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OPINION: Dwayne Wade Is Being Overlooked

Written by Uzo Ometu on April 13, 2009 4:30 pm

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With all of this talk about LeBron James becoming a free agent in the summer of 2010, one player’s name is continually forgotten about by many people weighing in on the LBJ sweepstakes.

Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat may not have the best record in the NBA like fellow draft classmate LeBron James, but that’s not his fault.

Despite playing with a rag-tag bunch of players that have been assimilated quite randomly over the past couple of months, Wade has his Heat headed to the playoffs as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference. That’s pretty hard to do when you’re playing under a rookie head coach, your team’s second best player is a rookie, and you yourself haven’t played a full season since 2005-2006.

Nevertheless, Wade has defied the odds by way of leading his team to the playoffs without so much as one other proven player on his team, except for the quickly aging Jermaine O’Neal. However, carrying a team on your back isn’t all that hard when you’re having one of the best seasons of all time.

With a Player Efficiency Rating of 30.06, Wade is on target to be one of just a handful of players to finish with a PER of 30+. And for those of you who don’t understand the value of a 30+ PER, his other stats will tell you the story. The man is averaging 29.9 points per game, to go along with 7.7 APG, 5.0 RPG, 2.2 SPG and 1.3 BPG. Those numbers are unfathomable. Not to mention, he is playing his best basketball at the right time of the year. Over his last 5 games, he is averaging 35.6 points per game, and he is fresh off hanging a career-high 55 points against the New York Knicks last night.

Yet, despite having one of the better seasons of all time, Wade’s name is brought up quite rarely, in comparison to LeBron James, when people start talking about the Free Agency of 2010. Don’t get me wrong, smart basketball minds are well aware of the fact that Wade will likely be on the market that year, and maybe they themselves are trying to keep that under wraps. But that decision to keep quiet about it could be a mistake. Afterall, with so many teams clamoring for LeBron James in 2010, I wouldn’t be surprised if Wade just decides this market isn’t for him and elects to stay with the Miami Heat. That would make Pat Riley happy, but it wouldn’t do any teams with cap space next summer any good.

However, in all honesty, LeBron James is the better player, and teams are right to want him first. But realistically, only one team can claim LeBron James services, and then the rest will be left to fix their sorry teams with an alternative option. Dwyane Wade is not a bad alternative. And if the right team starts putting their feelers out for Dwyane before it’s too late, I’d say that’s a team headed in the right direction.

Tags: Basketball, NBA
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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/BlackTomCruise2/ BlackTomCruise2

    I like Wade man, and yea he’s definitely gettin overlooked, but thats only due 2 the fact that he’s a 1 man show wit a lame ass team on his shoulders, we all know that…

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/stfu_dot_com/ stfu_dot_com

    he’s been overlooked ever since he came in with melo & lebron

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/gunyvw/ gunyvw

    aside from sports, he seems to be one hell of a person OFF the court…
    he’s always doing something to help disadvantaged people in regular society…

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/pa-squally/ pa-squally

    are u serious. Lebron is the mvp. a couple years ago kobe was SUPPOSED to be mvp the year steve nash won it the 2nd time. If his record not up there then he don’t deservve it. but he is getting overlooked but lebron numbers are way better as well as his team

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/WestsideCartelAtl85/ WestsideCartelAtl85

    Flash is being overlooked for real. Because he’s quiet and doesn’t seek the limelight. D. Wade let’s his game do the talking. He’s my favorite shooting guard in the league besides Joe Johnson of the Hawks.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Quan85/ Quan85

    im not a heat fan but i been sayin this 4 a while dwade should be mvp no doubt

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Mamawalde/ Mamawalde

    So being widely considered the 3rd best player in the league is being overlooked? Hmmm…uhh… ok.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/ganstasista14/ ganstasista14

    i love him…he is indeed my favorite player in the NBA

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/LadyCherish/ LadyCherish

    i am from miami and if i hear this mans name ONE MORE TIME i will take a hostage!… after they won the finals they played around with the name miami WADE county…. NOOOO!!!!lebron is more worthy of his hype… d-wade’s wave has crested… lets not start it up again….

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/ross71/ ross71

    LEBRON IS AN ERROGANT PERSON. AT THE 2004 OLYMPIC GAME AGAINST PUERTO RICO,IN JACKSONVILLE, FL. HE WOULD NOT SIGN AUTOGRAPH FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL. HE WALK DIRECTLY UPON THE BUS WHILE ALL OTHER PLAYERS SIGNED NUMEROUS AUTOGRAPHS. FROM THAT ON I WAS NOT A FAN OF LEBRON JAMES.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/ross71/ ross71

    D-WADE IS THE MOST EXCITING PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE THAT IS NOT GETTING HIS DUE. ESPN IS SHUTTING HIM FROM GETTING THE MVP AWARD WHICH HE DESERVE GRACEFULLY. HE HAVE MIMIMAL PLAYERS AND STILL TURNED HIS TEAM RECORD AROUND MAKING THE PLAYOFFS. DWAYNE WADE DESERVES TO BE THE NBA MVP!!!!!!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/mrsdrobinson/ mrsdrobinson

