Friday, October 26th, 2012 at 12:00 pm  |  179 responses

Top 50: Dwyane Wade, no. 6

The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players for ’12-13.

by Maurice Bobb / @ReeseReport

When a player reaches double-digit years in the NBA, the substantiality of their professional career worth boils down to one simple equation:

career points + career rebounds + career assists ÷ Championships = legacy

As he enters his 10th season in the League, Dwyane Wade, who moves down one spot from last year’s No. 5 ranking to this year’s No. 6 ranking on our list, has his eyes on the legacy he’ll leave as a player in the L. Don’t believe it? Just look at his move from Jordan Brand, a sneaker built by his childhood hero, Michael Jordan, the man he patterned his game by, to little known sneaker outfit, Li-Ning. In a word, the whole move was all about his legacy.

And for all of his masterful, YouTube-worthy Euro steps, his blow by moves to the rack, his posterizing dunks over unsuspecting defenders—that means you, Anderson Varajeo, his crafty step back J’s, his unrelenting acrobatics in the lane, his in-your-face, sticky like fly paper, one-on-one defense, for Flash, it all comes down to the numbers he’s posted with the only team he’s ever suited up for: The Miami Heat.

Let’s do the math, shall we?

Over the course of nine years, Wade has amassed 14, 990 points, 3,020 rebounds and 3,697 assists over 596 career games (2,776 points, 619 rebounds and 586 assists over 110 career Playoff games). And for the cherry on top? Wade has 1,055 steals and 611 blocks (182 steals and 125 blocks in the postseason).

He has two Larry O’Brien trophies. One Finals MVP trophy. Eight All-Star appearances. And this can’t be overlooked, one free-agency coup de grâce.

To those that think it was mere coincidence that Chris Bosh and LeBron James defected to South Beach from Toronto and Cleveland, respectively, simply because of Pat Riley or, for the warm weather, know this: they went to the 305 for one reason and one reason only: to play with Dwyane Wade. Of the NBA’s most celebrated and hated triumvirate, Wade it its elder statesman. He’s the face. He’s the soul. He’s the OG. And all OGs know the ultimate key to everything athletes are seeking in the professional ranks. It’s the immutable truth. It’s the golden rule.

The path to greatness is along with others.

To those “experts” who would balk at such an idea, there is this undisputed fact: no one has ever done anything on their own. No one. Not MJ, not Magic, not Bird, not anyone.

So when the choices were laid out in front of him, like food à la carte on a buffet table at the Sizzler, who did the Chosen One choose to join on his way to erasing the gaping hole in life? What kingdom did King James choose to join to climb that last mountain to an NBA title?

Dwyane Wade’s kingdom.

That’s the ultimate arbiter in the curious case of DWade.

The numbers, they all count. And it matters that he’s missed games due to injury. As this season begins, he’ll be making his way back from his second surgery on the same knee. And it also matters that, unlike LBJ, he is on the other side of his prime. But even with all of that, Wade is still a top-five player in the NBA. Sure, he had to be bumped to No. 6 for this list, but for me, I can’t put him below No. 5A in my mind.

Need a big play? Call on Wade. Need someone to clear it out and hit the game-winner? Draw one up for Wade. Need a lockdown defender to shut down the other team’s top scorer? Turn Wade loose on him. In a League chockfull of stats and metrics and definable qualities by which to judge a player, Wade is indescribable. He’s in a class of his own.

And when it comes to taking the credit, he passes it onto his teammates. Ain’t that just like DWade? Word to Jay-Z.

And after 10 years of excellence, opulence, decadence (still on my Hov ish) at the two guard spot, Wade is still a competitive force of nature.

And although the Heat is LeBron’s team now, Wade is still the one everyone—you, me, the team, the fans, hell, even LBJ—relies on to finish the game.

Win it for us, DWade.

He’s still the one players come to for advice. If LeBron is the Commander-in-Chief, he’s still the Five-Star General. He’s the one who’s actually been to war. He’s still the one who brought Miami its first ever NBA title. Miami will forever be his house.

