Have you guys seen this guy lately? Aside from the Houston game, he is playing phenomenal basketball.. That thread that asked who's better Francis or Wade? Francis is a fine player and a star.. Wade.. is a superstar. Say all you want about playing with Shaq, its Wade that makes that team go now. Wade is going to have a career similar and a chance to be every bit the player LeBron will be. After watching him tonight, he is truly a difference maker.. he's getting better every game.
i do like wade anyone see that sequence at the end of the third quarter where he blocked the snot out of amare and then picked up the loose ball and made a 65-70ft heave at the buzzer now that was sick
Penny was a fine player. He averaged 20-4-5 the first year after Shaq left. Then he blew out his knees.
Shaq makes everyone with talent look good. Wade, Penny, Bryant are all all-stars in their own right, but Shaq makes them superstars just by being a threat ont he court.
Even when shaq was off the court, wade was still scoring like crazy. this kid is for real. i'd definitely take him over kobes
shaq doesn't make wade the great, great player that he is, but make no mistake about it, he makes him a ton better. shaq is still the most dominant player in the game, don't underestimate his impact on everyone. just look at kobe who is still an amazing player, but in the long run very little without the bigman. as far as being better than francis, i think that's obvious at this point until atleast steve gets his head back together. wade is defintely NOT better then kobe bryant. no way.
Last year I said Wade was Francis light. Now Francis would be considered Wade light. What I would love to see is how Steve would play on Shaq's team.
Wade looked pretty good last year when Shaq wasnt around. But of course looks even better this year with Shaq. There is no denying that. But I am AMAZED at the personal growth of Wade as a player this year (ditto with LeBron James). Just like LeBron, Wade's jumper is much better than last year and that's making his game look much better. And what I LOVE about Wade is he never settles for jumpers. He ATTACKS the basket and gets to the FT line. Shows good leadership skills too. All of this talk of Lebron vs Carmello. Forget that! It is LeBron vs Wade! I think Wade has surpassed Carmello. He has a better overall game and better leadership skills so far in his career. And Wade is a model citizen and teammate. I am a Wade fan for sure. I tell ya, I NEVER thought he would have been this good coming out of college. I thought he would have been a decent role player. The guy is a star! Perhaps not physically as gifted as Kobe/Tmac but he is a star player. To take it to the next level I think Wade is going to have to be a better 3pt shooter so it expands his game. If he can lock that down along with his ability to drive to the basket, he will be a tough cover.
Wade reminds me of Kevin Johnson, except bigger and stronger. When KJ was on his game, he could get any shot he wanted and was unstoppable because of his quickness. Wade is already a better finisher because he gets higher and can slam it home when he's fouled. What KJ had that Wade needs to work on is good free throw shooting. IMO, this is more important for him than working on his 3 point shot. Wade seems very dedicated to the game and I'm sure he will shore up all of his weaknesses within a couple of years. Don't sell Wade short when comparing him to Kobe & TMac. I think his first step is slightly quicker (he is smaller, ya know). While Kobe & TMac can get around 2s & 3s with no problem, Wade leaves point guards in the dust. Don't even bother comparing Wade to SF. A complete waste of time. One is already a superstar and will probably get better. The other is a very gifted, above average player who has peaked out already. One is focused on how he can help his team; the other is focused on how the team can help him. One is coachable, the other is not. One is liked by his teammates very much, the other is not. My one concern about Wade is durability. If the Heat make the finals, let's see if Wade is playing then like he is now.
um...for the ones that says that Wade is only good because of Shaq didn't watch last year's playoffs huh? As for wade, I think he better than Penny in his prime (before injuries took a hit). Is Flash better than Kobe? I think if the Heat wins the championship this year, it'll be debatable that he is JUST AS GOOD as Kobe. How so? Both players shoot pretty well, they're pretty clutch, etc.
Keep denying Shaq's influence, all the Shaq haters have been doing that throughout his career. He is the MDE, period! Let me make my case: Penny (couldn't win without Shaq, and now the Magic franchise has been in shambles ever since), Kobe (touted as the next MJ, yet can barely keep pace for 10th spot in the West, despite all-star talent in Odom), and now Wade (a heck of a player that had his team around .500 in the weak East last year, and whose game has skyrocketed this year playing with Shaq, transforming Miami to a 60-game winner despite gutting the team's talent from Butler, Odom, and others). 'nuff said!
Shaq is a one of greatest players in NBA history. He is the reason the Heat have the best record in the NBA right now. But don't tell me he is the reason Dwayne Wade has developed so much. Wade is a great player without Shaq, and the Heat would have won a lot of games with Lamar Odom & Caron Butler. While I doubt they would have the best record in the NBA, the Heat would still be Eastern Conference favorites, right behind the Pistons this year. Wade and the Heat went to the 2nd round of the playoffs last year without Shaq. Wade is BETTER than Penny! Kobe will win without Shaq if/when the Lakers bring him the right complimentary players. I will admit it remains to be seen if Kobe can mold his game and personality enough to allow other players around him to flourish. I'm a big time Shaq fan, but let's not overstate the case. Wade would have had his breakout year without Shaq and the Heat would have improved anyway. To a championship level? Probably not.
I hope that bit was satire because Wade averaged 18 points on 46% shooting all the while dishing out almost 6 assists and getting 4 rebounds per game in the playoffs last year. Without Wade, the Heat wouldn't have made it past the 1st round. Shaq's great and he creates opportunities for his sidekick, but you cannot tell me that Wade doesn't create anything for himself either. Right now if last year's draft was done over, it would most likely be LeBron and Wade going 1 and 2 respectively. And, yes, that does mean I think Wade is better than 'Melo
How could anyone not think Wade is a superstar? Pat Riley quit before last season because the Heat looked so bad and didn't want the wrap for another losing season. Then Wade emerged as a superstar his rookie year and carried that team into the playoffs. Playing with shaq doesn't make him much better. Maybe slightly at best. If a team only has a 1-2 puch, you can still double team both guys. I think his success comes not just from his athleticism, but from his high basketball IQ. Plus he's a humble player. You will never see Wade running Shaq out of town. I would take him over any point guard in the league. As for Hardaway, he would still be a star in this league if he had a couple good knees.
Don't you guys get my point?! I thought it was obvious, so let me restate it in a better way. ALL those players that have played with Shaq are/were All-Stars before without Shaq being there, but Shaq makes them the only thing that is worth a damn in the league: WINNERS! With Penny, he took a very, very young team (he was 3rd year player, and if I am not mistaken Penny was 2nd year player) to the Finals, beating MJ and the Bulls on the way there. With Kobe, he went to the Finals 4 times, winning 3 championships. With Wade, the Heat are instant favorites to make it to the Finals, and have their best EVER shot in franchise history to win it all (ALL this in only Shaq's first year there, impressive indeed). I am not taking anything away from those guys, but NONE of them are contenders (let alone winners, yes I am talking to you Kobe) without the Daddy. Doesn't that say it all? I don't think this point is arguable, how many times does Shaq have to leave a franchise in ruins and rumble into another town and resurrect yet another franchise all by himself before others start to "get it"? I know and understand what you are saying, but I hope you understand my point as well. A guy who runs the most dominant player of our era out of town should deserve the death penalty as far as his NBA career is concerned, in that sense I think Kobe deserves all he gets and then some. I wish him nothing but the worse in his career, what an ungrateful, idiotic, selfish loser he is. Ask AI or T-Mac if they would trade ALL their individual titles/trophies for ONE year with Shaq, and let's see what they would say. Some things just can't be denied or defended.
