What about Wade though?

[BadOdor]

Lost in all the hoopla about lebron, I think people are forgetting that Wade has a shot to really make a top 10 hofer out of himself....

We all know that the heat are wade's team. If they win 3-5 titles, where does it put him?

[himat]

Top 10? I don't think so

But he easily is the winner out of all this. Everyone came to him, and now he has a chance to win multiple championships and be the clutch assassin of this team.

Wade is in a win-win-win-win situation.

The only Wade does not come out of here with any benefit is if this team does the ultimate fail job and doesn't even win once.

[JamStone]

If they end up winning 3-5 titles together, both Wade and LeBron will probably be considered top 10 players or very close. Maybe not at the time, because haters will hate. But after a few years, especially after they're both retired, they'll start getting more love for accomplishing what they accomplished, even as individuals. But it will also depend on how those titles are won. Say the Heat win 4 titles in the next 5 years. If Wade wins 3 Finals MVPs in those 4 titles, giving him 5 titles and 4 Finals MVPs, then I don't think there will be a question that Wade will be considered a top 10 player all time, even having all that help. But I think the same with LeBron if he gets a bunch of Finals MVPs. If they each win a couple, then perhaps that takes away from each of their own individual shine. But they'll still be highly regarded eventually.

[DAF86]

I didn't know hall of famers were ranked. What's the current top 10 list?

[himat]

If they end up winning 3-5 titles together, both Wade and LeBron will probably be considered top 10 players or very close. Maybe not at the time, because haters will hate. But after a few years, especially after they're both retired, they'll start getting more love for accomplishing what they accomplished, even as individuals. But it will also depend on how those titles are won. Say the Heat win 4 titles in the next 5 years. If Wade wins 3 Finals MVPs in those 4 titles, giving him 5 titles and 4 Finals MVPs, then I don't think there will be a question that Wade will be considered a top 10 player all time, even having all that help. But I think the same with LeBron if he gets a bunch of Finals MVPs. If they each win a couple, then perhaps that takes away from each of their own individual shine. But they'll still be highly regarded eventually.

Wade top 10? You really believe that. I think Kobe barely gets into the top 10. If Wade gets in so will LBJ so you really feel like Wade will get in over one of these guys as a top 10 player:

Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Kareem Abdul Jabaar
Bill Russell
Wilt Chamberlain
Julius Erving
Hakeem Olajuwon
Tim Duncan (don't forget about this guy)
Oscar Robertson
Scottie Pippen
Elgin Baylor
Jerry West
Shaquille Oneal
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James

[TheMACHINE]

Wade's Batman in all this. He won before Lebron...so he is in a win win situation. Bosh, no one cares about him. Lebron...pretty good sidekick.

[cobbler]

http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq115/cobblerphoto/coattailslbj.jpg

[midnightpulp]

It all depends on who steps up. In reality, this combination isn't drastically different from the Shaq/Kobe Lakers, although Wade and Lebron are a lot closer in skill level than Shaq and Kobe were in those days. It was a given that Shaq was going to win the Finals MVP every year while Kobe was the distinct Number 2 (not any of this "1B" bullshit, whatever that means).

If Wade steps up, he should be held in the same regard as Shaq was. If Lebron steps up, same difference.

[BadOdor]

If they end up winning 3-5 titles together, both Wade and LeBron will probably be considered top 10 players or very close. Maybe not at the time, because haters will hate. But after a few years, especially after they're both retired, they'll start getting more love for accomplishing what they accomplished, even as individuals. But it will also depend on how those titles are won. Say the Heat win 4 titles in the next 5 years. If Wade wins 3 Finals MVPs in those 4 titles, giving him 5 titles and 4 Finals MVPs, then I don't think there will be a question that Wade will be considered a top 10 player all time, even having all that help. But I think the same with LeBron if he gets a bunch of Finals MVPs. If they each win a couple, then perhaps that takes away from each of their own individual shine. But they'll still be highly regarded eventually.

Jam, assuming Kobe doesn't win another title(makes another final) and lebron/wade win the next 4 out of 5 - would you say they would be viewed as basically on the same level?

[midnightpulp]

Jam, assuming Kobe doesn't win another title(makes another final) and lebron/wade win the next 4 out of 5 - would you say they would be viewed as basically on the same level?

I think it depends on how the games play out.

Objectively speaking, all trolling aside, both of these players have a very good chance at creating historic legacies and putting themselves alongside the best players of all time.

[JamStone]

As I said, if the Heat win 4 titles, and Wade wins 3 Finals MVPs in those 4 titles, he'll be a top 10 player. That would be 5 titles, 4 Finals MVPs.

Only one player has won 4 or more Finals MVPs.

Wade would be a top 10 player. Even with the best supporting duo, it would be hard to argue. On the flipside, pretty much the same thing if it were LeBron to win 3 Finals MVPs along with the 4 titles. 4 titles, 3 Finals MVPs, 2 League MVPs. It would be tough to argue.



Wade top 10? You really believe that. I think Kobe barely gets into the top 10. If Wade gets in so will LBJ so you really feel like Wade will get in over one of these guys as a top 10 player:

Michael Jordan
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Kareem Abdul Jabaar
Bill Russell
Wilt Chamberlain
Julius Erving
Hakeem Olajuwon
Tim Duncan (don't forget about this guy)
Oscar Robertson
Scottie Pippen
Elgin Baylor
Jerry West
Shaquille Oneal
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James

[JamStone]

Jam, assuming Kobe doesn't win another title(makes another final) and lebron/wade win the next 4 out of 5 - would you say they would be viewed as basically on the same level?

Still depends on how those titles play out. If either Wade or LeBron dominate those championship runs and win 3-4 Finals MVPs, that elevates that one player over the other.

As for being at the same level as Kobe, if Kobe is done winning rings, then I think either could surpass Kobe if they have great Finals performances and if they don't lose in the Finals. Part of the knock on Kobe is that his Finals performances haven't been great. So if Wade wins 4 more titles and wins say 3 Finals MVPs in those 4 titles, they he'd have 5 titles, 4 Finals MVPs. If he plays great in those title runs, it's more than reasonable that he'd be viewed better than Kobe, despite having probably the greatest "sidekick" in championship history.

[TDMVPDPOY]

fringe top 10 looking in