Flo-Rida
02-11-2008, 04:28 PM
Wade must rise to Kobe's level
Posted on Mon, Feb. 11, 2008
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By ISRAEL GUTIERREZ
[email protected]
The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, and Heat's Dwyane Wade share a laugh during Sunday's game in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008.
RONNA GRADUS / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, and Heat's Dwyane Wade share a laugh during Sunday's game in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008.
* New-look Heat falls to Bryant, Lakers
Rarely does a symbolic message arrive with such perfect timing.
In Dwyane Wade's first game with his new post-Shaq teammates, he faced the team that has almost completely overcome its own loss of Shaquille O'Neal.
And perhaps more meaningful, Wade faced the player who has elevated himself and his teammates to the point where O'Neal is merely a pleasant Laker memory instead of a haunting reminder of a ghastly trade.
In 42 minutes of the Lakers' 104-94 defeat of the Heat on Sunday, Kobe Bryant guided in a handful of those demoralizing fade-away jumpers that reminded you of Michael Jordan. He played relentless, suffocating defense reminiscent of Scottie Pippen, practically handcuffing Wade at times. He even threw in a graceful running hook shot from 15 feet that made you swear that was Magic Johnson in a Lakers uniform again (Magic was actually in the stands watching the display for himself.)
The well-timed message? If the Miami Heat is going to experience the same kind of recovery that the Lakers currently are, then Wade is going to have to rise to Bryant's level.
He will have to be the efficient scorer who can fill it up in a variety of ways, rather than relying on a handful of pet moves that defenses come to expect.
He will have to play the type of consistent defense that allows him to actually guard the opposing team's top perimeter threat, rather than just coming from the weak side to grab a few steals and block a few shots.
He will have to be the decision maker who gets the maximum output from each teammate, rather than the player who dismisses a personal nine-turnover performance.
THE NEXT LEVEL
As difficult as it might be to fathom given how close to flawless he played during a championship run two seasons ago, there is still another height for Wade to reach. It's that step great players take on the way to becoming legends. It's a conscious choice Wade will have to make if the Heat can actually be considered contenders once again with No. 3 as the sole franchise player.
For as much as people mock Bryant for being so obsessive about the game, and how he so obviously attempts to mimic Jordan, he has come the closest to perfecting the game.
Since O'Neal left his painted area, Bryant has not only sharpened his offensive game but finally acquired the team mentality that was missing while he was so desperately trying to prove himself as the league's best talent.
So Bryant recognizes the challenges that will face Wade in the coming months as he begins his extended life without O'Neal.
''What [O'Neal] does do is give you a person inside that can catch and finish, which you easily take for granted as a guard,'' Bryant said. ``Wade, a couple of times [Sunday], threw some passes inside that, if it were Shaq, those were dunks.
``The adjustment that he's going to have to make is how does he become a threat in the post and make teams collapse and how to make your teammates better consistently. When you're the lone ranger out there, it's tough. He's in a position I was in a couple of years ago where I had to put up 35, 37 points just to keep us in the ballgame. It's physically and emotionally draining.''
Yes, Bryant has the type of quality depth around him that has yet to be placed around Wade. And, yes, Wade is so banged up he has what Riley called ''compensatory injuries,'' which means playing hurt is hurting him even more.
But that doesn't mean Wade can't address the areas where he needs most improvement, in preparation for that time when he is fully healthy and Riley has built a capable team around him.
DEFENSIVE EFFORT
Wade's defense is easily what lacks the most. It also happens to be the area where desire is actually the primary ingredient for significant improvement.
''I think 95-plus percent of the guys in our league have the physical ability to play defense,'' Lakers point guard Derek Fisher said when explaining Bryant's defensive play. ``So at that point it just becomes a mental decision and a decision on how hard you want to work at it.''
On the offensive end, Wade can never again expect the same kind of freedom he had when every defensive player had one eye on him and the other on O'Neal. So Wade can either live with the constant frustration, or he can find ways to avoid it.
''What I started to do was become more efficient,'' Bryant said. ``Teams, especially when Shaq left, were able to key in on me a lot more. So I realized if I was going to score points, I had to be really smart about it, pick my spots and be very efficient, so teams couldn't lock in.''
It all could be overwhelming for Wade right now, recognizing that he is five years and one championship into this NBA experience and winning is only getting harder. But it's a truth he will have to accept.
You won't hear Riley saying his best player still has to improve. Because coaches rarely win these days when publicly challenging their franchise talents. So it's a message Wade might have to receive from others.
Bryant did his part to get that idea across Sunday. Now it's a matter of waiting for Wade's response.
