Miami Heat: Without Wade, It's Time for LeBron James to Shine in South Beach

With Dwyane Wade sidelined with a plethora of lingering injuries, ranging from a bruised foot to a sprained ankle, the only certain thing in South Beach is the fact that it's LeBron James' time to shine, and that begins Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Heat will be looking to snap a troubling three-game losing streak when they take the court against the Spurs, which will be a difficult task without front-man Wade stepping foot on the court, but it creates the perfect opportunity for LeBron to take center stage for the first time since he's taken his talents to South Beach.

The one thing that taking his talents to South Beach did for LeBron was take away the franchise player aspect of his game that he had when he was in Cleveland. In Cleveland the spotlight was on LeBron and no one else, and that is when he shined the brightest, having the most complete statistical season of his career in 2007-08 with 30.0 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 7.2 assists per game.

There's no doubt LeBron has that "franchise" ability left in him, as he's producing at a similar rate this year with current averages of 29.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 7.4 APG, but the one thing that keeps him from the spotlight night in and night out is the other talent in Wade and Chris Bosh that are on the court with him.

The debate of who's team the Heat is and which player is the foundation of the Heat's franchise will always live on, but LeBron has the opportunity to make one of the biggest statements of his career in his upcoming three games against the Spurs, Lakers and surging 76ers.

The three teams the Heat play within the next five days have a combined record of 29-12, which is the most difficult three-game stretch, when it comes to overall combined record, that the Heat have faced all season.

There's an extremely high likelihood that Wade will sit out all three of those games, and if he does, it gives LeBron the opportunity he needs to reassert himself as the true franchise player and most complete player in the NBA that he can be every night of the week if given the chance.

LeBron has a tendency to wait for the game to come to him, and with Wade on the court he's able to win games doing that.  Without Wade, LeBron is going to have to attack the rim, getting into the paint frequently and taking over the game when the Heat need him to, if the Heat stand any chance of winning their next three games.

One of the most impressive stats of LeBron's 2011-12 season is the fact that he is fourth in the NBA in total field goal percentage with a field-goal percentage of 57.8 percent.  That field-goal percentage is significantly better than other franchise players like Chris Paul (52.0 percent), Kevin Durant (50.6 percent), Kobe Bryant (46.4 percent), Derrick Rose (43.9 percent) and Carmelo Anthony (43.9 percent).

The reason for that dominance by LeBron is his ability to score in the paint, with a 14.6 PPG average in the paint that leads the entire NBA.  If the Heat want to win without Wade, they are going to see more of the same out of LeBron, because when he gets in the paint he is a difficult player to contend with.

In these next few games without Wade, more than anything, LeBron needs to stop relying on the talent around him an focus more on how he can be the most dominant player on the court each night—yes, even more dominant than Kobe Bryant.

I know it sounds conceited, but LeBron has to start being more of a selfish player, deferring less to his teammates down the stretch and relying on the strength of his game, which is creating mismatches on the perimeter that lead to points in the paint.  

LeBron doesn't need to become as selfish as Kobe, but he does need to realize that whether or not Wade is on the court, he is still the most complete and dominant player on the Heat roster and the next three games without Wade, against top-tier NBA talent, is a great place for him to start playing like he understands that.

LeBron finally has the opportunity he's needed in South Beach, and that is for him to be put into a position to be a true leader on a team that has other leadership he could defer to, but ultimately shouldn't. 

It's time for LeBron James to finally step up his game without Wade, proving that he has the potential to lead the Miami Heat to greatness with or without Wade in the lineup.  The next three games against the Spurs (9-4), Lakers (10-5) and 76ers (10-3) are the opportunity LeBron's needed in Miami to prove he's still the same player that he was in Cleveland, minus the vanishing acts in the clutch.

Here's hoping LeBron steps up to the challenge without Wade, because if he doesn't the haters will be out in full force.

Projected Stats vs. Spurs: 36 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 56.5% FGP

Projected Stats vs. Lakers: 38 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 57.3% FGP

Projected Stats vs. 76ers: 32 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists, 54.8% FGP