was dwyane wade EVER the best player in the league?

[tpols]

His best case is 2010 imo..

[Real14]

Top 3.

End thread. He was the 3rd best player in 2010.

[Papaya Petee]

Individually basketball ability wise Wade was definitely the best player in 2008-2009. If you include team success and playoff domination you can argue 2005-2006. In 09-10 and 10-11he was top 3. Pre injury 2006-2007 many thought he was the best.

[Big#50]

maybe statistically once in 2009 or maybe finals wise in 2006


but overall ? na... best player in the league doesnt switch from a month to month basis. i think of it more as a title or a torch


1990-1993 = jordan
1994-1995 = hakeem
1996-1998 = jordan
1999-2002 = shaq
2003-2005 = duncan
2006-2010 = kobe
2011-2014 = lebron

How was KOBE the best in 07 and 08?

[mehyaM24]

imo, wade's injuries, inconsistent and lazy play hurt his legacy a TON

- 2006, worse stats than both kobe and lebron; teammate says kobe was better
-injured in 2007
-injured in 2008
-2009,behind kobe and lebron in mvp voting/bowed out in the playoffs
-2010,behind kobe and lebron in mvp voting/knocked out of the first round
-2011,behind lebron in mvp voting; worse stats across the board
-same as 2012
-same as 2013
-same as 2014

now that i think about it, pretty clear wade was never the best in the league

[bizil]

No but he was CERTAINLY in the top 3-5 at certain points. I would go so far to say that peak wise, Wade is the best player EVER 6'4 and under. I would take Wade over West, AI, Isiah, Thompson, Paul, Cousy, Frazier, Payton, Pearl, or Tiny! Gotta remember the SG's like MJ and Kobe are 6'6 and could move up front and play SF in addition to SG and PG. So even though AI was FOR SURE undersized at SG, Wade was also somewhat undersized too. All the other SG's in that early 2000s Golden Era were anywhere from 6'5 to nearly 6'9.

[GrapeApe]

imo, wade's injuries, inconsistent and lazy play hurt his legacy a TON

- 2006, worse stats than both kobe and lebron; teammate says kobe was better
-injured in 2007
-injured in 2008
-2009,behind kobe and lebron in mvp voting/bowed out in the playoffs
-2010,behind kobe and lebron in mvp voting/knocked out of the first round
-2011,behind lebron in mvp voting; worse stats across the board
-same as 2012
-same as 2013
-same as 2014

now that i think about it, pretty clear wade was never the best in the league

You failedl to mention Wade's '06 playoffs where he was CLEARLY the best player, yet you mention his '09 and '10 first round exits as a slight against him. Inconsistent much? Also, you must think Nash was the best player in the league in '05 and '06 right? Rose in '11? You cited MVP voting so I can only assume that is your conclusion. Also, please show me where Mourning said Kobe was better than Wade after the finals. Even if he did, it's a pretty weak argument. Shaq called Wade the best. See, I can play that game too.

[Real14]

No but he was CERTAINLY in the top 3-5 at certain points. I would go so far to say that peak wise, Wade is the best player EVER 6'4 and under. I would take Wade over West, AI, Isiah, Thompson, Paul, Cousy, Frazier, Payton, Pearl, or Tiny! Gotta remember the SG's like MJ and Kobe are 6'6 and could move up front and play SF in addition to SG and PG. So even though AI was FOR SURE undersized at SG, Wade was also somewhat undersized too. All the other SG's in that early 2000s Golden Era were anywhere from 6'5 to nearly 6'9.

[SouBeachTalents]

You failedl to mention Wade's '06 playoffs where he was CLEARLY the best player, yet you mention his '09 and '10 first round exits as a slight against him. Inconsistent much? Also, you must think Nash was the best player in the league in '05 and '06 right? Rose in '11? You cited MVP voting so I can only assume that is your conclusion. Also, please show me where Mourning said Kobe was better than Wade after the finals. Even if he did, it's a pretty weak argument. Shaq called Wade the best. See, I can play that game too.

Lol, no point in arguing with him, he clearly has an agenda

[JohnFreeman]

I remember this about a week ago that someone said Wade was never a top 3 player ever at any point of his career. I think it was DukeDelonte.

[bizil]

I love AI to death! But give me peak Wade over peak AI! The size, skill, and freak athletic ability Wade gives him the edge over AI. But in terms of peak value for players 6'4 and under, I think Wade, West, AI, and Isiah are the top 4.

[mehyaM24]

You failedl to mention Wade's '06 playoffs where he was CLEARLY the best player, yet you mention his '09 and '10 first round exits as a slight against him. Inconsistent much? Also, you must think Nash was the best player in the league in '05 and '06 right? Rose in '11? You cited MVP voting so I can only assume that is your conclusion. Also, please show me where Mourning said Kobe was better than Wade after the finals. Even if he did, it's a pretty weak argument. Shaq called Wade the best. See, I can play that game too.

i mentioned his 2006 run. thing is, kobe and lebron were both statistically better and were higher in mvp voting for AT LEAST 3/4 of the year.

in 09 and 10, not only was he behind lebron and kobe in mvp voting, but had worse stats (including playoffs) and team play.

post 2006 finals, mourning on kobe: http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4331

his word > shaq's (my favorite player), because in all honesty, he is 100% without bias.

[DaSeba5]

Sadly no, but he's definitely been in the top 3 and top 5 a lot. He just played in LeBron and Kobe's eras.

[Real14]

I love AI to death! But give me peak Wade over peak AI! The size, skill, and freak athletic ability Wade gives him the edge over AI. But in terms of peak value for players 6'4 and under, I think Wade, West, AI, and Isiah are the top 4.

Let me ask you this... Have Wade ever led a team like 2001 sixers to the finals?

[GrapeApe]

i mentioned his 2006 run. thing is, kobe and lebron were both statistically better and were higher in mvp voting for AT LEAST 3/4 of the year.

in 09 and 10, not only was he behind lebron and kobe in mvp voting, but had worse stats (including playoffs) and team play.

post 2006 finals, mourning on kobe: http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4331

his word > shaq's (my favorite player), because in all honesty, he is 100% without bias.

Props for posting the link. I'm a bit suprised by Zo's comments but I don't know the context or tone of the interview. Remember, Wade was only in his 3rd year and Kobe was an established veteran superstar so perhaps it was out of respect. Regardless, Wade has a strong case as the best player that year when factoring in his post season performance. As I mentioned before, he was certainly in the discussion for multiple seasons.