Forget LeBron: Why Dwyane Wade Is the Real Heir Apparent

I need to admit a few things before I begin this editorial.

I am not a huge Dwyane Wade fan. To be honest, much of the way that I feel about Wade is tied to the fact that I am a Detroit Pistons fan, and my team has battled Wade for a number of years, and often times, those battles include controversy.

In the past, I have hammered Wade on a number of things. I hate how he has been receiving the superstar calls from the refs. Regardless of where you find yourself on the Wade issue, no one can argue that he benefits from foul calls. 

Some of that has to do with the aggressive way he approaches the game.  But part of that has to do with Commissioner David Stern's unapologetic need to sell his league based on his stars, and not his teams. 

Stern took the wrong lesson from his league's heyday in the 1980's. People loved the stars, but the fans were more into each teams' greatness, than they were in the superstars. 

That is why players from great teams, such as James Worthy and Kevin McHale, are remembered more than those with far superior numbers like Alex English and Dominique Wilkens.  But I digress.

The other issue that I have with Wade is his toughness.  A few years ago, there was an ad campaign involving Wade. The motto was "fall down seven times, get up eight." The implication was that Wade was tough. I get it. 

However, when he was forced to deal with physical adversity, in the form of a dislocated shoulder, he absolutely broke down. A truly shaken Wade not only sobbed uncontrollably, but also had to be carted off in a wheelchair.

I understand that dislocated shoulders are painful. I know they hurt a lot. But to be completely immobilized for an upper body injury is weak.  

Also, I understand that real men can cry, but to sob like an eight year old with a skinned knee is going to bring your toughness into question. 

So that is where I am coming from. Given this perspective, what follows is even more stunning.

Dwyane Wade is not only the unquestionable Most Valuable Player in the NBA this year, but he is the closest thing to the embodiment of Michael Jordan that this league has seen since Kobe Bryant reached his peak a few years ago.

Wade has taken such a huge step forward in his development, that he has taken a mediocre team into the middle of the playoff pack.  And while his team likely will not go far in the playoffs, watching Wade this year is a sight to behold.

Wade has had an interesting NBA career thus far. He began as a scoring point guard for a talented but very young Miami Heat team. But with the acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal and the strange firing/resignation of Stan Van Gundy, Wade was put into the position of shooting guard and he never looked back.

After winning the NBA Finals and finding himself thrust into the superstar echelon of the league, he took a noticeable step backward. Following their NBA Title in 2006, Wade and his teammates were obviously not ready for the following season. 

O'Neal and Wade were out of shape, and nobody aside from Alonzo Mourning seemed to really care about repeating as champs. 

Admittedly, Wade dealt with plenty of injuries during the 2007 and 2008 seasons.  However, his added weight and lack of conditioning likely played a role in slowing him down. 

Whether it was due to injury or a lack of focus, Wade looked as though he had lost a step last season.  He usual burst was not there like it was in 2006, and as a result many of his stats were the worst since his rookie season. 

Most importantly, Wade no longer seemed to be part of the discussion of the league's top players. Almost overnight he stopped getting his typical superstar foul calls, and the talking heads began to leave his name out of the MVP chatter.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the glue factory for Wade: He got motivated. Before the Summer Olympics in China, Wade seemed to be a new man.  He spoke with passion about winning, and the need to redeem himself. 

As a result, Wade was arguably the most important player in the Olympics, and a main reason why the U.S. was able to reclaim the gold medal.

Wade used that passion and re-dedication to the sport to hit the ground running.  Instead of relying mostly on his jump shot like many players such as Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady have done to combat the risk of injury, Wade has become more aggressive. 

As a direct result, Wade is getting to the free throw line nearly 10 times a game.

This season has seen Wade improve in every major statistical category, reaching career highs in steals, blocks, assists, rebounds and culminating in his league leading 29.8 points per game.   

What is more impressive than his scoring ability is the fact that he has transformed his defensive prowess to Kobe-levels. He is second in the league in steals per game and his 244 combined steals and blocks is second only to Dwight Howard.

Of course, steals and blocks typically only show how good of a help side defender a player is, but Wade has developed his position defense as well. 

Like Bryant, but unlike LeBron James, Wade usually draws the opponents top scoring option. He relishes this challenge and does so with zeal. Given this, his high help side defensive stats are even more impressive.

Additionally, Wade has made it a point to miss very little time on the court. After missing 31 games in each of the last two years, Wade has only sat out one game this year. Also, he is averaging a career high 38.6 minutes per game.

Perhaps what is the most impressive of all is where his team finds itself in the standings. Wade has led the mediocre at best Miami Heat team to the fifth position in the Eastern Conference. 

The second best player on his team is an over-the-hill Jermaine O'Neal. He has a second-round rookie as his point guard and the highly touted rookie Michael Beasley is an undersized power forward that has struggled mightily with rebounding and defense. 

His top front court defender, Shawn Marion, was shipped out of town, forcing Wade to cheat defensively toward the hoop. 

Despite all of this, he does not complain or throw his teammates under the bus. He encourages those teammates by letting his play do his talking.

During the Heat's victory today against the Detroit Pistons, announcer Jeff Van Gundy repeated a comment that was made by Wade's rookie coach Erik Spoelstra, and it seemed to really sum up how special Wade has been this season.

To paraphrase, Spoelstra said for the Heat to win each game, Wade had to play like an MVP not only in every game, but on every possession. 

Think about that. In an era of players taking games, not to mention plays off, here is a player that is taking it upon himself to lead his team on every possession. 

Sure, Bryant did this following the departure of Shaquille O'Neal, but this level of commitment is better left compared to the early days of Jordan. 

Before Jordan had Scottie Pippen and Phil Jackson, he was forced to play like superman on every play.  He not only dominated on offense, but he was the best defensive player on the court. 

He not only wanted to dominate, but he needed to dominate.  He had a chip on his shoulder that reached back all the way to his sophomore year in high school when he was cut from the basketball team.

For Wade, he used the critic's words to his advantage.  He knew that his best days were not in the rear-view mirror. 

The title of this article is not meant as a slight to the LeBron James fans.  James is, without a doubt, a once in a lifetime talent.  He is tremendous.  In all honesty, he will win the MVP award this year. It is his turn. 

But James has not reached a new level this year that he was not at last year or the year before. Most of his stats have stayed the same; the only noticeable change is his scoring average, which has dropped a point and a half. 

If he wins, it will be more of a mini lifetime achievement award.  The only thing that has changed for James are his teammates.  He no longer needs to play at a super human level for his team to win. 

He can take a backseat during some games and allow his supporting cast to lead the way. Mo Williams is a very good scorer and Zydrunas Ilgauskus can be a dominant post presence.

If Wade is struggling, who is going to bail him out? Jammario Moon? Daquan Cook?  Please. Wade needs to lead his team every night for them to even have a shot at winning. 

This, by definition, shows his value.

So, are the Miami Heat going to be the sleeper team in the East, using their over achievement in the regular season to catapult them to another NBA Title? Not likely. During the playoffs, all teams and players play harder and one superstar can usually be overcome in a seven-game series. 

But the way that Wade has raised his game will directly impact his young team in ways that might not be seen on paper this year, but it will likely lead them to become better in the years that follow. 

Make no mistake about it, Wade is still a spring chicken.  For all that he has accomplished, the man is only 27-years-old.

While he likely will not win a title or an MVP award this year, the way that he has re-defined his career will only benefit him over the years that come, and help him become even better as his teammates raise their level of play to complement his ability.

The league must take note, and witness the rising of a transcendent player. 

And for a humble Pistons fan, this is a scary proposition indeed.