THROWING KNIVES: IF I WERE DWAYNE WADE...

by BD, Staff Writer

The last week or so it's become clear that Dwayne Wade isn't a very happy camper in down on South Beach lately. It started with him calling out Shaq, and it's becoming increasingly clear that Wade's not very happy with the rest of his team either. Who can blame him though? He's surrounded by has-beens, never-were's, and never-will-be's, highlighted by Shaq, Ricky Davis, and Smush Parker. The problem is, despite his displeasure, it doesn't appear Wade wants out of Miami at all, which may be a good decision given the whole Kobe situation and an image that couldn't be any better.

If I were Wade though, I'd be looking for a way out. The Heat ship is sinking fast and they'll be lucky to compete at all without radical changes or daily Kobe-like performances from Wade. Neither of which are likely to happen with his nagging injuries and that immovable garbage that surrounds him. The only real silver lining rests with Dorell Wright and Daequan Cook who are unlikely to be consistent high level contributors. Though both are getting decent looks from Riley off the bench, it's in large part due to the team's lack of depth.

Wade currently relies on old men Shaq and Mourning in the middle while loose cannon Ricky Davis runs rampant on the wing. And Jason Williams is... well, Jason Williams. The most reliable guy in the starting lineup easily is Udonis Haslem. He crashes the boards and is fine without shooting at all, the kind of guy coaches tend to love. These guys are the core of the team. The loss of Jason Kapono may be the biggest loss and this Eastern Conference "contender" (and I use that as loosely as possible) may have suffered this off-season. It truly is a sad day on South Beach.

If Wade were to hit the market Riley would be fielding better offer than Mitch Kupchak. This is, for a number of reasons, but mainly his youth and image. He's already a Kobe level superstar, he's 5 years younger than Bryant, and he's proven he can win it by himself. Whether Shaq was there or not.

If the ball rolls in Wade's favor in a deal he could be set up to win another championship sooner than 2010 when his contracts expires in Miami and he likely exits stage left. Though I'd say Chicago's not the answer if Deng and Tyrus Thomas both leave town. He'd be back where he started with Ben Wallace at the 5, though he would have Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni, so it could work, but they won't be a contender this year.

I'm not saying it's in his best interest to demand a trade as that would only hurt his market appeal, but letting Riley know it'd be ok if it helped set up the Heat for the future might not be a bad idea. And hey, Wade could always re-sign come 2010 if he doesn't sign a lengthy extension elsewhere.

Yesterday In Sports....

Denver May Just Win the AFC West
They knocked off the Titans on MNF 34-20.

UCLA Dominated Maryland Inside
Kevin Love had 18 and 16 boards as the Bruins won 71-59

Michigan State Scraped Past Missouri
Winning just 86-83, can they topple UCLA in the tourney finale today?

Jerryd Bayless Is Living Up To The Hype
He had 20, 9 and 9 as Arizona knocked off UMKC 81-62, but can the rest of the 'Cats get it together?

The Magic Keep(s) Coming
As they won in New Orleans 95-88 a day after handing the C's their first loss.

This Week In Games and DVD
Where I remind you of those games and DVD's that'll be coming out this week (mostly today).

DVD: Live Free or Die Hard, and then there's Hairspray if you care (I don't).

Video Games: Mass Effect(X360), arguably the biggest game of the year outside of Halo 3. Many have already branded ME the best game ever on 360. Rock Band(X360/PS3), I'm not really into this as the cost doesn't work for me, but if you've got three roommates it may be worth the joint purchase. NCAA Hoops 2k8(X360/PS3), always a great game, though I haven't seen it reviewed yet.