would the heat be better with Wade off the bench next year?

[ballbrah]

(assuming the big 3 re-signs). I'm sure you're thinking "C'mon he's dwade he's gotta start" but I cant help but to remember the 2008 olympics when he came off the bench and was arguably their best player. Wades lack of outside shooting is killing the flow of the offense. He's had so many wide open 3's hes passed up or bricked because its not his strength. Insert a dead eye 3pt shooter that can defend at SG next year (Jodie Meeks for example?) and I cant help but think it would benefit the team. Then wade comes in vs other teams backups and kills them ala Manu. Could really extend his career too.

is it too crazy of a thought? i'd love to hear what you guys think

[EscapoTHB]

It's amazing to find out now that the players weren't TOLD that the Heat were going to be doing what they did with Wade over the course of the season. That's a major organizational mistake. Can you imagine how tiring it would be every night not sure what the lineup is going to be, if Wade is going to play or not? It radically changes responsibilities if Wade is playing or not.

That alone is a huge reason to bring Wade off the bench next year. A sixth man who is in and out of the lineup isn't as big a deal. A starter is.

The big concern I have is that Wade was rested the whole year to be able to play two series, and he ran out of gas against the Spurs. The last two games he had no lift, and missed 13 of his 15 paint shots.

A slasher who can't finish at the rim is a guy who is going to be done career wise really quickly.

He desperately needs to add a 3 point game. The big difference between him and Manu is that Manu can still get to the basket, and can hit the 3. Wade doesn't seem as quick as Manu. And I think defensively Manu plays smarter.

It's a bad situation. The whole idea of this team was a true big 3, and that Wade would be able to help Lebron extend his career by shouldering some of the burden. But it's clear that he can't, and what's worse the last two years in the finals, he has been a complete detriment to team success because Lebron still defers to him when he is on the court to try and get him going. If we replaced Wade with Trevor Ariza for instance, even though it would seem like a regression on paper--we'd probably be harder to beat.

It's a big problem.

[krikor]

lol, mario chalmers was starter on this team. rashard lewis was. and we call for wade to be on bench?
exactly who is going to bench wade? whose that great player thats going to bench him?

as bad as wade was, the others were far more trash then him.

[xMADEinDADEx]

Maybe if we get a solid person who could take wades spot in the starting rotation.

[contract]

(assuming the big 3 re-signs). I'm sure you're thinking "C'mon he's dwade he's gotta start" but I cant help but to remember the 2008 olympics when he came off the bench and was arguably their best player. Wades lack of outside shooting is killing the flow of the offense. He's had so many wide open 3's hes passed up or bricked because its not his strength. Insert a dead eye 3pt shooter that can defend at SG next year (Jodie Meeks for example?) and I cant help but think it would benefit the team. Then wade comes in vs other teams backups and kills them ala Manu. Could really extend his career too.

is it too crazy of a thought? i'd love to hear what you guys think

It's not crazy at all. I've been saying the same thing for a while now, but I doubt we do it.

[contract]

lol, mario chalmers was starter on this team. rashard lewis was. and we call for wade to be on bench?
exactly who is going to bench wade? whose that great player thats going to bench him?

as bad as wade was, the others were far more trash then him.

It's not about having a SG better than him. It's about what is best for the team for the full season. The wear and tear of playing starter minutes makes it more likely that his knee flares up, which means that the quality of his play declines, and he has to miss more games.

IMO it's a no brainer.

[ThereIsNoSpork]

lol, mario chalmers was starter on this team. rashard lewis was. and we call for wade to be on bench?
exactly who is going to bench wade? whose that great player thats going to bench him?

as bad as wade was, the others were far more trash then him.

Not that someone is better than him to replace him.. It's more about his health and the fact that having him in and out of the starting lineup every other game and constantly having to change lineups fuucks up the rest of the team, chemistry wise etc and just makes everything much harder. LeBron has said it himself.

[PaulieWal]

It's amazing to find out now that the players weren't TOLD that the Heat were going to be doing what they did with Wade over the course of the season. That's a major organizational mistake.

I was also shocked to learn this. It seems to be major misstep on the part of Riley/Spo that their plan to rest Wade as much as they could was not communicated to the team. I am sure if LeBron/Bosh knew this right from the start they probably would have been a bit more mentally prepared.

[Sorkoram]

Without question, it's obvious that even a year with Grover, he could only get right in small stretches. His minutes have to come down and Miami needs to get more athletic at the 2, but they could go the early Brooklyn KG route and sub him early.

