Wednesday, April 25th, 2012 at 2:40 pm  |  72 responses

Dwyane Wade: LeBron James is More of a Leader Now


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

During their first season together, despite all of the success they achieved together, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade never truly figured out who’s team the Miami Heat were. Since he’d been in South Beach longer, and had already won a NBA title, DWade remained the defacto leader of the squad.

After famously flaming out in the NBA Finals, LeBron was forced back to the drawing board. He emerged as a new player, and person.

According to Dwyane Wade, LeBron is now more of a leader for the Miami Heat, and in a somewhat surprising role reversal, it’s Dwyane who’s now taking direction from LeBron (not the other way around.)

From the Associated Press:

Driven by last season’s loss to Dallas in the NBA finals – a series where he made seven field-goal attempts in 68 fourth-quarter minutes – James and the Heat return to the postseason as the No. 2 seed on the Eastern Conference bracket. Their first-round opponent is still not determined. Their ultimate goal was determined long ago. “I have to be who I am,” James said. “Last year was the biggest teacher. The greatest teacher in life is experience. And I had that last year. I’m back to being the person who can take over games. I have no problem taking over a game now.”

“Obviously, last year we kind of got cheated a little bit out of the greatness of LeBron as a vocal leader,” Wade said. “He had so much going on, so much in his mind that he was just trying to show everybody with his play and his toughness. But this year, especially of late, we’ve all been getting the vocal player, the intelligent player that LeBron is. His IQ of the game is second to none. So you listen. Especially me.” […] “I want to win it all, as bad as other guys want to win it – if not more,” James said. “That’s why I play as hard as I do in the regular season, to build my habits, build our team’s habits. I’ve been bothered by last season a lot. It’s constant. I dream about it a lot, winning that trophy and seeing the confetti come down. That’s why I’m here. I’m here because I wanted to compete for a championship year in and year out.”

It’s championship or bust for LeBron James and the Miami Heat, as per usual.

Even though LBJ has repeatedly said that he’s a new man this year, with a much happier outlook on life and the game of basketball, the harsh reality is that anything short of a ring in a couple of months would be considered ruinous.

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  • AsadSaleh3

    So many folks misuse the term “hate”. It’s almost like if LeBron misses a shot and someone points it out, there’s always an idiot who will think it’s “hating”. Jordan and LeBron have nothing in common. The comparisons need to stop. Jordan was the ultimate alpha dog. His best teammate started out as a bench player and turned himself into a top 50 player. LeBron left his city, a team he carried to the best record two seasons in a row to join D-Wade’s team in D-Wade’s city. If he had played in the playoffs consistently like he played in the regular season especially his last year in Cleveland, they would have gotten to the Finals. They had Boston on the ropes after LeBron exploded in Game 3. Two different mindsets when you’re talking about MJ and LeBron. There’s not really a player we can compare with LeBron. I’m not sure he even wants to be compared with anyone.

  • aaron

    And there has never been a player like LeBron so comparing him to anyone is ridiculous. He shot a higher % this year than Larry Bird ever did. His PER is better than Jordan’s ever was, he assists at a higher % than Magic did and Rebounds at a Higher rate than anyone at his position. Uncomparable

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    nbk should join wade in wade’s mom’s house

  • AQWORD

    LOL at all you chumps who argued that Wade will lead Miami in scoting & be the man on this team. Your weak minded opinions could never come near this & you have absolutely nothin to hang to. Bron is THE BEAST , MVP & he will get his ring.

  • K.a.

    Nbk, i get ur argument. This is how i differentiate mj, tim. The fact when they get to the finals, they never lost. To me not losing when it counts means more than number wins. So yeah, i do feel that even if lebron wins 6 there will always be those 2 losses that mars his rep. Its not hating, its just my internal logic.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    If Michael didn’t win the title he failed: getting further (the finals) means you won more before you lost and logically, lost to a better opponent.

  • thisisit

    so here it is, the real reason why lebron came up short vs dallas last year. lebron was approached by a syndicate and told him that if mia won against dallas, his mom will join jordan’s dad in the afterlife. cant believe this story hasnt leaked yet. this year though, lebron can play his game to the fullest.

  • Ali

    We shall see in the playoffs! Let’s go NYK! If this is the Heats year, make it tough on em’!

  • Saied Mirkhani

    I am a big fan of Miami Heat. I have not miss watching a Miami game for the last 2 seasons. L. James, D. Wade and C. Bosh are the best in NBA.
    My only concern for play off 2012 is:
    1- Heat coach Sp. does not seem to be the right coach for a top NBA team.
    2- Miami Heat bench is not performing well comparing to the other teams in East and West in playoff.

    Mr. Pat Riley picked the best 3 in NBA 2 years ago but did not select a good support group around them.
    To win the championship, Heat big 3 need to really sacrifise theselves and play over 40 minutes in each game at their best performabnce level of play.
    The big 3 are capable of doing that and I hope the rest of the team step up and play better to win the chamionship. Miami Heat is well deserve to win it.

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    LONG… LIVE… THE KING!

