ESPN Insider Request - Wade needs to stop playing Kobe ball

[JT123]

http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story...t-win-east-nba
Will probably be an interesting article. Wade ball did play a significant role in the Heat missing the playoffs last season. Instead of allowing Bosh to dominate in the post he was stuck on the perimeter due to Wade needing the paint to be clear. The result was the Heat going an embarrassing 15-17 in the games Wade and Bosh both played in, as well as Bosh averaging a career high 3.8 three point attempts per game.

[Fire Colangelo]

Bosh isn't a low post player..... He's bread and butter has always been the mid range jumper ever since Toronto.

And Bosh's 3 pointer is actually pretty respectable, he shot like 38% on 3's last season while averaging 21 points....

It really isn't Wade or Bosh that's the problem. Wade is no longer the player that can put the team on his back and will them to victory, and Bosh was really never that player. They're still good for 20 ppg each, but the rest of the team has got to fill in the other 40-50 points for them to stay competitive.

A healthy Dragic, Deng, Whiteside and with Green, Amare, McRoberts, etc coming off the bench should do just that.

[dubeta]

Wade ball turning teammates into spot up shooters, what else is new?


First Wade turns Bosh into a spot up shooter, and then Kyrie ball turns Love into one as well


Both of them ruin team chemistry

[Mr. Jabbar]

JT i think we're over the kobe thread cuota for today. Keep in mind he plays tonight save something 4 l8er bro

[JT123]

Wade ball turning teammates into spot up shooters, what else is new?


First Wade turns Bosh into a spot up shooter, and then Kyrie ball turns Love into one as well


Both of them ruin team chemistry

It's funny how everyone wanted to blame Lebron for Bosh only shooting 3's, yet the season after Bron leaves Bosh's 3 point attempts per game INCREASE! Looks like it was Wade forcing him out there all along.

[Hey Yo]

This is basically just a premise of the article. The author is the only espn writer to choose Miami to represent the East in the Finals

Amin Elhassan, ESPN Staff Writer:

"That's right, yours truly is the lone outlier, picking the Miami Heat to represent the East. Many factors have led me to this conclusion, not the least of which are the extreme health issues facing the prohibitive favorite Cleveland Cavaliers. However, here I'll focus on why the Heat have a good chance if they can do one thing -- reduce Dwyane Wade's role offensively.

In many ways, Wade has become the Kobe Bryant of the Eastern Conference. He's an over-the-hill star player who hasn't quite accepted a role that doesn't make him the focal point of the offense. Unlike Bryant, however, Wade has experience in taking a step back.

For the Heat to truly unlock their full offensive potential, Wade has to go back to the off-ball cutting role he perfected during the Big Three era, when he redefined how we think of spacing with his "ghost cuts."

Pushing the pace

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has stated on multiple occasions his desire for his team to play with more pace, and with good reason. Miami was the second-slowest team in the league last season, according to NBA.com, averaging a hair over 93 possessions per game. That's including the second half of the season, when Goran Dragic pushed the team to about 95 possessions per game.

Before Dragic's arrival, Miami was dead last at 91.9 possessions per game, with an offensive efficiency of 101.5, which put the Heat near the bottom third of the league. As a result, the Heat were in the bottom third in generating transition opportunities, with less than 12 percent of their offense coming on such plays, according to Synergy Sports.

And it's not just transition plays that are affected by slow pace; it simply leads to overall offensive stagnation. Spoelstra has intimated as much, telling the Miami Herald, "This team has to get the ball up the floor, get into our actions with decisiveness, clarity and pace. ... It will benefit us to play with pace, to get our players to our strengths. Playing with a slower, methodical pace probably doesn't do that as efficiently."

The main issue for Miami: Wade is one of the significant ball-stoppers for the team, with more than 20 percent of his touches extending past six seconds, according to SportVu. While usage jumped from the second-lowest level of his career, 27.6 percent, in 2013-14 to the second-highest, 34.5 percent, in 2014-15, Wade's offensive efficiency dropped from 0.995 points per possession to 0.915. He also got fewer opportunities in transition, dropping from 14.9 percent of the offense to 11.9 percent, and increased his shares of isolations, post-ups and pick-and-roll ballhandling. He also had half as many plays classified as cuts, despite being in the 94th percentile in that category the year before.

The goal with Wade should be simple: Get him into the offense with pace and try to avoid the sort of stagnant sets that have him holding and waiting.

Overall, the increased pace and tempo of the offense can alleviate the relative lack of shooting on the Miami roster. By keeping the individual parts moving, it makes it more difficult for help defenders to pick their poison: whether to stay home on their man or leave to help on the primary action.

In order for this to work, however, Wade has to make a concerted effort to be effective on the run rather than play methodically. As he grows more familiar with the newer faces on the roster, he'll have a better feel for where the release-valve passes are in situations.