[HeatFanSince87]

(assuming the big 3 re-signs). I'm sure you're thinking "C'mon he's dwade he's gotta start" but I cant help but to remember the 2008 olympics when he came off the bench and was arguably their best player. Wades lack of outside shooting is killing the flow of the offense. He's had so many wide open 3's hes passed up or bricked because its not his strength. Insert a dead eye 3pt shooter that can defend at SG next year (Jodie Meeks for example?) and I cant help but think it would benefit the team. Then wade comes in vs other teams backups and kills them ala Manu. Could really extend his career too.

is it too crazy of a thought? i'd love to hear what you guys think

Was saying this last season after we won to friends and they said I was crazy. They let the 2013 finals win and the two good finals games Wade had, fool them into thinking this was still prime Wade. I actually used the Manu comparison as well

If Wade accepted this, reinvented himself as a super sub, he could play another 4 years at a high level as a very good player for us.. Off the bench. There's zero shame in that and would just add to his legacy. This way he and the heat can continue playing in the finals.. And Wade could end up with 4-5 rings overall. He will still have those vintage "Wade" games too. We just won't need it every game like we do now... Wade is the key to this whole thing.

You can't have any starter sitting out 30 games a season, let alone your second best player.. And save him, then even when you saved him, he can't produce in the finals.

[HeatFanSince87]

It's amazing to find out now that the players weren't TOLD that the Heat were going to be doing what they did with Wade over the course of the season. That's a major organizational mistake. Can you imagine how tiring it would be every night not sure what the lineup is going to be, if Wade is going to play or not? It radically changes responsibilities if Wade is playing or not.

That alone is a huge reason to bring Wade off the bench next year. A sixth man who is in and out of the lineup isn't as big a deal. A starter is.

The big concern I have is that Wade was rested the whole year to be able to play two series, and he ran out of gas against the Spurs. The last two games he had no lift, and missed 13 of his 15 paint shots.

A slasher who can't finish at the rim is a guy who is going to be done career wise really quickly.

He desperately needs to add a 3 point game. The big difference between him and Manu is that Manu can still get to the basket, and can hit the 3. Wade doesn't seem as quick as Manu. And I think defensively Manu plays smarter

It's a bad situation. The whole idea of this team was a true big 3, and that Wade would be able to help Lebron extend his career by shouldering some of the burden. But it's clear that he can't, and what's worse the last two years in the finals, he has been a complete detriment to team success because Lebron still defers to him when he is on the court to try and get him going. If we replaced Wade with Trevor Ariza for instance, even though it would seem like a regression on paper--we'd probably be harder to beat.

It's a big problem.

Absoultly agree and been frustrated with this for years with Wade. How does Chris Bosh add a legit 3 over a 2 year period, yet Wade as a shooting guard after 11 seasons still hasn't? It's a killer. Defenses litterly just stare at him and dare him to shoot that 3.

Exactly, people that wanna rip on Bron with the "how much help does he need" and half their fun, sound ridiculous. Anyone with a brain knows other then 2010-11, Lebron has carried Wade to the finish line. Is whole concept was built on two top 3 players and a top 10 player. That's not the reality of this team and hasn't been for awhile now.

[Run DLC]

He probably won't accept that role, but he should definitely accept the third option role. Bosh needs to officially be our secondary option next season. It sucks because i think having Wade coming off the bench would make us a much better team depending on who we'd replace him with on the starting lineup.

[spectrec130]

lol, mario chalmers was starter on this team. rashard lewis was. and we call for wade to be on bench?
exactly who is going to bench wade? whose that great player thats going to bench him?

as bad as wade was, the others were far more trash then him.

What series did you jus watched?????

Seriously, It has been recognized that Wade has failed to develop his game (consistent 3pt/continued midrange shot) earlier to extend his career and it can be argued that starting it this past season with this "maintenance plan" is too little too late.

What needs to be done is to surround Lebron with quality roster to help extend his career cause Wade can no longer help shoulder that load so if that means he has to go to the bench....Off to the bench he goes. At the end it has to be about winning and sacrificing for the good of the team. That's not jus about salary and paycuts but playtime and roles!

[bleeds_purple]

While I don't think Wade's ego will allow him to move to the bench I think its 100% the best thing for the Heat moving forward. Heck, I was calling for him to be benched for Beasley/Jones/Battier during the finals so he could be matched up against Manu and avoid chasing Green around. Had Spoelstra done that and had Wade focus on trying to dominate the Manu matchup maybe it would have been a different series but its pointless crying over spilt milk. Ultimately, if the Heat plan to win again, Wade must either develop a reliable three pointer or move to the bench unless time travel becomes a reality.

