Wade thread #2; Update: Press Conference info page 9

[Bulls03]

He shot 47% though which is good. Worse than what he usually shoots but still better than a lot of others. He was a good efficient scorer. He wasn't out there chucking every time he touched the ball like Rose.

[Bulls03]

Actually we can just agree that you haven't watched Wade play in a long time because he definitely doesn't chuck shots and is a playmaker and a very efficient player. I have a feeling Wade is about to shut a lot of people up.

[kyrv]

Actually we can just agree that you haven't watched Wade play in a long time because he definitely doesn't chuck shots and is a playmaker and a very efficient player. I have a feeling Wade is about to shut a lot of people up.

He is a good team player and teammate. The only issue last season was Dragic not liking Wade having the ball in crunch time. But, Wade having it was probably best for the team. I don't think that issue will be there this season.

[JordansBulls]

He shot 47% though which is good. Worse than what he usually shoots but still better than a lot of others. He was a good efficient scorer. He wasn't out there chucking every time he touched the ball like Rose.

Do you think Wade will be closer to 1998 MJ or Closer to 2002 MJ?

[Bulls03]

Actually we can just agree that you haven't watched Wade play in a long time because he definitely doesn't chuck shots and is a playmaker and a very efficient player. I have a feeling Wade is about to shut a lot of people up.

He is a good team player and teammate. The only issue last season was Dragic not liking Wade having the ball in crunch time. But, Wade having it was probably best for the team. I don't think that issue will be there this season.

Yea dragic could be mad all he wants though because in the end Wade was the clutchest player in both the regular season and playoffs. It would've been dumb to give dragic the ball.

[Bulls03]

He shot 47% though which is good. Worse than what he usually shoots but still better than a lot of others. He was a good efficient scorer. He wasn't out there chucking every time he touched the ball like Rose.

Do you think Wade will be closer to 1998 MJ or Closer to 2002 MJ?

Better than 2002 not as good as 1998 though. He will turn it up a notch or 2 when the playoffs come around though.

[kyrv]

Actually we can just agree that you haven't watched Wade play in a long time because he definitely doesn't chuck shots and is a playmaker and a very efficient player. I have a feeling Wade is about to shut a lot of people up.

He is a good team player and teammate. The only issue last season was Dragic not liking Wade having the ball in crunch time. But, Wade having it was probably best for the team. I don't think that issue will be there this season.

Yea dragic could be mad all he wants though because in the end Wade was the clutchest player in both the regular season and playoffs. It would've been dumb to give dragic the ball.

Yep. Dragic didn't pout but it was known he didn't like just standing for the corner 3. But...oh well.

[ccameron]

He is a good team player and teammate. The only issue last season was Dragic not liking Wade having the ball in crunch time. But, Wade having it was probably best for the team. I don't think that issue will be there this season.

Yea dragic could be mad all he wants though because in the end Wade was the clutchest player in both the regular season and playoffs. It would've been dumb to give dragic the ball.

Yep. Dragic didn't pout but it was known he didn't like just standing for the corner 3. But...oh well.

I don't think Dragic was mad about that at all. In the middle of the season Dragic let it be known he wanted the team to play at a faster pace and run more, and Wade got on board with that and they did in the second half of the season.

In the playoffs things got tough and slowed down (same thing happened during Miami big 3 era, playoffs just become a grind), and Wade had the ball in his hands a lot more in the 4th quarter. As far as I recall Dragic never even seemed unhappy with that, just kept saying how Wade was the best in the league in the clutch.

As a Miami fan, I'm seeing very wildly divergent expectations about him. Happy to see the excitement, but you are setting yourself up for a disappointment if you think he is all of the sudden going to be MVP candidate. He had a better chance of that in Miami. On the other hand, the negativity is unwarranted. Yes, he legitimately was one of the best players in the whole league in the playoffs. He took the Heat without Bosh and without Whiteside to 7 games against Toronto -- the team that won two games against Cleveland the next round. I think this years Bulls are better than the Heat without Bosh and Whiteside for sure, and they will make a lot of noise in the payoffs. Now If the Heat had Bosh and Whiteside last year, I'm certain they would have faced Cleveland and would have done better than Toronto at least, and I really wish I could have seen that.... oh well.