He’s Dwyane, not Dwayne. Even the way he spells his name makes more sense now to the good folks at Scripps than the way the Rock spells his.

Wade changed the game and the name.

Now, how’s that for a legacy?


Where should Dwyane Wade rank in the SLAMonline Top 50?

Loading ... Loading ...
SLAMonline Top 50 Players 2012
Rank Player Team Position Pos. Rank
50 Greg Monroe Pistons C 8
49 Tyreke Evans Kings PG 14
48 Brandon Jennings Bucks PG 13
47 Stephen Curry Warriors PG 12
46 Ricky Rubio TWolves PG 11
45 Al Jefferson Jazz PF 14
44 Anthony Davis Hornets PF 13
43 Serge Ibaka Thunder PF 12
42 Al Horford Hawks C 7
41 Ty Lawson Nuggets PG 10
40 Danny Granger Pacers SF 6
39 Tim Duncan Spurs PF 11
38 John Wall Wizards PG 9
37 Monta Ellis Bucks SG 8
36 Zach Randolph Grizzlies PF 10
35 Roy Hibbert Pacers C 6
34 Tyson Chandler Knicks C 5
33 Eric Gordon Hornets SG 7
32 Kevin Garnett Celtics PF 9
31 Manu Ginobili Spurs SG 6
30 Amar’e Stoudemire Knicks PF 8
29 Marc Gasol Grizzlies C 4
28 DeMarcus Cousins Kings C 3
27 Paul Pierce Celtics SF 5
26 Andre Iguodala Nuggets SG 5
25 Rudy Gay Grizzlies SF 4
24 Josh Smith Hawks PF 7
23 Derrick Rose Bulls PG 8
22 Joe Johnson Nets SG 4
21 Steve Nash Lakers PG 7
20 James Harden Thunder SG 3
19 Pau Gasol Lakers PF 6
18 Chris Bosh Heat PF 5
17 Kyrie Irving Cavs PG 6
16 LaMarcus Aldridge Blazers PF 4
15 Tony Parker Spurs PG 5
14 Dirk Nowitzki Mavs PF 3
13 Andrew Bynum Sixers C 2
12 Blake Griffin Clippers PF 2
11 Kevin Love TWolves PF 1
10 Carmelo Anthony Knicks SF 3
9 Russell Westbrook Thunder PG 4
8 Rajon Rondo Celtics PG 3
7 Deron Williams Nets PG 2
6 Dwyane Wade Heat SG 2

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’12-13 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Maurice Bobb, Rodger Bohn, Brendan Bowers, Franklyn Calle, David Cassilo, Bryan Crawford, Adam Figman, Eldon Khorshidi, Eddie Maisonet III, Ryne Nelson, Ben Osborne, Allen Powell II, Sam Rubenstein, Jonathan Santiago, Abe Schwadron, Leo Sepkowitz, Dave Spahn, Ben Taylor, Tzvi Twersky, Peter Walsh, Tracy Weissenberg, Yaron Weitzman, DeMarco Williams and Dave Zirin.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

  • Add a Comment
  • Share
  • RSS

Tags: , , , ,

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →
  • Caboose

    While these are good points (and they are), you’re still fighting an uphill battle. What you need to do is twofold:
    1. Disprove damn near every statistic in the game.
    2. Offer some other form of evidence that proves Kobe is better.
    I think you’ve addressed both of these to an extent, but neither enough to fully justify putting Kobe ahead of Wade.
    Question for you: what will Kobe average next season? If you say 21-5-4 (like most Lakers fans suggest), what makes him different than Joe Johnson? Joe puts up similar stats and while Kobe is ABSOLUTELY better than Joe, it’s production that matters. Not capacity for production. In that sense, why would Kobe be rated higher?

