Miami Heat: 5 Reasons Why Dwyane Wade Needs to Stay on the Bench for Now

Dwyane Wade suffered a sprained ankle late in the Heat's loss to the Denver Nuggets.  A sprained ankle that had Wade saying, "I've sprained my ankles many times, but I've never really sprained it like that before."

If a sprained ankle wasn't bad enough, Wade has been suffering from a possible case of plantar fasciitis for the majority of the 2011-12 season. The point is, Dwyane Wade is pretty banged up, and instead of fighting through those injuries like he's done in the past, he needs to stay on the bench and heal.  

The Miami Heat are 6-3 with Dwyane Wade in the starting lineup, and they are 3-0 with him on the bench. No, I'm not saying that the Heat are better off without Wade on the court.  I'm saying that the Heat are a better team with him on the bench, as long as he's not even close to being 100 percent.

Ahead are five reasons why the Miami Heat are better off with Wade on the bench until he returns to absolutely 100 percent.  

The Heat Have Proven They Can Win Without Wade

The Miami Heat are undefeated without Dwyane Wade. Sure, one of those games was also without LeBron James, but those wins have come against the Indiana Pacers (8-3), Atlanta Hawks (8-4) and New Jersey Nets (2-7), who have a combined record of 18-14.  Just to put that into perspective, the Heat's other five wins have come against teams with a combined record of 19-39.

The point I'm trying to make is that the Heat can win without Wade in the lineup, as they've proven that with the way they've played this season. Without Wade in the lineup for three games, non-star players like Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole, in addition to both LeBron and Chris Bosh, stepped up their play accounting for 214 out of the 335 total points in those three games.

The point is, there's enough talent on the Heat's roster to make up for Wade's loss, at least while he takes the necessary time to fully recover.    

I know it's shocking, with his inability to show up late in games at times, but LeBron definitely shows up when Wade is on the bench, averaging 32.5 PPG without him, and the Heat and Wade need to realize that.  Without Wade in the starting lineup, the Heat still have a "Big 2" in Bosh and James, that can carry the Heat in the regular season, and that's a lot more than most teams have.  

Amount of Touches Wade Gets, Takes Away from Non-Injured Players

Dwyane Wade doesn't necessarily have the best reputation when it comes to shot selection.  His career shooting percentage is 48.4 percent, which I know isn't bad, as it ranks 211th all-time in the NBA, but it's not necessarily setting the NBA world on fire.  

Watch any Miami Heat game and you'll see that Wade puts up some questionable shots. He hits many of them, but when he's injured, the likelihood of him hitting those shots goes down significantly.

In his three games back from his foot injury, Wade has gone 23-of-54 from the field for a weak 42.5 field-goal percentage, which has undoubtedly hurt his team. The fact of the matter is, as long as Wade is injured, the offensive touches that he sees are better suited for players on the court like LeBron or Bosh, who are playing at 100-percent health.

Wade is a great player, but with two other great players on the Heat's roster, he must realize that he can rely on them to carry the team while he is healing, and that means staying on the bench. If Wade stays on the bench, the Heat will win—not because Wade isn't needed, but because LeBron and Bosh can do more with his offensive touches than he can right now, suffering from two lingering injuries. 

Wade's Injuries Hinder His Ability to Defend

Dwyane Wade is not only an extremely athletic offensive threat, he is also a tremendous defender for the Miami Heat. Throughout his eight years in the NBA, he's earned NBA all-defensive second team three times, which has solidified him as one of the most versatile and talented defenders in all of the NBA.

During the Heat's three-game losing streak, which came after Wade returned from his foot injury, the Heat gave up an average of 107.7 points, which is a higher average than their current season average of 99.3 PPG, which ranks 27th in the entire NBA.

Dwyane Wade is a difference maker on defense when he is 100 percent. His ability to provide athletic help-side defense is a staple of the Heat's defensive game plan. When Wade is not 100 percent, his defense isn't 100 percent either.  

If the Heat want to snap their three-game losing streak, they've got to start with defense—with Wade on the court, the defense isn't 100 percent, which makes it all that more difficult to win.  

LeBron and Bosh's Production Increases While Wade Is on the Bench

If the Miami Heat didn't have LeBron James or Chris Bosh, my perspective on Wade's injuries would be different. The fact of the matter is, without Wade, the Heat still have two All-Star NBA players on the roster. This isn't the Miami Heat of 2008 or 2009, and Wade needs to realize that. The Miami Heat need Wade at 100 percent more than they need him to fight through injuries to stay on the floor.

LeBron James and Chris Bosh, without Wade on the court, both have produced at higher levels than their current season averages in points and assists per game. LeBron averaged 32.5 points and 11.0 assists per game without Wade, as compared to his season averages of 29.5 points and 7.4 assists per game. Bosh averaged 23.7 points and 2.7 assists, as compared to his season averages of 19.2 points and 1.8 assists per game.

LeBron's and Bosh's field-goal percentages have also gone up in games without Wade on the court, with LeBron's Wade-less average of 60.9 percent (57.8 percent season) and Bosh's Wade-less average of 52.8 percent (50.3 percent season).  

I'm not saying the Heat are better without Wade, but the Heat's "Big 2" can certainly handle the load while Wade heals from his injury. It's not 2008 Wade, you can take time to heal.    

To Win an NBA Championship, the Heat Need Wade at 100 Percent in the Playoffs

Every game that Wade plays injured is another game it's going to take down the stretch of the season for him to truly return to 100 percent. It's much smarter for Wade to rest while the season is early, rather than pushing the limit of his lingering injuries to the point where he might have to sit out more important games later on in the season.

I know the Heat flopped in the NBA finals with Dwyane Wade in the lineup, but Wade was suffering from a bruised hip in the Heat's Game 5 and 6 losses. Sure, those were only two of the four Heat losses in the NBA finals, but it only helps prove the point that the Miami Heat don't benefit from having an injured Dwyane Wade, or anyone for that matter, in their lineup.

The Miami Heat need to start winning games. Sure, it's only 12 games into the season and they are still 8-4, but hitting a three-game losing streak in a 66-game season means a lot more now than it would any other season. If the Heat want to compete for the best record in the east, they need to find some sort of offensive and defensive consistency in their next four-to-five games, and that won't happen with an injured Dwyane Wade in the lineup.

Dwyane Wade needs to rest and heal now, so that he can be healthy in the post All-Star break stretch of the shortened NBA season.

Wade, do your team a favor and let the Heat rely on LeBron and Bosh for the next 10 games, I'm sure they'll do just fine.