Miami Dreamin’: Odom and Boozer?
Superstar guard Dwyane Wade, only a year away from starring in the heart-stopping summer of 2010, has made it perfectly clear that he wants the Miami Heat front office to step up to the plate and deliver him some help. Otherwise, well, you know…
According to a report on Yahoo! Sports, Pat Riley and company are only happy to oblige:
Now, the Heat are working furiously to deliver Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer to the shores of Biscayne Bay. The Heat are trying to sell Odom on a five-year, $34 million contract at the mid-level exception, and a league executive with knowledge of the talks says Miami has also hatched a three-way proposal with the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies to secure Boozer.
The essentials of a possible deal would include Miami sending forward Udonis Haslem and Dorell Wright to Utah. Because Memphis is under the cap, Utah could move Wright’s $2.8 million salary to the Grizzlies and save itself approximately $5.6 million with salary and luxury-tax payments. Memphis would probably get cash and picks for its trouble. The Heat would have to send one more small contract to make the math on the salary exchange work. Miami could pay Boozer his $12.7 million salary this season and own his [Larry] Bird rights to sign him to an extension next summer.
Some in the local Miami press aren’t ready to do back-flips over the rumor, and helpfully point out why Heat fans should hold their excitement. All that being said, however, one must admit that the above is more than a little intriguing.
- Heat Sell-Out Season; Fire Sales Staff
- Blazers Willing to Trade Rudy for Taj Gibson?
- On Top Again
- Knicks Offering Shannon Brown $4M Per Year?
- NBA To Reveal Marquee Games Tuesday
- Video: Tyreke Evans Reckless Driving 130 MPH
- Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Going Strong in Japan
- Jordan Retro II
- Von Wafer Talks About Joining Celtics
- The WNBA and Diversity
- Subscribe to Slamonline »
-
Photos: Hard to Get
Josh Selby is B-More’s latest, greatest baller.
- Wallpaper: SLAM First Team All-Americans
Kyrie, Brandon, Harrison, Jared and Perry are 2010’s best.
Wade has constantly complained that he hates being point guard, but he has trouble playing off the ball– this makes the point guard spot a difficult one to fill. Chalmers does a fine job, as the dude can bring the ball up and take some pressure off Wade but also act as a streaky but mostly effective catch-and-shoot guard. This is great and all, but Chalmers doesn’t strike me as being all that… hesitant, shaky offensive IQ, shaky court vision… He seems like a much, much better option off the bench.
Now, in fairness, I didn’t see Cook improving but the dude improved mentally (stopped hesitating on shots, smarter shot selection, improved moving without the ball, less turnovers) so maybe Chalmers will have the same coming out party. What I’m saying is, I don’t expect greater offense or defense or passing from Chalmers, I think his skills are where they are as is his physical ability. I’m always happy when a player proves me wrong. Unless it’s Rondo.
And to add to Spaceship Jay’s point, it’s sad that people already put Lebron in a top-50 list but deny Wade the same honors.
SG - Wade
SF - Moon
PF - Booz
C - J. O’Neal
6th - Odom
Bench: Chalmers, James Jones, Cook. That’s pretty nasty, make it happen.
I think Lebron gets put on the top 50 list because looking at his career so far, his numbers have been more eye-popping than Wade’s although Wade has had the ultimate team success.
Unfortunatly, Wade has also had lots of injury problems and his team has had some pretty crappy years. So I can understand leaving him off the top 50 list for now.
A lot of Nash fans will tell you about his rags to riches climb to glory though…
Bryan, very good point, i like them both but bron is built to last a decade of beating, not so sure wade is
But, he’s also way more turnover prone. It’s damn near ridiculous.
And the rebounding edge may be due to Lebron’s height, but it still exists. That’s like pointing out that it’s easier for Wade to do some things because he’s smaller and more shifty. That’s just life.
And, while Wade had great numbers as far as steals and blocks, I honestly feel like Bron is the better complete defender.
All of the flaws you described in Lebron’s defense are prevalent in Wade’s defense. I’ve seen Bron have fewer mental lapses on defense and I’ve also seen him take the challenge of guarding the other team’s best wing player on numerous occassions and shut them down.
Melo, Kobe, Pierce and the two wings for the Magic. When Bron guarded them, their production decreased. Wade is typically chilling on a lesser player, when I’ve watched him and he gambles and chills WAY too much.
I disagree with you vehmently on the passing ability.
Wade is a good passer the same way Marbury and Iverson are good passers. He draws defenders and can make the nice dish.
Lebron is a good passer the same way Jason Kidd is a good passer.
Lebron is a better three point shooter. If Wade is improving, cool, Bron is still better.
You are stating opinions as if they are facts. I disagree with you on Wade being the better overall defender. His effort is not as consistent and he does not have a track record of shutting down elite offensive players. Bron had done this on occasion.
