double (31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists).
Though the #1 seed in the East, Miami opened the playoffs amid a lot of questions. Most notable was the health of Shaq, who was suffering from a deep thigh bruise. In fact, some in the media predicted the Heat would fall to the Nets in the first round. They were dead wrong. Shaq answered the bell in Game 1, and looked fine, going for 17 points and 11 rebounds. Dwyane and Damon Jones, meanwhile, were on fire. The duo combined for 62 points as Miami cruised to a blowout victory. From there, the Heat never really looked back. New Jersey pushed them when the action moved to the Meadowlands, but Miami still closed out the series in four games.
Next up were the upstart Washington Wizards, and again the Heat registered a sweep. Dwyane was magnificent all series long, pumping in more than 30 a night and dishing out eight helpers a contest.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons edged the Heat in seven games. The decider was a particularly painful loss since it came in Miami. Dwyane was a handful for Detroit early in the series, going to the hoop strong, running the break at will, and making one clutch shot after another. But when the Pistons refocused their defensive game plan, Dwayne found his lanes to the basket closed off, and his jumper wasn't falling consistently. With Miami's other offensive options also stalling, the team didn't have much of a chance.

The Heat haven't wasted time trying to retool. With Riley still working behind the scenes, they pulled off the biggest deal in NBA history, landing Antoine Walker and Jason Williams in the process. Some have criticized the team, saying Miami only had to fine-tune, not overhaul. Whether the new lineup meshes has a lot to do with Dwyane. Don't be surprised to see Shaq hand over more the leadership responsibilities to his teammate and friend. The big guy knows that Flash possesses than intangible quality of bring people together.

In the 2005-06 NBA season, Wade was elected to his second All-Star Game in 2006, in which he made the game winning put-back off of the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson's missed shot. Wade finished the 2005-06 regular season averaging 27.2 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.95 steals per game.
Against the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Wade shook off a few injuries that scared Heat fans, including a severely bruised hip in Game 5. Returning late in the half, Wade resurrected his team by scoring 15 of his 28 points while suffering from intense pain, leading the Heat to the much-needed 3-2 series lead. After this, Wade successfully led his team to the 2006 NBA Finals, despite suffering from flu-like symptoms in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. He put up a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists in that game, including an 8-point flurry to close out the 3rd period that put the game out of reach.

In his first trip to the NBA Finals, in which the Miami Heat faced off against the Dallas Mavericks, Wade continued to display his great ability. His performance in games three, four, and five, in which he scored 42, 36, and 43 points, respectively, brought the Heat back from a 0-2 deficit to lead the series at 3 games to 2. Wade's Game 3 performance was especially memorable; Wade finished with 42 points (tying his career playoff high) and 13 rebounds (career high). 15 of his 42 points came in the 4th quarter, in which the Heat erased a 13 point deficit over the final 6:34 with a 22-7 run which included a go-ahead jumper by NBA veteran Gary Payton that sealed the win. The Heat went on to win Game 6, taking the 2006 Finals series 4-2, and Wade was presented with the Finals MVP trophy. Dwyane had the third highest scoring average ever by a player in his first NBA Finals with 34.7 points per game.
At least one journalist claimed that Wade was the recipient of "phantom foul" calls, allowing him to attempt almost as many free throws as the entire Dallas Mavericks team. ESPN journalist Bill Simmons argued that lopsided officiating gave Wade an unfair advantage. On the other hand, Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon believed that the Miami Heat was the better team.

Quietly—which is his style—Dwyane has entered the realm of the NBA’s elite stars. His numbers are impressive enough, but you have to look past the stats to truly gauge his value. Dwyane is a player’s player. Always has been and always will be.

Dwyane does so many things like Michael Jordan that the comparisons are inevitable. He is at his best with the ball in his hands, penetrating hard to hoop. His ability to slice through the defense is nothing short of amazing.
Dwyane’s outside shot is good enough that he no longer can be left alone on the perimeter, which gives him the opportunity to beat his man off the dribble. Once he beats his man, his options are threefold. He can pull up for a short jumper, continue on to the rim and dish off to an open teammate, or finish the play himself.
Dwyane is always a threat on defense. His quick, active hands and anticipation produce plenty of steals. He’s also an excellent rebounder.
Dwyane says he will never compete in the Slam Dunk contest, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a regular contributor to the evening highlight reel. Dwyane is a fantastic dunker, though he lays the ball in as often as he slams it home. That’s because he prefers to use his dunks at pivotal times, either to wake up his teammates and the home crowd, demoralize an opponent, or shake himself up if his energy is lagging.
Dwyane is already respected as a leader. Part of this has to do with his work ethic. He takes practice as seriously as games. In fact, he likes to train in the gym by himself, setting up chairs that he pretends are opponents and teammates. Dwyane is also known as a crunch-time performer. His numbers always sparkle in the postseason, and he’s money with the game on the line.