Posted on Mon, Feb. 11, 2008
Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
By ISRAEL GUTIERREZ
[email protected]
The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, and Heat's Dwyane Wade share a laugh during Sunday's game in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008.
RONNA GRADUS / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, left, and Heat's Dwyane Wade share a laugh during Sunday's game in Miami on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008.
* New-look Heat falls to Bryant, Lakers
Rarely does a symbolic message arrive with such perfect timing.
In Dwyane Wade's first game with his new post-Shaq teammates, he faced the team that has almost completely overcome its own loss of Shaquille O'Neal.
And perhaps more meaningful, Wade faced the player who has elevated himself and his teammates to the point where O'Neal is merely a pleasant Laker memory instead of a haunting reminder of a ghastly trade.
In 42 minutes of the Lakers' 104-94 defeat of the Heat on Sunday, Kobe Bryant guided in a handful of those demoralizing fade-away jumpers that reminded you of Michael Jordan. He played relentless, suffocating defense reminiscent of Scottie Pippen, practically handcuffing Wade at times. He even threw in a graceful running hook shot from 15 feet that made you swear that was Magic Johnson in a Lakers uniform again (Magic was actually in the stands watching the display for himself.)
The well-timed message? If the Miami Heat is going to experience the same kind of recovery that the Lakers currently are, then Wade is going to have to rise to Bryant's level.
He will have to be the efficient scorer who can fill it up in a variety of ways, rather than relying on a handful of pet moves that defenses come to expect.
He will have to play the type of consistent defense that allows him to actually guard the opposing team's top perimeter threat, rather than just coming from the weak side to grab a few steals and block a few shots.
He will have to be the decision maker who gets the maximum output from each teammate, rather than the player who dismisses a personal nine-turnover performance.
THE NEXT LEVEL
As difficult as it might be to fathom given how close to flawless he played during a championship run two seasons ago, there is still another height for Wade to reach. It's that step great players take on the way to becoming legends. It's a conscious choice Wade will have to make if the Heat can actually be considered contenders once again with No. 3 as the sole franchise player.
For as much as people mock Bryant for being so obsessive about the game, and how he so obviously attempts to mimic Jordan, he has come the closest to perfecting the game.
Since O'Neal left his painted area, Bryant has not only sharpened his offensive game but finally acquired the team mentality that was missing while he was so desperately trying to prove himself as the league's best talent.
So Bryant recognizes the challenges that will face Wade in the coming months as he begins his extended life without O'Neal.
''What [O'Neal] does do is give you a person inside that can catch and finish, which you easily take for granted as a guard,'' Bryant said. ``Wade, a couple of times [Sunday], threw some passes inside that, if it were Shaq, those were dunks.
``The adjustment that he's going to have to make is how does he become a threat in the post and make teams collapse and how to make your teammates better consistently. When you're the lone ranger out there, it's tough. He's in a position I was in a couple of years ago where I had to put up 35, 37 points just to keep us in the ballgame. It's physically and emotionally draining.''
Yes, Bryant has the type of quality depth around him that has yet to be placed around Wade. And, yes, Wade is so banged up he has what Riley called ''compensatory injuries,'' which means playing hurt is hurting him even more.
But that doesn't mean Wade can't address the areas where he needs most improvement, in preparation for that time when he is fully healthy and Riley has built a capable team around him.
DEFENSIVE EFFORT
Wade's defense is easily what lacks the most. It also happens to be the area where desire is actually the primary ingredient for significant improvement.
''I think 95-plus percent of the guys in our league have the physical ability to play defense,'' Lakers point guard Derek Fisher said when explaining Bryant's defensive play. ``So at that point it just becomes a mental decision and a decision on how hard you want to work at it.''
On the offensive end, Wade can never again expect the same kind of freedom he had when every defensive player had one eye on him and the other on O'Neal. So Wade can either live with the constant frustration, or he can find ways to avoid it.
''What I started to do was become more efficient,'' Bryant said. ``Teams, especially when Shaq left, were able to key in on me a lot more. So I realized if I was going to score points, I had to be really smart about it, pick my spots and be very efficient, so teams couldn't lock in.''
It all could be overwhelming for Wade right now, recognizing that he is five years and one championship into this NBA experience and winning is only getting harder. But it's a truth he will have to accept.
You won't hear Riley saying his best player still has to improve. Because coaches rarely win these days when publicly challenging their franchise talents. So it's a message Wade might have to receive from others.
Bryant did his part to get that idea across Sunday. Now it's a matter of waiting for Wade's response.