[jagz]

Hey guys, I'm a huge Wade fan, and I want to give you a dozen reasons to be excited about next season:

http://bit.ly/2bysjn5 (Thunder) http://bit.ly/2bsZlSf (Grizzlies) http://bit.ly/2buoq1a (Nets)
http://bit.ly/2bWyS4Q (Magic) http://bit.ly/2bvxzZZ (Pacers) http://bit.ly/2bvxNjM (Suns)
http://bit.ly/2bF1TgE (Bulls) http://bit.ly/2banuiD (Nets) http://bit.ly/2bWBa3z (Bucks)
http://bit.ly/2bt27qv (Hornets G6) http://bit.ly/2bvymd5 (Raptors G1) http://bit.ly/2b9pM38 (Raptors G4)

These are 12 games that Wade closed last season (I'm defining closing here as a player being the singular difference between winning and losing in the 4th/ OT). Some people earlier in the thread referred to Wade as the clutchest player in the league last year. They may not have been exaggerating. Nobody keeps individual stats on "closes," but I seriously wonder if any other player had more or even as many. If you just want to check out a few of the highlights, besides the playoffs, I would recommend the OKC game to see him take on both KD and Russ and win, the Magic game for pure shot making and the Bulls game just because.

Disclaimer #1: Wade hasn't had this prolific of a season closing in at least 6 years. It may have had something to do with dropping his minutes to 30. In 2015, he had about half as many closes, although he did miss 20 games.

Disclaimer #2: These closes, his 19 ppg in the season and 21 ppg in the playoffs came with a 30+% usage rate in those 30 minutes, which obviously isn't going to be what happens here.

But, that brings up some potential concerns. Wade already made the politically savvy declaration that the Bulls are Jimmy's team. Ok, but what does that mean? Is Wade really not going to be the go-to guy in crunchtime? Because that's pretty much what he does at this point, and for what you're paying him, if he's not doing that here, you're not getting your money's worth. And unless you can realistically envision Jimmy closing those games above, then Wade should have the ball in the clutch.

However, what you also should know about Wade is that he's an extreme rhythm player. So you can't just have Butler carry the load for three quarters and then expect Wade to take you home. Wade has to be in the flow throughout the game to come up with that end-of-game magic........ Anyway, I really hope this works out for both the Bulls and Wade (I have no idea how Rondo fits into this at all). And in the meantime, if you have any questions about your new acquisition, I know his game extremely well (and I may be a fanboy, but I'm also his toughest critic and will be brutally honest about where he is at this stage of his career).

[Hangtime84]

However, what you also should know about Wade is that he's an extreme rhythm player. So you can't just have Butler carry the load for three quarters and then expect Wade to take you home. Wade has to be in the flow throughout the game to come up with that end-of-game magic........ Anyway, I really hope this works out for both the Bulls and Wade (I have no idea how Rondo fits into this at all). And in the meantime, if you have any questions about your new acquisition, I know his game extremely well (and I may be a fanboy, but I'm also his toughest critic and will be brutally honest about where he is at this stage of his career).

Gooden4Life is that you bro?

[3ballbomber]

In the two seasons since Lebron left Dwyane has been been everything we could possibly hope for out of a mid-30's player, and yet he has not been enough. No enough to contend. Not really.

If you are still with me at this point, buckle up. It's about to get technical in here. This morning I set out to see how different the HEAT will be without Dwyane as the headliner. Here is what I found:


1. Miami plays better overall without Wade on the court. Last season Miami was 5.0 points per 100 possessions (about the length of a game) BETTER when Wade was on the BENCH.

2. Wade is no where near the defensive player he once was. Sure, he is still capable of impressive blocks here and there when he is locked in, but the numbers suggest that he is a liability defensively. Last season, for example, the HEAT were 6.1 points better per 100 possessions on defense with Wade on the BENCH.

3. He is in the middle of a steep offensive decline. Wade's Offensive Rating the past two seasons have been 102 and 103, his lowest since his rookie year. His shooting percentage last season was 45.6%, the lowest mark of his career. And the advanced shooting metrics show the same decline, with his True Shooting % also dipping to a career low. Finally, his PER (Player Efficiency Rating) last season was the lowest it has been since his rookie year.

4. The HEAT play better team basketball without Wade. Shouldn't need statistics to back this one up, but just for fun: HEAT assist rate goes up without him and the turnover percentage goes down without him.

5. Wade and Goran do not mesh well. When Wade is on the floor with Dragic the HEAT are a net 1.3 points better than opponents (The lowest of all two-man combos involving Goran). When Goran plays with anyone else not named Wade? +2.1, +3.8, +4.1, +4.5, +5.8, +6.1, +6.6, +6.9, +9.5. Another interesting note, his highest combos are with Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow.

