When Dwyane Wade finally was bought out by the Bulls, it was almost inevitable that he would end up back with his best friend LeBron James. This time it’s in the Midwest in Cleveland with the Cavs, and while Wade isn’t the same Wade as when the HEAT went to four consecutive Finals appearances, most assumed he would be a nice addition coming off the bench supporting the Ultimate Green Light, aka JR Smith.
Tyronn Lue says he has named Dwyane Wade his starting shooting guard to start the season. J.R. Smith will come off the bench.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 9, 2017
Not so fast says Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. In a bit of a surprise move today, Lue named Wade the starter over JR. Wait, what?? It begs the question, how many minutes are the Cavs planning on playing the 35-year old Wade? On paper, Wade’s numbers exceeds Smith’s. However, in his final season with the HEAT, Wade flourished when he wasn’t relied upon to play more than 30 minutes a game. The wear and tear on his body was much less for obvious reasons, and in the past Lue hasn’t exhibited the know-how to use his bench effectively. During the NBA Finals, many NBA fans watched in pain as Lue literally played guys like Derrick Williams a total of 0 minutes, while his team became gassed by the Warriors rotation.
Maybe someone has given Lue a crash course in effectice bench rotation this off-season. Plus Wade still thinks he’s got the juice. He tweeted during free agency this his stat line from last year would easily give him $150 million max contract if he was 25 and not 35. He’s probably right, but at 35 you can’t help wonder how Wade’s knees and ankles will hold up through an 82-game season.