What mattered to Dwyane Wade was that ownership more than met him halfway, that Micky Arison and Nick Arison came to his home this summer to make sure their bond would endure.
Advertisement
The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem each took the opportunity to perform a few lip syncing/dancing/singing for the camera.
“I’ve been broken, broken, broken – but I’m still here, going into 13 years”, Wade said. The team has Wade and Bosh both healthy and ready for camp and after adding Dragic at the trade deadline, the point guard now has a full offseason and preseason with his teammates. It was largely assumed that he’d forgo free agency and remain with the team; instead, he exercised the player option on his contract and his agent flirted with the idea of his client joining another team.
It could have left Pat Riley, the architect of the roster, in an uncomfortable, perhaps even untenable, position. His wife was going through a pregnancy that was sometimes hard. I’m done with all those things.
Whiteside could prove to be an indispensable part of the team after this season. This was the logical next step.
“I talked to them at the end of the season”, he said. Now it’s just coming back the next day and the next day and getting my body used to all that contact, and running up and down the court and playing team basketball.
Losing LeBron was bound to have a big effect on the Heat but the fact that they also had to deal with a potentially life-threatening condition that ended Chris Bosh’s season was a final blow that ensured they would not be a playoff team.
“I didn’t let it bother me one bit”, he said.
He averaged 21.5 points and was an All-Star for the 11th time last season, Miami’s first after a four-year run with LeBron James. “So I get it”. Add in rookies Karl-Anthony Towns and Nemanja Bjelica and what could be the final year of Kevin Garnett’s career, and this is a team that should be a League Pass favorite while finishing with at least something better than last year’s worst record in the league.
For now, it allows Wade and coach Erik Spoelstra to formulate a narrative that allows for a future while also seizing the moment. “And this is not about a decreased role or minimizing any of it in any way shape or form”.
X-FACTOR – Health You could pretty much say this about any team, but the only way Miami will be able to rebound from last season and put together a strong 2015-16 campaign is if they are able to keep their key players healthy.
Advertisement
Chris Bosh: I mean I think everybody should take the necessary precautions anyway. While he’ll need to practice his shooting as the season approaches, Winslow is best when the ball is in his hands and he’s attacking the paint and making plays for others.
