LeBron James, Dwyane Wade: Who Really Matters More in Miami's Title Quest?

The Miami Heat's super team era began a couple of days ago against the Detroit Pistons in the preseason and lasted all of three minutes and 17 seconds, as Dwyane Wade fell victim to a hamstring injury and did not return.

Wade's injury is not thought to be serious, and he should be healthy by the start of the regular season, but his absence and Lebron James's and Chris Bosh's success in his stead raised an interesting point.

Wade and James are two of the NBA's top three players and the main reason Miami is considered as a favorite to compete for the NBA title in June, but which player is more important to the Heat's title hopes?

It's not a question of who is the alpha dog on the team, because in my opinion James ceded the opportunity to claim that title when he made the decision to join Wade in Dade County.

James will never be perceived as the leader of Miami's team, but which is more important, the leadership and championship experience of Wade, or the diversity of James's game?

Wade's leadership qualities and instincts are hard to measure, but to any team with championship aspirations, it's a very important quality to have.

The numerical comparison between Wade and James is easier to quantify, and a look into those numbers would seem to make a compelling case in James's favor.

Last season, James averaged 29.7 points per game, 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds, and shot 50 percent from the field while earning his second consecutive league MVP award.

Wade averaged 26.6 points per game, 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and shot 47.6 from the field, while leading his Miami Heat team to the postseason.

The numbers are comparable, but James's higher assist total and his reputation as the facilitator of Cleveland's offense would suggest that he excels in the category of getting his teammates involved.

The fact that Wade was able to lead a team of mostly subpar talent to the playoffs is impressive, but what James did in Cleveland is amazing.

Cleveland's supporting cast was better than Wade's crew in Miami, but James led his team of mostly average players to the NBA's best regular season record for two consecutive seasons.

James's failures in the playoffs as the number one seeded team often over-shadow the fact that James took the Cavaliers farther than they actually had any right to go.

Boston and Orlando were better overall teams than the Cavaliers each of the last two seasons, and the difference manifested in the postseason, but still James's feat was impressive.

The efficiency of James's game and his ability to impact every area of the stat sheet may be his defining attribute as a member of the Heat, but it's hard to dismiss Wade's instance of success where James has only known failure.

Wade's NBA championship in 2006, and his Finals' MVP trophy are an experience that will be priceless to the Heat should they find themselves in the thick of title contention in June.

Last season, James seemed to crack under the pressure of the postseason, but when the stakes were the lowest for the heat in 2006, Wade showed the heart and resolve of a champion.

It can be argued that Wade's experience and performance under pressure is more valuable than the number of James's potential triple-doubles, and actually both are right.

In a perfect world, most Heat fans would love to see Wade and James accumulate similar numbers on the way to their first of many championships, but history tells us that one player will stand out in terms of statistics.

James will likely hold the majority of the responsibility for initiating the Heat's offense, so it's reasonable to think he will hold more control over the flow of the game.

Who scores in the Miami offense, and when, will largely depend on James, and the accumulation of triple-doubles should become a regular occurrence during the season.

Whether or not James's dominance on the stat sheet will hold more weight than Wade's championship experience will matter little to Heat fans if the goal of a 2011 NBA title is realized, but it is an interesting subject to ponder.