I think Wade is slightly more clutch, but only slightly. Do y’all remember what Bron did to Boston in Game Seven and few years ago? Or what he did to Detroit? The “Bron ain’t clutch” meme is ridiculously bogus.
I think Wade is a better scorer. He has more innate scoring ability and more scoring options.
But, I think Lebron’s physical abilities make it EASIER for him to score without those abilities which means he’s just as effective most of the time.
So, Wade can more easily breakdown any defender one on one on a given possession, but Bron is such a massive beast that he does the same without the same skills.
It’s like Kobe and Bron (Sorry). Kobe is more skilled as a scorer, but that doesn’t mean he’s always more effective. Sometimes you need skill, and sometimes you need brute force.
I agree with you COMPLETELY on Wade’s dribbling versus Lebron’s.
But, you’re comparing a 6′4″ shooting guard to a 6′8″ small forward. That’s like saying you expect Scottie Pippen to handle Steve Nash.
Wade is SUPPOSED to be able to dribble better, he’s a guard. Like Lebron is supposed to rebound better, cause he’s a forward.
AS Z pointed out, despite Wade’s superior skill set, he’s STILL not more effective than Lebron. Plus, Wade is turnover prone. Anybody who denies that is not being honest. It was a big deal when Bron had like seven turnovers last year, Wade does this all the time.
Bron often goes 1 on 5.
But so does WADE!
Have you watched a heat game recently? The run the exact same offense as the Cavaliers in crunch time. They ran that offense against Dallas in the Finals.
Wade is just more aesthically pleasing in how he attacks 1 on 5, but he’s doing the exact same thing as Bron.
I don’t think I’ll be discussing this issue with you any further. Your arguments are not bound by logic, you have a shifting set of standards and you enjoy insults.
Good day.
@Everyone: it’s funny how no one can agree on what Wade and Lebron are better at.
PERSONALLY:
I think Lebron is a better scorer than Wade… I feel Wade is forced to take a lot more shots, while Lebron let’s the offense come to him a helluva lot more. Sure, Wade averaged 30, but when Lebron was in Wade’s position, he averaged closer to 32, and he was far less skilled than he is now.
Lebron is obviously a better rebounder.
For passing… it’s difficult for me to say, I agree with Allen P on this one. Wade is a better PASSER: when he sees a dude, he can contort his body, use his nimble hands, use his ball handling, and fake a guy out well enough to get that pass out. It’s very Starbury/Iverson-esque. Lebron is less of a passer but much more of an on-court mistro: he’s CREATING the offense, not just finding it. So, it depends what you put more emphasis in on who you would consider a better passer, but if I needed someone to run the point, I’d probably choose Lebron… or eh… I don’t know.
Wade is a better defender. I know Lebron is becoming a great one-on-one defender, but Wade gets some clean @$$ steals that are less of a gamble then one would believe. He also outblocks Lebron, and that’s ridiculous in itself. I don’t think he gets burned as much as many people believe he does. He also doesn’t have the supporting cast that Lebron has on defense– Lebron likes to lead his opponent into bigs so he can play more off the guy, while Wade has to SHUT THE GUY DOWN cause he has no big bodies to lead them too (and is afraid of he leads them into Jermaine, then Jermaine would explode).
There’s various other issues that I think they’re divided on, ie:
Ball handling: Wade
Leadership: Lebron
Getting teammates invovled: Lebron
Clutch: Wade
Post: Lebron
Outside shooting: WAde
Less turnover-prone: Lebron
etc. etc.
Lebron’s all in all better, but I don’t think the gap is significant.
Regardless, he hit two game-winning shots in the post this year. How many has Wade hit? I know it’s a lot different for a guard, but most of Wade’s turnaround jumps come from expiring shot clocks without really posting up.
ALSO: Lebron is way way way way way way better working off the ball than Wade. It’s not even f*ckign close on that one.
Nice talking to you as well. My homeboy and I have this argument about Wade and Lebron all the time adn we usually end up saying “I feel you, I just disagree.”
Eboy
I agree with Jukai on Bron off the all, at least early in the season. I mean, backdooring a player who is out of the position is a BIG part of working off the ball. Ask MJ.
However, since neither player has shown much skill working off the ball, it’s not really something I bring up.
Wade is better off the bounce, and he’s better off the pick. He’s a better one-on-one player. The only problem is, that as somebody said, every 6-7 plays he just does something ridiculously careless and stupid with the ball that makes me angry as a fan. And he pouts WAY too much. Particularly this past year.
Anyway, I thought Wade was better than Lebron back in 2006.
I was only talking about pouting with his teammates with Wade. I don’t get too upset when players complain to the refs (I am an Iverson fan), but when they pout at their own teammates and refuse to get back on defense, it pisses me off.
