It's hard to say what his "ceiling" would be. He should cut down the turnovers, which usually occur because he tries to make stuff happen when it isn't there. His handles are just fine. Why would he lose his quickness? AI has lost very little and he plays more minutes and hits the ground more often than Wade. I agree quickness is the key to his offense because the only people that can stay in front of him (like Devin Harris) aren't strong enough to guard him. His change of direction move from right to left (without the crossover) is a work of art. Judging by what he's done so far, Wade will definitely get better and I will enjoy watching him whether the Heat win or lose.
I would say that Wade's body type looks pretty sturdy, so I wouldn't be surprised to see him able to take a lot of contact for a good # of years. The biggest weakness I saw (after some announcer pointed it out) was the the way he regularly leaves his feet when passing and finds himself stuck with no options if the lane closes. He should work on that.
BINGO!!! Again, the naysayers against Wade grasp for straws when they won't respect him because he doesn't shoot 3s. Wade is great just as he is. But I'm sure he will develop one going forward.
Wade is an awesome player ... no doubt. And his personality makes him likeable even if you're not a fan of the Heat, which I like as well. But I think the praise got way out of hand. Stephen A. Smith asked Riley if he had ever seen a player this good in only his third year of the league. Uh, earth to Stephen A. ... Riley is from the era of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Magic was a 20-year old ROOKIE when he was forced to play center in Game 6 of the Finals against the Sixers, and he scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 7 assists. Give me a break ... Riley looked at SAS like he was nuts, saying (paraphrasing), "Yeah ... I mean come on now. Not taking anything away from Wade, but come on".
apparently you haven't seen riley's quotes about wade http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3988347.html "I've never had a player like this. I have not been around a player who can absolutely beat five guys."
True dat. Funny how whoever Shaq plays with is suddenly crowned the best player in the NBA. Penny Kobe Wade Wade is all dat and a bag of chips. But switch any of the following players for Wade on the Heat team and the final result would still probably be the same: Kobe Tmac Lebron maybe also: Pierce AI
He is a great talent, but his 'ceiling' will be largely determined by David Stern and the league. They can easily make him like a superman by sending him the the stripe line 30-40 times a game in the playoffs.
Wade will be great player for the next 10 years .....but seriously the foul shooting for Wade was unbelievable!!!!!!!!! Stern needs to get that fixed before people start to ask questions.
i think the praise has gotten out of hand as well** (although i just praised him quite a bit earlier in the thread), but shaq didn't have anything to do with those guys. first, i don't remember anyone thinking penny was the best, second, kobe just had an enormous, mvp-caliber season w/o shaq, and third, shaq was barely more than a role player in the finals as wade led the heat to a title. shaq has nothing to do with how great those guys are or appear to be. just like kobe, wade will still be a badass after shaq is done. i can easily see the first 3, as kobe dropped 62 on the mavs in 3 quarters this season, tmac torched the mavs in the playoffs last year even while having to guard dirk, and lebron is just plain badass, but i can't see pierce or AI getting it done. ** like greg anthony on espn.com today with "You have Dwyane Wade, this young man has a chance to be regarded as, dare I say it, the best ever." uhh, no.
the ceiling for Wade is 30 FTA per game. Oh sorry, you meant talent. Sorry, but the refs have singlehandedly made me overlook the man's incredible talent and focus on the fact that he got more calls than Jordan EVER did in a playoff game.
Dwade is the smarter and bigger AI. I think his defense is even better than his offense. That guy is relentless, never gives up on D.
I understand that Wade got a lot of calls, but I can't help but argue that he worked for it. The guy looks to drive in almost everytime he touches the ball, his quickness w/ his willingness to put his head down will give him the benefit of the doubt everytime. But that applies to a lot of the superstars IMO. Dirk could have shot just as many FTs, but you're not gonna get any calls by shooting jumpers. You have to give the refs a reason to call fouls, Wade does that, I'm not gonna bash him for that.
That's a major reason why I'm not too impressed by Wade. I personally believe some of his foul calls are outrageous, simply when he gets touched. Way too many foul calls, he makes like 10 shots in a game but shoots 25 free throws and gets 40 points. You can't call fouls on every drive to the basket. Why not play basketball instead of stopping the game every 45 seconds. Say whatever you want, but I don't play that.
I love his game. He's a very efficient shooter for a guard. He doesn't jack up a lot of threes. He shoots the mid range jumper when the defense plays off him. He has one of the best first steps in the league so he attacks the basket and is a great finisher. The guy earned his most of his free throws. The Whinericks definitely hacked him at the end of game 5. Dallas just isn't good at defending teams with athletic perimeter players. T-Mac, Kobe, and Wade have proven this over the last two years.