  • Datkid

    who said anything about careers? lmaoooo

  • http://twitter.com/MaxxFreeze MaxxFoxx 〽

    well at least this rank is better than ESPN’s smh but i would still take Wade over Dwight and CP3…. as for Kobe, it all depends the only thing Kobe has over Dwyane is 3pt shooting other than that…Kobe is on the decline BUT he is the MJ of the era so its ok that he is ranked above Wade altho i would have put him at 5 and Kobe at 6

  • Conor

    I didn’t, but let’s be mature about this: you get paid to write in a comments section, man. Is that something that may be added to one’s resumé? “SLAMonline: Commentator (20??-Present)”…

    I didn’t judge you, I judged society. I still have much to learn, but you apparently need to understand something called “context”.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    you need to learn not to take everything literally. i don’t actually get paid to comment on a website. but i am working right now, so literally, i am being paid at this moment. not specifically to type each comment.
    -
    i was responding to boo’s ignorant ass sayin i needed a job, if you didn’t notice.

  • LakeShow

    I co-sign things that have been said by you.
    Thanks for doing the dirty work.
    I hate wasting my day finding stats to help the nerds ;) JP’n fellas.

  • Junior Taylor

    CP should be ranked ahead of Howard given that Howard missed most of last season and CP was 2nd in PER, 2nd in Win Shares, 2nd in Offensive Rating, 3rd in MVP voting, 3rd in Assists and led the League in Steals.

  • LakeShow

    This comment so well illustrates why numbers and “usage rates” mean jack diddly unless used in correct context.
    JORDAN HILL had a higher usage rating than Pau Gasol?
    WTF kind of stat is that then. A useless one.

  • Junior Taylor

    You do know that Wade was better than Kobe (across the board) last season, right?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    It illustrates how little the Lakers used Pau Gasol per minute dumbass.

  • Caboose

    I’m fine with Paul at #3. I expect him to go CRAZY this year. Dwight will do a lot, and his high ranking is gonna come from the Lakers-assist. He will do a lot, but I suspect his stats will dip. It’s a matter of how much defense you think Dwight will add to LA and how well Paul will improve over last season.

  • Caboose

    Lake discounts advanced stats because he doesn’t understand them. He probably thinks electricity is magic as well.

  • bball geek

    I can’t read past the equation. It says that the more championships you win, the less assists count for your legacy. :)

  • LakeShow

    Would you stop that.
    Wade and Kobe have had very debatable years as to who had the better season over the last 4. Highly debatable.
    Stop acting like shooting 2% better from the floor or grabbing .3 more steals or half a block more a game immediately puts a player above someone who had a similar or better TS% with more points, similar rebounds and assists.
    It’s debatable if you “PREFER” Wade over the last 4 seasons, say it as so, but there’s a reason why the majority of the populous does not agree with you.

  • Dagger

    These are mostly great rankings.

    But what I HATE about them is how they undervalue guys who place the good of their team before their stats. Garnett is underrated. Gasol, in my opinion, is underrated. Bosh is underrated. And now, Wade is (slightly) underrated. Kobe may be more skilled as a scorer, but Wade is much more efficient, and that efficiency leads to wins.

    Wade deserves to be ranked above Kobe. The only reasons for Kobe’s higher ranking are A) popularity, and B) the fact that he took so many shots that his PPG was higher. However, he was less efficient than Wade and ultimately cost his team a chance at greatness precisely because he took so many shots.

    In short: these rankings underrate great team players. It’s the same reason Scottie Pippen is underrated by so many people. Accepting a secondary scoring role for the good of the team does not diminish you as an athlete in team sports.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    .Per Game -
    - http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wadedw01.html#2009-2012-sum:per_game
    -http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bryanko01.html#2009-2012-sum:per_game
    .
    .Per Minute -
    - http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wadedw01.html#2009-2012-sum:per_minute
    - http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bryanko01.html#2009-2012-sum:per_minute
    .
    .Advanced
    - http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wadedw01.html#2009-2012-sum:advanced
    - http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bryanko01.html#2009-2012-sum:advanced

    .
    See, in every way shape and form you want to look at the stats, Wade has clearly been better over the last 4 years. Nobody said he was WAY better than Kobe. But he has definitely been better. This isn’t even debatable. If it is debatable, please provide actual reasons. and head 2 head match ups are not a reason, as i proved to you yesterday.

