It’s probably going to be one of the best NBA rivalries for the next decade: LeBron James vs. Dwyane Wade.
The matchup was on display again Sunday as James scored 47 points, but his Cavs lost 98-92 in Miami.
Wade had 35 points, including a victory-sealing breakaway dunk.
James and Wade are probably the top two individual players in the Eastern Conference. And while Wade never has had the attention and buildup of James, this question perhaps can be asked: If the 2003 draft were held now, who would go No. 1?
I’d still go with James. But Wade–unlike then when the Bulls were certain the undersized Chicago kid from Marquette would fall to them at No. 7–could be favorably compared with James, especially the way Wade finishes games.
Wade has had a half-dozen game-winners already in his career, including in the All-Star Game. Plus he scored his team’s last 17 points to beat the Pistons on Feb. 12, probably the best non-Kobe performance of the season.
So I wondered whether Wade, whose Heat is here Saturday to play the Bulls, had surpassed James. Though James is generally elevated for his versatility, Wade ranks in the NBA’s top 10 in scoring, assists and steals and displays all-around contributions that rank among the best. Plus Wade led the Heat into the second round of the playoffs even before playing with Shaquille O’Neal.
So I asked almost a dozen NBA executives and insiders without using their names for fear of tampering: If the 2003 draft were redone now, who would be No. 1? The consensus was James, but it was close.
“Very close,” one coach said. “LeBron has better court vision and end-to-end speed.”
“LeBron’s athleticism and size,” a general manager said. “I could make a case for Wade No. 1, though not as clear cut.”
“LeBron because he’s so gifted,” another general manager added. “But Wade’s mid-range game is better and he is much better coming through in the clutch than LeBron.”
That draft may turn out to be one of the best. If redone, it would probably look like this: James, Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Kirk Hinrich and Chris Kaman. All of them could be All-Stars, with other All-Star possibilities including Josh Howard, the last pick in the first round, Boris Diaw, David West, T.J. Ford and perhaps Mickael Pietrus. Darko Milicic was No. 2 overall and at just 20 years old still may develop into a contributor.
The 1984 draft, which produced Michael Jordan (3rd pick), Hakeem Olajuwon (1), John Stockton (16) and Charles Barkley (5), usually is considered the best. Combined with Patrick Ewing (1) and Karl Malone (13, two picks after the Bulls took Keith Lee) in 1985, the NBA was set up for the next decade. Likewise, many point to the 1996 draft with Allen Iverson (1), Ray Allen (5), Kobe Bryant (13), Steve Nash (15) and Jermaine O’Neal (17) setting up this decade.
Though it wasn’t as deep, the 1960 draft with Oscar Robertson and Jerry West picked 1-2 was the completion of the great talent explosion in the NBA with Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain all coming in the late 1950s.
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Wade-James, Part II
An interesting issue developing in Cleveland is whether the Cavs are burning James out seeking short-term success. It’s hard to be serious about that with a 21-year-old. But James has played the most minutes this season and is second overall in average per game (42.5) to Iverson (43.6), who has missed several games. James averaged almost 45 minutes in February and played through All-Star weekend. Even when Jordan was running away with scoring titles and carrying the Bulls, he never averaged 41 minutes and usually was around 40.
That’s one of the reasons it’s difficult to compare Wade and James. Wade gets to play with O’Neal and now carries the Heat in the kind of one-two punch Phil Jackson envisioned long-term with O’Neal and Bryant in Los Angeles.
Some around the NBA wonder whether all this will have an effect on James, who could be unique because of his rugged football-player build. Former Raptors coach Butch Carter was quoted in the Toronto Star saying he felt he hurt Vince Carter’s career by playing him so much when he was younger. “Young horses, 1-year-olds, don’t race in the Kentucky Derby,” the coach said.
Cavs teammate Donyell Marshall also told the newspaper: “It doesn’t matter if you’re 21, 24 or 35–44 or 45 minutes a night is going to wear on you,” Marshall said. “Especially a guy who is going to play on the (USA team) for the next three summers.”
As for Wade, he has more of Jordan’s killer qualities, just ask the Wizards. Wade added another game-winner and 40 points against them last week. You may remember that Washington’s Gilbert Arenas said after the 2004 Olympics that Wade cannot carry a team and “proved that he couldn’t shoot in the Olympics.” Apparently Wade can.
What will we be saying about the fabulous twosome five years from now? Who knows. But they’ll probably be the best show to watch.
Yao? Wow!
Perhaps he’s not the phenomenon to change the face of the sport as many predicted when he came into the league in 2002, but Yao Ming quietly has led the Rockets into playoff contention with the best run of his career after missing 21 games with toe surgery. It’s unclear how far the Rockets can go with Tracy McGrady out with back problems again, but Yao is finally the 20-point and 10-rebound player he was projected to be. He’s at 21.5 and 10.1 with averages of 27.5 and 13.3 in the last 10 games.
We also get a chance to quote coach Jeff Van Gundy praising someone on his team: “If you want a poster child for what the NBA should be, it’s Yao Ming. He’s unselfish, totally loyal–to teammates, coaches, management. You never hear him say, `My guys have got to get me the ball.'”
Van Gundy called Yao the “best regular-season center in the NBA.” It was sort of a shot at a player like O’Neal, who paces himself through the season, a fact that left Van Gundy’s brother, Stan, and Shaq at odds. Said Peja Stojakovic of Yao: “He’s unstoppable right now. He reminds me of when Shaquille O’Neal was in Los Angeles and winning championships.”
Chicago connections
The Magic honored its first-ever draft pick Nick Anderson in a halftime ceremony Friday. Anderson lives in Atlanta and hopes to land a job with the Magic and return to Orlando. Fellow former Chicago prep star Mitchell Anderson, a Grizzlies assistant, was added to the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame. . . . Jerry Sloan sought a vote of confidence (which he received) from owner Larry Miller, who again challenged the staff last week and berated the players, saying at one point, “We need to get some better players. (They are) a bunch of pampered babies with hurt feelings. Right now, it wouldn’t hurt me to turn over all 15 of ’em.” Miller, though, commended Deron Williams, who has played his best ball of the season since starting again this month. . . . Former Bull Marcus Fizer signed with Seattle last week and says he’s a new man after working his way back in the developmental league. Said Fizer, the Bulls’ No. 4 overall pick in 2000: “The D-League was a good experience (where he averaged 20.4 points and was one of the league’s oldest players). I’m a lot smarter now. I thought I had all the answers. I had much success in college and, of course, being an instant millionaire you are going to think you have all the answers.” . . . Phil Jackson had his own answer to one local columnist calling him the “Zen Disaster.” His Lakers posted wins over the Pistons and Spurs last week.
Final shots
Pat Riley, a changed man, on what he would have done about the Heat’s sloppy defense previously: “In the old days, I would’ve brought 50 water balloons in, and I would have thrown them at each guy’s locker after every mistake he made on the video. And I would’ve said after, `You guys are all wet.'” . . . With players such as Fred Hoiberg, Howard Eisley, George Lynch and Wesley Person being considered, the big question remains if Latrell Sprewell will hook on somewhere for the playoffs. . . . Who says the Knicks aren’t serious about turning it around? Nate Robinson said he wants to change to No. 8 because it rhymes with his name. . . . Now this is heckling: A fan in Minnesota behind the bench yelled to Seattle’s Nick Collison, who is a proud Iowan: “Hey Nick, do you know what they call a 250-pound woman from Iowa? Anorexic.”
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