In many ways, that's a metaphor for where he is in his career. Once able to quick-twitch react to defensive moves, he now has to anticipate what the defense will do and have several possible reactions mapped out. If he's able, and willing, to make this adjustment, the Heat have a chance to turn some heads next spring.

[JT123]

JT i think we're over the kobe thread cuota for today. Keep in mind he plays tonight save something 4 l8er bro

Thread is mainly about Wade brother. The writer of the article is the one comparing Wade to Kobe, not me. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about Kobe's performance tonight.

[JT123]

This is basically just a premise of the article. The author is the only espn writer to choose Miami to represent the East in the Finals

Amin Elhassan, ESPN Staff Writer:

"That's right, yours truly is the lone outlier, picking the Miami Heat to represent the East. Many factors have led me to this conclusion, not the least of which are the extreme health issues facing the prohibitive favorite Cleveland Cavaliers. However, here I'll focus on why the Heat have a good chance if they can do one thing -- reduce Dwyane Wade's role offensively.

In many ways, Wade has become the Kobe Bryant of the Eastern Conference. He's an over-the-hill star player who hasn't quite accepted a role that doesn't make him the focal point of the offense. Unlike Bryant, however, Wade has experience in taking a step back.

For the Heat to truly unlock their full offensive potential, Wade has to go back to the off-ball cutting role he perfected during the Big Three era, when he redefined how we think of spacing with his "ghost cuts."

Pushing the pace

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has stated on multiple occasions his desire for his team to play with more pace, and with good reason. Miami was the second-slowest team in the league last season, according to NBA.com, averaging a hair over 93 possessions per game. That's including the second half of the season, when Goran Dragic pushed the team to about 95 possessions per game.

Before Dragic's arrival, Miami was dead last at 91.9 possessions per game, with an offensive efficiency of 101.5, which put the Heat near the bottom third of the league. As a result, the Heat were in the bottom third in generating transition opportunities, with less than 12 percent of their offense coming on such plays, according to Synergy Sports.

And it's not just transition plays that are affected by slow pace; it simply leads to overall offensive stagnation. Spoelstra has intimated as much, telling the Miami Herald, "This team has to get the ball up the floor, get into our actions with decisiveness, clarity and pace. ... It will benefit us to play with pace, to get our players to our strengths. Playing with a slower, methodical pace probably doesn't do that as efficiently."

The main issue for Miami: Wade is one of the significant ball-stoppers for the team, with more than 20 percent of his touches extending past six seconds, according to SportVu. While usage jumped from the second-lowest level of his career, 27.6 percent, in 2013-14 to the second-highest, 34.5 percent, in 2014-15, Wade's offensive efficiency dropped from 0.995 points per possession to 0.915. He also got fewer opportunities in transition, dropping from 14.9 percent of the offense to 11.9 percent, and increased his shares of isolations, post-ups and pick-and-roll ballhandling. He also had half as many plays classified as cuts, despite being in the 94th percentile in that category the year before.

The goal with Wade should be simple: Get him into the offense with pace and try to avoid the sort of stagnant sets that have him holding and waiting.

Overall, the increased pace and tempo of the offense can alleviate the relative lack of shooting on the Miami roster. By keeping the individual parts moving, it makes it more difficult for help defenders to pick their poison: whether to stay home on their man or leave to help on the primary action.

In order for this to work, however, Wade has to make a concerted effort to be effective on the run rather than play methodically. As he grows more familiar with the newer faces on the roster, he'll have a better feel for where the release-valve passes are in situations.

In many ways, that's a metaphor for where he is in his career. Once able to quick-twitch react to defensive moves, he now has to anticipate what the defense will do and have several possible reactions mapped out. If he's able, and willing, to make this adjustment, the Heat have a chance to turn some heads next spring.

Thanks bro.
I agree with the article. Wade needs to stop being a ball stopper if the Heat wanna get back to the playoffs.

[Fire Colangelo]

Also, I'm not too sure what this has to do with Kobe ball......

They play completely different brands of basketball, Wade is similar to LeBron where he's looking to score as much as he's looking to set up his teammates...

I don't recall Kobe "forcing" Pau or Bynum to shoot 3's either...

In terms of Bosh shooting 3's.... he's obviously now a lot comfortable shooting 3's as opposed to prior years and he's shooting more 3's now because it's actually a weapon instead of just a bailout shot.

[Mr. Jabbar]

Thread is mainly about Wade brother. The writer of the article is the one comparing Wade to Kobe, not me. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about Kobe's performance tonight.

I love you.

[GrapeApe]

I'm pretty sure most Heat fans agree with the jist of that. The Heat need to be a balanced team. A lot of that is on Spo and moving away from his iso-oriented offense. When the ball sticks the Heat will have trouble scoring, especially in today's league. Wade is intelligent and adaptable so he'll alter his game accordingly.