Dwyane Wade strongly believes the Miami Heat’s game versus the New York Knicks tonight should have been postponed. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, many New Yorkers are still digging out of the damage and are still without power in places. Public transportation is not back fully and logistically it could be a nightmare getting to the arena. It took the Heat three hours to get from the airplane to the arena earlier this morning.
“If we’re in a car and we’re in traffic for three hours, what are other people who are really affected by this, what are they doing? How are they getting around, how are they moving, et cetera?
“So it was just like, come on man, we shouldn’t be here to play a basketball game. If anything, we should be here to do something to help the city.”
He even took to twitter to express the same sentiment.
I luv playing in the garden but cnt do nothing but think abt all the families that dont have power,food,water … m.tmi.me/yKehf
— Way of WADE (@DwyaneWade) November 2, 2012
(the tweet continues “ths is a tragic hit 4 ths gr8 city”)
To that end, Wade is doing something to help the people affected by the storm. He is donating his game check, over $200,000 to various relief efforts.
There is something to the healing power of sports. We all remember what it was like after 9/11 in New York City and That first Saints game after Hurricane Katrina, but it is hard to argue that this game may still be too soon, especially considering it would have been rather easy to reschedule.
January 28th would have been an ideal date for this game to be played. Both teams play on the 27th, New York at home vs Atlanta and Miami in nearby Boston. Then on the 30th, the Knicks are still at home versus Orlando and the Heat would have gone to nearby Brooklyn to face the Nets.
Whether it is sentiment or money that the game was not rescheduled, it is interesting to see that Wade would come out publicly and disapprove of the game being played.
For his part, Lebron James took the predictably safe route and went perfectly down the middle in his comments regarding the situation.
“I think we’re all in agreement that getting everything situated and back and running after the hurricane is more important than a basketball game,” he said. “But there’s also people who believe that we need this basketball game for a lot of spirits and a lot of families.
“So I’m kind of fifty-fifty on it, as well. You know, I’m happy to be here to play a basketball game, but at the same time, if the people who are here, or people that are helping out with this game, could give their efforts to help this city run or help their families come out of the situation, then I think that’s more important.”