The First Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade:  The First Dwyane Wade, Not the Next MJ



         We’re at a time where every sports fan is looking for the second-coming of a former all-time great to grace the athletic landscape.  For example, Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison is allegedly the next Larry Bird.  Kerry Wood, before the numerous injuries, was slated to be the next Roger Clemens.  Then, there are the countless hardwood stars that are supposed to have the ability to fill Michael Jordan’s sneakers.  Jerry Stackhouse, Harold Miner, and Allen Iverson are the more recognizable names of those that have tried and failed to reach the unreachable star, with the jury still out on Kobe Bryant’s career.  Now, after these 2006 NBA Playoffs, there has been a new name to add to the long list of players to garner comparison to His Airness:  Dwyane Wade.
         Every other player has had at least one powerful similarity and at least one glaring weakness when his game and career was juxtaposed with Jordan’s.  Stackhouse came from UNC, but was just not as good as Jordan.  Miner could jump out of the gym, but didn’t have the offensive and defensive ability.  Iverson was, and still is, an unstoppable offensive force; but he hasn’t won anything.  Kobe has proven himself to be the closest thing to Number 23.  He even has the work ethic and killer instinct that made Jordan invincible.  He just hasn’t found the balance between carrying the scoring load while simultaneously making his teammates better.  In addition to these flaws, what distinguishes Michael the most was his ability to overcome any defensive strategy and continuously knock down dagger after dagger of game-winning shots.  When everyone with any basketball knowledge knew who was getting the ball, he still found a way to break the hearts of opposing teams. 
         While Dwyane Wade doesn’t match up physically with Jordan (he’s two inches shorter, but they’re about the same playing weight), his talent and playing style have earned him the right to the comparisons.  With that said, he is not the heir apparent to Jordan, but his own mold of basketball player.  He is one of millions of basketball hopefuls under the age of 30 right now that tried to model Jordan’s game, right down to the tongue-wag (I should know, I was one of them).  It also helps that he grew up in Chicago.  The similarities in the two superstars are striking.  Wade predominantly plays below the three-point line, with a deadly mixture of mid-range jumpers, fearless drives to the basket with acrobatic finishes through contact, and he almost never takes a three-pointer.  Jordan was the same way, but it took Jordan 10 years and a retirement to realize how important a 15-foot jumper is to the rest of your game.  Wade has understood that in his third year, but still possesses the youthful stubbornness that allows him to relentlessly get into the paint.  He has the Jordan-like ability to find a way to make circus shots from impossible angles (see: Miami-Detroit Game 4).  And no one has yet to discover a defender that gives him problems.  He posts and shoots over smaller guys (ask Devin Harris), and blows by bigger ones (ask Adrian Griffin).
         Wade also seems to have solved the puzzle that separates really good players from the elite:  the ability to perform in the clutch.  This is what keeps players like Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady from becoming “elite.”  Wade seems to shift his game into a different gear in the fourth quarter.  This is usually the time where opposing teams will try to keep the ball out of a superstar’s hands to make the other players beat them.  Even with various double teams, zones, and traps, Wade still finds a way to score double figures every time in the final period.  Just take into account the play in Game 5 in which he had seconds to weave past the entire Mavericks team to get fouled.  Just like Jordan, everyone knew who was getting the ball.  They knew he was not going to pass it, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it except foul him.  Everyone is so quick to compare him to MJ, but I beg to differ.  Borrowing from NCAA football Analyst Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friends!”
         Dwyane Wade is not small compared to average people (he is 6’4”), but he is smaller compared to the frontline players he weaves around and finishes over.  The theme of the famed commercial is truthful--he hits the floor countless times throughout a game, drawing comparisons from former NBA player Mark Jackson to call him “a bigger Allen Iverson.”  So, while it looks similar to AI each time he falls down, he has the body shape to take that physical pounding for a longer period; whereas Iverson would be injured somewhere.  He is lightning quick and an amazing leaper.  He is strong enough to shield opposing players on offense.  His one weakness other than lack of three-point range is that though he is great at playing the passing lanes, like Iverson, he is an inconsistent on-ball defender and relaxes on a few possessions.  Despite all his gifts, he seems to always be in control.  His game appears effortless.  Just observe anytime he pulls up for a mid-range jumper, or when he uses his crossover.  He may look defendable on TV (it even caused me to scratch my head in awe), but I guarantee that he looks like The Flash if one were to be in front of him on defense.
         There is no one player that any basketball fan can accurately compare Mr. Wade’s game to, including Jordan.  He has transcended above just being “a very good player,” as some have classified him to be at the start of the season.  Now here’s the scary part, ladies and gentlemen: he’s only 24 years old.  He has not yet sniffed his prime.  He can only get better.  Remember, Michael Jordan became Michael Jordan after he performed that spectacular lay-up against the Lakers in his first Finals appearance.  He was 31 then.  Wade is seven years younger, and has broken the mold of Jordan “apprentices.”  Flash is his own breed of player--The first Dwyane Wade.