Benching Wade helps for a variety of reasons:

1. Bosh - He's got to take on a bigger role next season and moving Wade out of the starting lineup forces Bosh to become a bigger focal point of the offense. Also without Wade out of the starting lineup its easier to post Bosh and otherwise allow him to occupy the paint. Which leads me to my next point...

2. Spacing - Putting a traditional two guard in the starting lineup who can move off the ball and space the floor does wonders - just look at how the team operated this year during "LeBron time" with the Cole/Allen/Battier/LeBron/Bird lineups or how much of an impact a guy like Green has for the Spurs. That spacing could exist all the time if Wade were benched.

3. Salary Cap - Looking back its honestly amazing how the Heat managed four straight title runs with such a meager supporting cast - truly a testament to the Big three. But those days are done, assuming they stay together, the Heat will need to surround them with younger and better talent than ever before - a cast of veteran minimums just wont cut it. Moving Wade to the bench and putting him on a reduced salary ($10 million lets say) is one of the only ways to really get that done.

It's time for Riley to work some magic, in more ways than one.

[RSCD3_]

So was it just me or did anyone else notice wade became a walking turnover in the finals why???

Was it really just careless passing, I mean I started fearing him handling the ball like he was Tony Allen






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[spacejammer]

i wanted this last year as well. he and bron play pretty much identical. they both become useless when they don't have the ball. or shall i say become stagnant on offense. too much ball watching not enough activity when they are together. i feel that the offense for the big 3 would be soo much better if we had a better coach. with wade coming off the bench he can carry the load and be the 2nd leader. towards the 4th he can close with bron. nothing wrong with danny green starting over manu. wade needs to realize this is the better for the team.

[KingDavid]

Isn't there another "Bench Wade" thread?

Anyway, I didn't read much into this but I've stated before that I would prefer Wade off the bench as a Manu Role...I should have said that I'd prefer it if Wade AGREED in doing so. I think it prolongs his career, and gives him tons of energy late in games. But he already took a big hit on his ego letting LBJ in and taking over. If he feels that coming off the bench is too much of a sacrifice, I would not be upset. It would make sense for him to do that. He keeps his minutes down, he can come in for LBJ and wreck havoc, play consecutive games again without feeling winded to death, and if we ever need him to play more, he can because his minutes would be down for most of the season.

God if he only developed a 3pt jumper.

[DeeDub]

I've been saying for a few years that I'd liek to see Wade come off the bench. not because he isn't good enough to start or because it would prolong his career, but because I think it allows us to stagger his and LeBron's minutes more efficiently/effectively and I think it allows Wade to come in with an aggressive mindset offensively, as opposed to largely deferring to LeBron. He has shown in the Olympics that he can come off the bench and be very aggressive and effective. Wade is still an excellent player, despite his poor performance in the last 2 games of the Finals. He isn't done and i don't think his struggles in the Finals were physical. He got to the rim a number of times, but just missed. That those 2-3 ft lay-ins were off wasn't because of his knees or age. His 19, 4.5, 4.5 and .545 in the regular season was very good considering his role on the team. He easily could have taken 5 more shots pergame and made 2 of them plus an extra FT and he'd have been a 24 ppg guy on 50+% shooting.

Coming off the bench doesn't extend his career. Reducing minutes might. But coming off the bench doesn't necessarily mean reduced minutes. Belinelli came off the bench for the Spurs (just 25 starts), but was second on the team in total minutes. Even off the bench, I'd still be looking to get Wade between 30 and 34 mpg.

If they want to keep him as a token starter so that he gets intro'd at the beginning of home games, I'd be fine with that and they could just sub him out at the first opportunity (probably 3 minutes into the game or so) and then bring him back out when LeBron is ready for a rest.

[gobraves101905]

Chicago shopping #16 and #19. Would you shop Wade to Chicago for a package centered around those picks?

[Sign5]

So was it just me or did anyone else notice wade became a walking turnover in the finals why???

Was it really just careless passing, I mean I started fearing him handling the ball like he was Tony Allen






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LeBron actually turned the ball over more than Wade. Just really sloppy play from the Heat.

Chicago shopping #16 and #19. Would you shop Wade to Chicago for a package centered around those picks?

Wade isn't getting traded. Especially not for a 16 and 19th pick + what Snell?