  • andrew

    bryan bynum u are a dumb a**

  • AsadSaleh3

    The only player who should be compared to Jordan is Kobe. I don’t care what anyone says, this is the main point. Regardless of how long it took, when Jordan got to the Finals, he played his best and he won. 6 for 6. That’s it. And we all know if his father hadn’t have been killed and he had never retired the first time to play baseball, he very well could have gone 8 for 8. 6 for 6 is insane by itself. To retire, come back and play almost like you never left is ridiculous. They lost to the Magic, and he comes back the next season as an even better player? That’s crazy. Bring up your regular season stats if you’d like when trying to compare LeBron and Michael. The Finals is when you separate yourself from everyone else on the floor. Jordan did it. Kobe has done it. Wade did it. LeBron has yet to do it.

  • Ali

    THEY DON’T HEAR YOU AsadSaleh3! Say it again! Hahaha…

  • http://juan.garcia@computershare.com Miami Joe

    To me the most sickening comment is he says “no excuse year for me”. you mean you have excuses for the years before?

  • angeli

    kobe is no way near Jordan.

    We are not talking about rings here. Jordan is far better than Kobe in over-all play.

  • DreDay

    Asad is on point and reading his comments compared to others. You can tell GROWN Men from Children. Just saying.
    Go Bulls!!

  • lakernation

    @tRay@lahuey, to answer your question… YES! He’s out of the conversation w/ Jordan and Kobe, I didnt say anything about Bird and Magic. It isnt a silly point, it’s a valid point. He hasn’t won anything but d_riders quick to throw him in conversations like he has. He’s been in the L 8 yrs, father time will soon take all of the jumping and sprinting down the court like a gazelle away from him and when he does Lebron will be force to change his game….. I wonder if his shooting % remains as high…. probably not it will drop significantly, jumpshots too ugly. What i’m trying to say is, we tend to pre-judge lebron James every year around this time as this changed leader that has learned from his past failures. I dont buy it, I think Durant will get one before he will. CANT WAIT FOR THIS POSTSEASON TO KICK OFF BABY!

  • http://juan.garcia@computershare.com Miami Joe

    Chips are all that matter. Do you remember Worthy, for example, as a side kick? Or do you remember him for his clutchness and championships? Thought so.

  • Ali

    Word up Miami Joe…F*** percentages and stats… When it matters most in The Playoffs, In Conference Championships, In The Finals, WHAT DO YOU DO, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE.

  • lakernation

    ^^two thumbs up^^ miami joe and ali

  • http://www.slamonline.com Yvonne Jeter-Abdullah

    I am a big fan of the Miami Heat. I am a basketball player myself and I hope you will take my constructive criticism in the right way. I suggest that first of all you get back on defense run hard and match up with your man and if not communicate better on switches. Also crash those defensive boards all five players must do so because you can’t win without the ball. It’s defense that wins games and you need to up the intensity level to match that of your opponent. Also move the ball around swing it and make the defense work. You are too stagnant in your offense and have to much isolation and your opponent does not have to make any adjustments because you allow them to rest and to key in on what you are doing. You need to mix up your game and utilize your strengths. Make sure to drive the ball to the basket and make your opponent move their feet and work don’t just settle for jumpers use your athleticism. You also need to when a ball is on the floor get down there and get it be more aggressive. It’s a game of possessions and every one counts. Take your time on your free throws and take a deep breath and remember to bend your knees and to follow through. If you get beat on defense the weak side defender needs to compensate for that. Stay with one another don’t hang your heads or point fingers be supportive of each other. Go out there you are professionals and get that win tomorrow night and bring it home for a 7th game. I will be watching! GO HEAT! Sincerely, Yvonne Jeter-Abdullah

  • http://www.slamonline.com Yvonne Jeter-Abdullah

    Hi! It’s Yvonne Jeter-Abdullah. I’m back I forgot to mention a few things and I certainly hope they help. Also remember to pass and cut, screen and roll and drive the ball to force the defender to react and then find the open man. And after further review of some of the tape on SBNATION. I must reiterate that it is imperative that you get back on defense, when the score was 78-75 Ray Allen ran back D-Wade you didn’t and luckily he was unable to convert the three-point shot attempt. Please remember that you set the tone for the rest of the team and the term Superstar is really not relevant. You are all stars and it takes a collaborative effort to win. So therefore, you all can lead one another by fine tuning your roles on and off the floor and establishing a camaraderie that can’t be matched by your opponent. When a foul is not called or a turnover is forced don’t further compound the problem by not getting back. Find a way to make up for it on the defensive end. I want to see you exhibit the effort that Norris Cole exhibited when he sprinted back and made that critical steal. All of you need to lead by example and fine tune this machine and do all the intangibles that are necessary to win a NBA Championship. If a player as Stephen A. Smith says sometimes hits a tough shot (it was good defense and just better offense) make sure to at least get a hand in their face and closeout on them. And pray together and “God” willing you will be victorious. GO HEAT!!! I am looking for a win tonight from your biggest fan!!! Sincerely, Yvonne Jeter-Abdullah

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