  • LakeShow

    I actually did not know that.
    Strange how Kobe grabbed more boards, got the same number of assists, shot better from the FT line, better from 3 point land, despite having to take desperation 3′s and shooting an absurd 5 per game, and KB played in more games, longer, showing his durability even at his old, injured, age, but yeah other than that.

  • Caboose

    Alright, I’m gonna try the impossible: summarize the ENTIRE debate of Kobe vs Wade.
    Start with the null assumptions:

    1. Wade has better stats
    2. Stats are a good way to judge players
    3. Offense is equal to defense
    4. Last year is a good predictor of this year
    5. Kobe’s new teammates will slightly increase Kobe’s performance
    6. Injuries are more common to Wade than Kobe
    7. Individual accomplishment is equal to team success

    These are the givens. If these are given, Wade is better. This is because of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7. Therefore, the Wade argument must simply defend the null conditions.

    The Kobe argument, however, must make affirmative claims and prove them to be true. They do this by disagreeing with 2, 3, 5, and 7.

    The Kobe argument says that the 2 null is incorrect because “performance” and “visual evidence” is more valuable than raw data. This argument also hinges on the yet unproved claim that Kobe’s subjective performance is superior to Wade’s.

    The Kobe argument says that the 3 null is incorrect via implication. If these two were equal, the argument for Kobe would be impossible. However, it is on offense where the two players are more even (Wade is clearly superior defensively) and thus, offense is given more weight.

    The Kobe argument says that the 5 null is incorrect because Dwight and Nash will substantially increase Kobe’s performance. This is because of Nash handling the ball and providing shooting and Dwight providing a better scoring presence down low. Note that the Wade argument can also reject the null by saying that Dwight and Nash will actually make Kobe’s production worse.

    The Kobe argument says that the 7 null is incorrect, also by implication. It is documented that the Lakers’ success correlates strongly and negatively with the amount of shots Kobe takes. Therefore, Kobe is a detriment to the team when he shoots more, and placing him ahead of Wade is illogical. In this sense, the Kobe argument MUST assert that the individual success is much more important in evaluating players than their contribution to team victories. This is also stated by the neglecting of the “win shares” statistic.

    Overall, for the Kobe argument to hold weight, at the BARE MINIMUM, they must reject null 2 and null 7. I believe Drig has made a valiant effort at this. However, an argument must also be made that Kobe IS better. Rejecting the Nulls simply proves that Wade is not better than Kobe, but does NOT prove that Kobe is better than Wade.

    Phew, how’d I do?

  • justin05

    This goes to byanymeans as well..You should check out your buddy’s comments before backing him up. He said earlier that Kobe’s decision making skills when shooting are equivilant to a three year old’s decision making skills? Please, that is immature and negative. Slam knows more about basketball than you too, bamn, so there is no debate here. I saw my name come up and I agreed w/ boo about nbk needing a hug. The first Kobeites comment is another immature and obviously negative comment. I’m ready for the season to start already.

  • Dagger

    I honestly think Kobe will average around 25, 26 PPG on something like 44% shooting. And I think he’ll do so even though it would be much better for the Lakers if he averaged around 5 PPG less. I think he simply can’t accept a situation in which he wouldn’t average the most shots on his team. He is, after all, first in the offensive pecking order. Which is a huge reason – not as easily quantified – for ranking Wade over Kobe.

    As for the main argument here: ultimately, Kobe was hampered by LA’s lack of perimeter talent last year. Not everything was his fault. But there were plenty of times each game where Bynum would establish great post position only to have Kobe shoot a contested midrange jumper. Even more often Gasol was wide open and Kobe again looked for his own shot. Had he been less selfish and, really, less insecure about his place in the game the Lakers would have had more wins, period.

  • Caboose

    All great points.