I agree with Eboy, before Wade became DWADE, I was a much bigger fan.
As I said, I have nothign against Chalmers, if he proved me wrong, I’d man up right away.
Then you look at LeBron and the body he has always had, compared to Wade’s frame. Look at the stats for both players and link it to their size and see who’s at the disadvantage in terms of size (Wade), yet look at the numbers he’s putting up.
Don’t forget that Wade also took the Heat to the playoffs in his rookie season, and if it wasn’t for his injuries we wouldnt even need to discuss who’s better. LeBron has dominated by continuing on his path while Wade has had to deal with injuries and player retirements.
If that aint enough for you, lets take just the Playoffs. NBA Finals…both been there once. Wade wins Finals MVP with Lazarus style resurrections scoring 42,36,43,and brings Miami back from the dead to win it while Bron got swept (and if your team makes the Finals.. it’s good enough to win a game).
An injured Wade still plays with more guts and better than Bron, as he showed against Detroit in the 2005 Playoffs. If Wade didn’t have his injuries, Shaq would be having his second 3-peat with Wade and Miami, and everyone would be talking about Wade (the performances were shown at both the 04′ and 08′ Olympics too), only Wade, and a Heat dynasty.
And just one final point… who was that player who refused to shake hands with Orlando in this year’s Conference Finals?????? Oh yeah, that’s right… Case closed. Wade is better, and did more for his team this year to deserve that MVP award, but unfortunately that’s not how winning that trophy is measured.
That’s why I rate Wade above him. He’s gotta do it all kamikaze style, matches the numbers and is up there defensively in blocks and steals.
Bron to me is like a WWE superstar. Don’t get me wrong. I love what James can do and enjoy watching him, but to me Wade is better.
Thanks for the correction too Eboy. Wasn’t aware of that.
Also, Eboy spoke the truth around 2:10 p.m.
Brad: Z’s entire point was that size was the end product.
Your argument makes no sense. Without his freakish athleticism, DWade wouldn’t be playing the two guard and he wouldn’t be a star.
Wade has benefited as much from being an athletic freak as has Bron. If we are docking cats for athletic ability than Jordan, Wilt and Russell can never be in discussions for the best ever, and John Stockton is Top Five all time.
i can’t even get riled up for this debate. honestly. wade is a fantastic player but bron is one-of-a-kind player. his combination of skills, size and athletic ability is unheard of. there is a REASON why the big debate centers around kobe and bron. wade is going to have to settle for the third wheel. again, it is what it is”
————————————————————————————————————— Yup Z, and there was a REASON that the debate in the late-80’s centered on Magic and Larry. Michael just had to take that third wheel. It is what it is…….. its called “Perception vs Reality”, D-Wade and Lebron were the two best players in teh world from the start of last years olympics and Kobe was not even CLOSE to their level.
the debate is getting circular. i find it mildly amusing that it’s lakers fans saying that wade is better and the only true blue heat fan on the board is not going that far. / again, i’ll repeat myself there’s a REASON it was kobe and lebron on that SLAM cover. they are the two best players in the nba and it is widely accepted by fans, media guys and players themselves. wade hasn’t been part of that debate as best in the game. that’s a fact. ya’ll have a good day. (and please, can we stop with insults already? childish.) ”
—————————————————————– Wade has been part of that debate for nearly 4 years now Z, only times he hasnt been in it is when he was injured (06-07 playoffs and 07-08 regular season), of course he had to work his way back into it…. and he did that throughout the olympics as the best player on that team and as the best individual player in the league olast year (just as lebron was better than kobe in 07-08 despite kobe winning mvp, if it wwas “most outstanding player” lbj woulda won that year, and wade would have won last year)
The Heat produce a team (Sure lets say its got Boozer and Lamar for argument…) that gets Wade a 2nd championship/mvp trophy - would that make him better than LeBron??
Yes.
But not for the reason you might think.
I think that LeBron James might be the first athlete thats actually TOO GOOD for his chosen field of professional sports. The ultimate over-achiever that inherantly succumbs to failure in terms of championships produced.
I would hazard a guess right here and now and say that LeBron will win his first championship when his numbers drop, his supporting cast is upgraded and he finally gets to be part of a ‘team’ (sure he can still be the man…) that wins it along side him. In a similar way to Garnett having to go to Boston, and the team that was developed there.
- But hey
Shaq’s Superman truck featured in the SLAM caption contest? Won’t really matter what kind, you can bet that one is expensive to refuel!
___
I looked it up and found this…”His scrumtrilecent performance was worthy of his crommulancy!!!”
O_o
As for that LeBron vs Wade argument. Wade has a ring and is a better defender. FACT.
^_^
boozer to neverland
Comments