    I love both LeBron and D Wade. They are both great ball players and are both MVP in my book.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Rashawn_Carter/ Rashawn_Carter

    D. Wade deserve to be MVP, HE DOESN’T HAVE A GREAT SUPPORTING CAST LIKE Kobe and Lebron yet he’s in the playoffs thanks to him , Lebaron is great but D. wade is a better player and with a chapionship ring so give the man his dues and give him the MVP title thank you

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/NYCsmoove/ NYCsmoove

    D. Wade is the MVP. Give him the award.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/BiggBoipimpin/ BiggBoipimpin

    man hellyea D.WADE is bein ova looked, if he geet 2 or 3 betta playaz on his squad, the heat wud reck, ex him n shaq a few years bac. and yea lebron is good but he has a pretty good squad 2 fall back on, and wade (like they said n the article) is carriein the team on his back… he need a team where he can really so what he got wit out bein tired as hell half waythrough tha damn game

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/naturereality4u/ naturereality4u

    Dwayne Wade is works for what he wants, hes smart and makes good athletic decisions. Lebron and Kobi are great players also. But i prefer to watch a candle burn rather than a firecracker. Wade is my next best to Jordan. The boy is smooooove!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/thebest0823/ thebest0823

    who said lebron was the better player?

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/BaldBachelor729/ BaldBachelor729

    These bums that vote on the MVP are full of it. They wanna vote for the guy on the best team. Well last year no one on Boston won the award and they had the best record, they gave it to Kobe. How bout the year the Pistons had the best record, who did they give the MVP to, when everybody knows Billups should have gotten it, Steve Nash. Why did they give it to Nash, because of what he did when Amar’i was injured and they also had a bunch of players they just threw together to make a team. The whole system and logic of it is BS. These guys on TV wanna say James is the MVP, but I gurantee if they didn’t have MO Williams they wouldn’t gone over 60 wins, Then what would they say? D.Wade is my MVP even though that sunday game against the Pistons they let him get away with too much, but to me he is the guy that is “Most Valuable” to his team.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/introuble4ever/ introuble4ever

    DWade is a SUPERSTAR in my view and very much deserve the MVP award!!! I also think he is FINE as hell!!! Look me up DWADE!!! LOL!!! J/K! Seriously he has worked hard and deserve it. My vote is for WADE!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/slliks67/ slliks67

    not only is he being overlooked for mvp but now these commentators and such are putting lebron in the defensive player of the year run in which again WADE has more blocks and steal really everybody ridin bron nuts he good no doubt but he is not amazing wade is amazing bron is on tv so much it makes me sick i have to turn to me you could compare it to the jay z situation in rap he is good but he aint really sayin nothin

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/miz_brandi622/ miz_brandi622

    I agree w/ introuble4ever, the boy is fine!!!!!!!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/jovane/ jovane

    DWade deserves to be MVP just as much, if not more than LeBron. Votes should based on more than hype!!!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/AllBizSumPlay_1/ AllBizSumPlay_1

    slliks67 U speakin tha gospel homie.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/nailzmc/ nailzmc

    honestly i think lebron is a better MVP selection this season…dwade is havin a good season but i will say this..if he continues on the pace he is and the management he has he’s gonna end up similar to iverson or dominique wilkins back in the day…he’s gonna burn out from having to do so much from his team …. the ring he got in 06 is the only ring he’ll probably ever get in his career

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/cooosta/ cooosta

    wade is an animal, and he’s the only one with a ring, just like in the 80′s with dominque, bird, magic, jordan, doctor j, isiah, hakeem, he’s not overlooked, he doesnt have the team, clevland and l.a have the teams,dont worry about wade, he a superstar,

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/epp-dog/ epp-dog

    I think Dwayne Wade is wayy better than Labron James. With the players Miami have, their just average players. Wade has to carry the team himself, but Labron has a whole lotta more help. O.K., Sit D. Wade down one full game, and sit Labron down one full game, and watch the out come. Miami couldn’t win. So who is the MVP D. Wade.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/wronghand/ wronghand

    I don’t feel that is the case. Look at the Heat and look at the Cavs. Outside of Wade and Lebron what do each of these teams offer?…garbage. Each team has pretty much garbage other than these two superstars. Now lets look at the teams record…lol. The Cavs posted the best record in the league while Miami barely made the playoffs. That is the reason Lebron has got the hardware and Wade doesnt. How much better is Lrbrons supporting cast than Wades….not much in my opinion. So Lebron pretty much leads his team single handed to the best record in the league. Hands down he is my MVP. If your team is not in the spotlight of the NBA often it doesn’t matter how good a season you had it’s about how good a season your team had.

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