  • LakeShow

    Your a freak dude.
    I’ll read it now lol.

  • Caboose

    Haha I take that as a compliment

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    negative about Kobe and negative about you people who can’t see what is illustrated in various ways are different. I’m very negative about people like you who argue something without any real, tangible argument. I feel that you are willfully blind to the truth, and thus, willfully stupid. Not stupid as a person, but when it comes to Kobe, you and many other Kobeites are stupid.

    .

    Kobe as the player? is one of my favorite players of all time. I have no issues with him, nothing negative to say about him other than the obvious criticisms he elicits with his style of play. Which are fine, EVERY player has issues with how they play. I just think he should be ranked where his play has deemed he should. And to me, that would be #6 on this list, which is honestly, higher than most of the people who do care about more than PPG & the name Kobe Bryant.

  • justin05

    I may not be as smart as Caboose or bamn but I’m not stupid. I’ve been called a nerd many times myself. I took it as a compliment. You know nothing about me nbk and I have much less respect for you because of how immature your comments are. I understand numbers and statistics fine, i’ve always been ahead of my class in math. Stats don’t show the whole picture. Period. You guys might want to watch and play more basketball and spend less time on the internet commenting about it. Slam’s decision is consistent w/ what Drig, Conor, Lakeshow, and myself believe. You are the ones that keep preaching Wade is better than Kobe when the basketball writers who get paid to do this know the truth. In my opinion, those who are consistent with Slam understand the game of basketball more. That’s my opinion, and I feel spo strongly about it that I could care less what you have to say about this topic. Just trying to defend myself.

  • Junior Taylor

    Good point about Dwight’s numbers dipping especially on he offensive end given all the weapons around him and a lack of consistent post game.

  • Caboose

    Yeah, I mean Dwight complained A LOT about how he didn’t get enough touches, but he really did. He just had to pass out pretty often. Which Kobe will demand he do.

  • Caboose

    So now you do support stats? Lol

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    Make a logical argument and stop harping on how well we know or if we play basketball. Infact, if you are as young as the average commenter here is, I’ve probably been playing competitive basketball longer than you’ve been alive. But I don’t try and degrade your opinion for that, I just argue with logic and reason. And then I label the people who argue against it with their personal feelings. And I hate to break it to you, the guys that write for SLAM are not basketball experts, certainly not all of them at least. Not even kinda. But they are journalists, which is more important than expertise.

  • justin05

    LMAO 3 dislikes and I said nothing wrong. Unless you believe Kobe is number 4 and not next? lol. I think it’s safe to say which 3 ppl are against Slam and don’t understand the game as well.

  • LakeShow

    Only when they work in my favor you know that…
    Naw, Taylor said nonfactual statement about stats, to which I showed him otherwise.

  • LakeShow

    Bron
    KD
    CP3
    Dwight
    Love
    Westbrook
    Once again debatable.
    He may, but I wouldn’t put money on it. Young guns are coming for top 5 spots these days.

  • LakeShow

    lol, LOVE that last line.

  • danpowers

    thank you very much

  • danpowers

    lol

  • danpowers

    its just childish going with sympathies and sticking to the nonsense believe kobe would still be better than wade. no way. if there wont be a serious injury, wade will outperform kobe. that aint a bold prediction. he already outperformed him on the defensive end, he plays (and always played) less selfish than kobe, his defense is way better, his contribution to wins are higher than kobes and he is just coming out of a championship season looking to repeat. i am neither a wade or heat nor a lakers or kobe fan, kids often call me hater on the heat btw, but from an objective perspective it is just obvious that wade is better than kobe. bean passed on the crown of the best sg in the league on to wade. actually this happened already one or two years (latest) ago.

    the ranking aint about carreer achievements, its about this coming season, based on last years performance and overall outlook. thats no contest, wade is clearly better, period.

  • Conor

    There was no other way to interpret that given how you worded it, hahaha. I’m sorry, though.

  • LakeShow

    This is very well written.