6. Statistically, Whiteside plays better with Richardson, Dragic, Winslow, and Udrih than he did with Wade


In summary, the HEAT are in the middle of a rebuild AND poised to be better this season without Wade than they were with him in 2015-2016. We can expect Goran's usage percentage to increase and the minutes for Justise, Josh, and Tyler to skyrocket... but both of those things are good for the HEAT (at least according to advanced statistics from last year). The HEAT were a better team with Wade on the bench last season, and should (theoretically) be a better team with him in Chicago in 2016-2017.

Source: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2016/on-off/

This is an interesting post from a Heat member on another board.

I'm a big Wade Fan, have been since his Marquette days. But i was pulling my hair w/ what i was seeing from him last season. I don't mind the decreased numbers & stats......it was his lack of trust & faith in teammates, spite of him finally having a very balanced team. Miami needed to play a team orientated game in order to play well and be efficient but far too many times Wade would go hero/iso-ball to the detriment of the team. Yes he saved the Heat several times but not near as much as he used to back in his prime days. Miami didn't need flash, we needed a player who would trust in team concept.

After all-star break when Heat lost Bosh, Wade was out injured and Whiteside also had an injury Spo was forced to unleash Dragic and give more responsibilities to Deng & winslow - what we saw was the true strength of the Heat. We thrived as we moved the ball, shared the shots and played a team game. The biggest problem was Spo, he gave Wade the go ahead to 'feed the big dogs' and only really stumbled into Heats effectiveness w/ Dragic running the show due to the injuries & losing Bosh.

My concern is how will Wade approach this coming season w/ his new team. Will we see an unselfish Wade willing to differ to new teammates? or are we going to see alot more of what he did last season!?!? If it's the latter Chicago are in trouble. Wade can no longer consistently carry any team on a daily basis. If his mind set has not changed Chicago will struggle.

Wade has always been one of the most unselfish players since he entered the league in 2003 - wich is why it was so tough to watch most of last season. Let's hope Wade turns back his mind to when he made teammates & his team better by approaching the game w/ a team first mentality. I hope the negative Lebron influence hasn't stuck w/ him too much. Wade can still be a very dangerous player but he needs to alter his game in accordance to his age & team.

[MC3]

I dont see point of this thread.

[WindyCityBorn]

I think we are well aware that Wade is well past his prime. The Heat will NOT be a better without him this season either.

[jc23]

He also carried them in the playoffs when team ball wasn't cutting it. Look, most on here have low expectations for wade and the Bulls this season. The excitement will be there because we signed some names but I don't think anyone is thinking finals or anything silly like that.

[BeatDaCavs420]

K

[sco]

In the two seasons since Lebron left Dwyane has been been everything we could possibly hope for out of a mid-30's player, and yet he has not been enough. No enough to contend. Not really.

If you are still with me at this point, buckle up. It's about to get technical in here. This morning I set out to see how different the HEAT will be without Dwyane as the headliner. Here is what I found:


1. Miami plays better overall without Wade on the court. Last season Miami was 5.0 points per 100 possessions (about the length of a game) BETTER when Wade was on the BENCH.

2. Wade is no where near the defensive player he once was. Sure, he is still capable of impressive blocks here and there when he is locked in, but the numbers suggest that he is a liability defensively. Last season, for example, the HEAT were 6.1 points better per 100 possessions on defense with Wade on the BENCH.

3. He is in the middle of a steep offensive decline. Wade's Offensive Rating the past two seasons have been 102 and 103, his lowest since his rookie year. His shooting percentage last season was 45.6%, the lowest mark of his career. And the advanced shooting metrics show the same decline, with his True Shooting % also dipping to a career low. Finally, his PER (Player Efficiency Rating) last season was the lowest it has been since his rookie year.

4. The HEAT play better team basketball without Wade. Shouldn't need statistics to back this one up, but just for fun: HEAT assist rate goes up without him and the turnover percentage goes down without him.

5. Wade and Goran do not mesh well. When Wade is on the floor with Dragic the HEAT are a net 1.3 points better than opponents (The lowest of all two-man combos involving Goran). When Goran plays with anyone else not named Wade? +2.1, +3.8, +4.1, +4.5, +5.8, +6.1, +6.6, +6.9, +9.5. Another interesting note, his highest combos are with Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow.

