The departure of LeBron James as a free agent earlier this summer left a void for the Miami Heat to fill. With the leagues best player taking his talents back to Cleveland, there isn’t really a viable way to replace such a loss. Determined to remain competitive the Heat retooled by adding new free agents, but they’ll also be relying on their returning stars to contribute in a major way.
This plan will also include more participation from Heat star Dwyane Wade. Last season Wade missed 28 games in an attempt to keep himself rested for what was an inevitable playoff run. The method certainly seemed like it worked to an extent, but losing James will force Miami to re-think that approach. Games will be much harder to win this season, and despite bringing in solid veterans like Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts, the Heat are far from the favorites in the East this year.
Fortunately Wade seems committed to carrying a greater workload in the absence of LeBron. Health permitting, Wade looks to increasing his availability for Miami this year. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he covers a variety of topics, but most importantly addresses his outlook on his role this season.
Via the Wall Street Journal:
How many games do you expect to play this year?
As many as god will let me. You always want to be on the court. This year, without LeBron, we don’t have the luxury we’ve had the last few years. But you can’t control that. I’ll hope for the best, knock on wood that everything will go great, and I’ll play as many games as I can.
In addition to his comments on the upcoming season, Wade also gave insight as to what he studies in relation to the game during the off-season. This included watching YouTube clips of fellow NBA shooting guard, Kobe Bryant.
Per WSJ:
You watched YouTube clips of Kobe Bryant on your honeymoon. There are lots of ways for you to get video clips of other players. But do you often watch on YouTube?
I do. Honestly, we can call the Miami Heat and say, “Can you put this together for me?” But sometimes, in my spare time, YouTube has certain clips and I might want to watch a certain game.
What numbers do you study?
I’m not really into all that. I look at my own scouting report, but I like to play the game and just react. I look and see that this guy loves to go left. But I want to play the game. I like to react toward the game. I do have in the back of my mind his strengths and weaknesses, but I don’t want to get too crazy and say, he only goes right 14% of the time. I don’t want to think that way.
After your playing career, if you’re in a front-office role, would that change?
I mean, yeah. You have to do what’s working or what people are doing. But because I played the game, a lot of it is going off of what I know of their talent just by watching. My whole life, I’ve had to break down film and watch players. It’s never really been about numbers for me. I’ve always had a good eye for watching players and seeing what they’re good at and what they’re not good at.
With LeBron James, Miami played in four straight NBA Finals in four years. While daring to contend in a fifth would be almost impossible, the odds of that have gotten lower since the loss of James. It will be interesting to see how Dwyane Wade plays now that there will be a larger burden placed on himself, and fellow teammate Chris Bosh for this upcoming season.
Other News Around The League:
Free agent Evan Turner is close to signing with the Boston Celtics. It was reported back in July that Turner and the Celtics had reached an agreement, but other factors seemed to have delayed the process. According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, the two sides are close to finalizing the deal. Per Jay King of MassLive the deal was delayed so that the Celtics could handle other needs: The Celtics kept Turner in limbo for a bit more flexibility throughout the offseason. Now, though, we’re fewer than 10 days away from training camp. The Celtics still need to trim at least one other player from their roster by then, plus two additional bodies before the regular season. Those numbers do not include training camp invitees Tim Frazier, Christian Watford and Rodney McGruder; all have little to no chance of making the final cut and could be destined for the Maine Red Claws.
- Charlotte Hornets player Jeff Taylor say’s he’s fully recovered from his ruptured achilles injury that kept him sidelined for most of last season. While it will certainly be good to see him back on the court, it will be hard for him to get quality minutes. The Hornets are stacked with depth at the wing positions, and Taylor looks to be last in the pecking order for now. Per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer: Taylor, a 6-foot-7 forward, will be in Charlotte Hornets training camp Sept. 30, almost nine months after he ruptured his right Achilles tendon in a game against the Detroit Pistons. Taylor injured himself Dec. 20 and he was given the option to put off surgery until after the holidays. That’s not Taylor’s way; he had the tendon reattached Dec. 22. He spent Christmas and New Year’s in a cast, followed by a boot, followed by a corrective shoe. It’s the first time he was ever seriously injured, and the experience was enlightening. “It’s been a long road,” Taylor said. “With an Achilles injury, you have to be really patient – slowly getting back all your strength, back to what you were.”
San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard Tony Parker was caught having a little fun this weekend. A viral video shows Parker displaying his ability to hit trick shots with a behind the back over-the-head half court shot.
Esau Howard is a regular contributor to Sheridan Hoops. You can follow him on Twitter here.