    I agree with allot of what you had to say.

    My issue remains with the stats.

    Win shares. WTH is a win share? I mean really??

    Why did LeBron have over a 20 Win share in Cle 3 years ago, but now last season he’s at 14…. That’s BS, Bron did more to help his team win than ever before last season! Why would it drop like that when LeBron is even better than ever??
    I’ll tell you why: because these stats are dumb, out of the correct context.

    .

    Take this asinine sentence i’m about to say:

    “You know, Carlos Boozer is the 5th best defender in the L… You know how I know that? The stats tell me so…”

    - *Carlos Boozer 95.2 defensive rating, 2nd in the L*

    - *Carlos Boozer: 5th highest defensive win shares in the L.*

    Atta boy Booz! One of the best defenders in the L!

    Wow, so glad I looked at the stats…

    So i’m sure your getting my drift, but just to make sure…

    Last season offensive rating, Top 5:

    1.Tyson Chandler-NYK129.62.

    2. Chris Paul-LAC126.13.

    3. James Harden-OKC125.44.

    4. Ryan Anderson-ORL124.35.

    5. Joakim Noah-CHI

    That’s right! Chandler and Noah are two of the best offensive players in the L!

    Wow, I wouldn’t have known that from watching the game. Little did I know not only are they good on offense, they are GREAT!

    Getting where i’m coming from yet?

    It’s not that stats can’t be used to prove points, it’s just that there is a stat for nearly every occasion that you can pick and choose and say this stat is what makes this player better than this player, but stats can lie, and I happen to not trust them over my eyes.

    I know another satisfying response from me…

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Lakers/Kobe fans are worse than any other fanbase right now.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    That isn’t immature or negative, it’s true. And funny. There is a debate because there are over 100 comments here lol. There is a comment section so that people can debate. If SLAM didn’t want any debate, there would be no comment section. You are participating in the debate. How foolish are you to say that there is no debate when you’re participating in it?

  • Junior Taylor

    Maybe because of a shortened season.

  • Junior Taylor

    I love how you conveniently left out both player’s defensive numbers because Wade wins that in a landslide.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    there was, you read the comment i responded too, and realize i must have been talking about having a job and not commenting on an internet website. are you not of working age or something? you really think people are paid to comment on a website?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    they aren’t likely to have better statistical seasons then Wade. They CAN, but it isn’t LIKELY.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    — Win Shares are directly related to how many wins each team has. If a team wins 60 games they will have a total of 60 win shares. And those are figured by using various stats to come up with a value each player had on wins. LeBron’s win shares in Cleveland were so high because he was, far and away, the only reason the team was even good, let alone the best team in the league. In miami, obviously, there are 2 other guys that really contribute to the teams success.
    — Offensive Rating should not be used to compare unlike players Ever. Ever. Ever. It’s really that simple.
    — Defensive Rating is as much a reflection on team defense as individual defense. which is why i only use defensive rating in a group with other advanced defensive stats. It’s not like you can compare the defensive rating of a guy on the Heat to a guy on the Bobcats.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    and for the 1 millionth time, it’s not one stat that favors Wade over Kobe, it’s EVERY stat. EVERY SINGLE ONE.

  • LakeShow

    Oh what, the defensive win shares? Carlos Boozer is better than Wade and Kobe defensively, we know that by the advance stats. Or you mean “gambling stats”, like steals and blocks?

  • LakeShow

    Fair enough.

  • zogs19994

    HEY YOU CAN TAKE YOUR STATS….AND SHOVE THEM UP YOUR ASS!

    -

    FACTS: KOBE, DWIGHT, STEVE, ANTAWN, MWP, J HILL, AN PAU GASOSTRICH

    KOBE IS A LENGEND, STEVE IS A LEGEND, DWIGHT WILL BECOME A
    DEFENSIVE LEGEND, AND PAU IS… HAS HAD A SOLID NBA CAREER

  • zogs19994

    YOU WANT SOME KNEEPADS?

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →
Advertisement