6. Statistically, Whiteside plays better with Richardson, Dragic, Winslow, and Udrih than he did with Wade


In summary, the HEAT are in the middle of a rebuild AND poised to be better this season without Wade than they were with him in 2015-2016. We can expect Goran's usage percentage to increase and the minutes for Justise, Josh, and Tyler to skyrocket... but both of those things are good for the HEAT (at least according to advanced statistics from last year). The HEAT were a better team with Wade on the bench last season, and should (theoretically) be a better team with him in Chicago in 2016-2017.

Source: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2016/on-off/

This is an interesting post from a Heat member on another board.

I'm a big Wade Fan, have been since his Marquette days. But i was pulling my hair w/ what i was seeing from him last season. I don't mind the decreased numbers & stats......it was his lack of trust & faith in teammates, spite of him finally having a very balanced team. Miami needed to play a team orientated game in order to play well and be efficient but far too many times Wade would go hero/iso-ball to the detriment of the team. Yes he saved the Heat several times but not near as much as he used to back in his prime days. Miami didn't need flash, we needed a player who would trust in team concept.

After all-star break when Heat lost Bosh, Wade was out injured and Whiteside also had an injury Spo was forced to unleash Dragic and give more responsibilities to Deng & winslow - what we saw was the true strength of the Heat. We thrived as we moved the ball, shared the shots and played a team game. The biggest problem was Spo, he gave Wade the go ahead to 'feed the big dogs' and only really stumbled into Heats effectiveness w/ Dragic running the show due to the injuries & losing Bosh.

My concern is how will Wade approach this coming season w/ his new team. Will we see an unselfish Wade willing to differ to new teammates? or are we going to see alot more of what he did last season!?!? If it's the latter Chicago are in trouble. Wade can no longer consistently carry any team on a daily basis. If his mind set has not changed Chicago will struggle.

Wade has always been one of the most unselfish players since he entered the league in 2003 - wich is why it was so tough to watch most of last season. Let's hope Wade turns back his mind to when he made teammates & his team better by approaching the game w/ a team first mentality. I hope the negative Lebron influence hasn't stuck w/ him too much. Wade can still be a very dangerous player but he needs to alter his game in accordance to his age & team.

The article lacks one key point that I think has hurt the Bulls during the Rose/Butler regimes. If you have only 1 real offensive option, teams will focus their defensive attention on that guy and make your offense less effective. I'm not saying that Wade hasn't gotten older, but without Lebron and Bosh, who were they going to go to. Neither Dragic or Whiteside showed to be reliable options, Deng wasn't either, but when Wade went out the opponents schemes were less effective because it was more of a distributed offense. When I say Rose/Butler, it was mainly an "or" proposition, because there wasn't much time that they were both viable offensive weapons at the same time (due to health). The effect was muted on the Bulls because Pau was decent.

I am not saying that the Bulls won't struggle offensively next year. The only way it will work for us is if we have balanced scoring, where teams get hurt if they cheat off of Rondo and Lopez.

[Bulls03]

Where were those teammates at in the playoffs?

[jagz]

He also carried them in the playoffs when team ball wasn't cutting it. Look, most on here have low expectations for wade and the Bulls this season. The excitement will be there because we signed some names but I don't think anyone is thinking finals or anything silly like that.

And he carried them in the 4th quarter of all those regular season games I linked above (and more) last year. Heat fans like to tell themselves that the story of last season's success was small ball. In fact, that was only the story of the second half of the season. The story of the first half of the season was Wade keeping them above water, which is why their run at the end of the season was for the #3 seed not the #8 seed. In fact, they would have never made the playoffs (let alone Game 7 of the ECSF), and they would have finished beneath the Bulls and with a sub-.500 record if Wade hadn't bailed them out over and over again. This year, Miami will see what it's like to play without a closer.

Also, that other "Wade fan" was one of his most vociferous critics on the Heat board. That post he linked to was likely his own.

Having said that, Wade is definitely on the downslope in terms of offensive efficiency. FG% is the key number to watch-- he doesn't usually take enough threes for TS to matter. Last year was his career low in FG% at 45.6%. That's still high for many guards, but his career average is 49%. Also the most charitable thing that can be said about his overall defense at this point is that he still tries, which explains the on-court/ off-court numbers and other related metrics.

Wade's clutch play is what saved his season (and the Heat's) last year. If he can replicate a fair amount of that here, then he and the Bulls will both have a good season. If not, both sides may come to regret the signing.