NYSS - An Abortion of New York Sports Journalism

5 Reasons Why the Knicks Should NOT Sign Dwyane Wade

The summer of 2010 will prove to be momentous for the New York Knickerbocker franchise no matter what the outcome is. With only 4 players under contract beyond this season (Danilo, Ill Will, Toney and Fat Eddy), the Knicks have 8 spots to fill before the next season starts.

I haven't heard, read, or seen anyone claim that LeBron James isn't the Knicks top priority once the free agency period begins. Seeing #6 in a Knicks uniform would completely change everything for everyone, it might even alter the way the earth's axis is tilted or whether some model in Nolita finally understands the difference between baseball and basketball. HOW CRAZY WOULD THAT BE!

The problem is that there is a high possibility that LeBronathan will NOT come to the Knicks and stay in Cleveland. Not only will this mean that there won't be worldwide tsunami's due to extreme weather conditions resulting from the change in Earth's tides because of a different gravitational pull with the moon, it also means that models in Nolita will still think Derek Jeter is soooo much better than Michael Jordan at scoring touchdowns.

If the Knicks organization doesn't land LeBroski than they will be faced with immense pressure from a Madison Square Garden Executive luxury suites sales team and an extremely indignant fan base.

Donnie Walsh may not have a more viable option than to offer the 2nd best free agent available, Dwyane Wade, a monster max contract. Many Knicks fans will like this move and to be honest, they should. The Knicks haven't had a player of his caliber since Patrick Ewing.

But the title of this article is Why the Knicks Should NOT Sign Dwyane Wade. Here are 5 reasons that led me to believe that Wade is not a great long-term fit.

1) A future with persistent injury problems - This is the most frightening and disconcerting reason. I love the way that Wade plays the game. He dives after loose balls as much as anyone, isn't afraid of drawing contact, and is generally balls deep in every possession, The question lies, though: Can he sustain this style of play for the next 3, 5, or 7 years? No matter how good a guy keeps himself in shape, once you hit the 27-28 year old threshold you cannot play like Dwyane does without frequently getting injured. It's impossible. He has a history of injuries too, only playing 50 games in the '07 and '08 seasons due to shoulder and knee issues. Would you make an investment in a car used in a demolition derby? What if this car was able to dunk on Yao Ming? What if you bought a T-Mobile Sidekick as a result of these high flying antics?

2) Can't hit the trey - In an offensive system like Mike D'Antoni's, it is crucial for both guard positions to be able to consistently knock down 3 point shots. Wade shoots a paltry 28% from behind the arc in his career and he still launched well over 3 a game in this past season. Certainly it is feasible to think that a player could improve his shooting percentage over time, but Wade has basically shot around 30% during his 7 year career.

3) The Heat haven't exceeded 1st round since 2006 - Yes, I am aware that Dwyane was a complete beast in 2006 when he lead his team to the NBA championship and was crowned the Finals MVP. He had a nice set of teammates on the hardwood with him, much better then what will likely be on the Knicks' roster on the next 2 or 3 years. He had a still-dominant Shaq, future Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton, an in-his-prime Jason Williams, a playoff-proven James Posey, and a 3-time-all-star in Antoine Walker. With the 2010 Knicks he will have a still-fat Eddy Curry, a not-in-his-prime Toney Douglas, a not-playoff-proven Danilo Gallinari, and a 0-time-all-star Bill Walker. The bottom line is that with a cast of teammates over the last 3 years that many would consider to be better than the Knicks, the Miami Heat have lost in the 1st round twice, and didn't make the playoffs once. Although winning 42 games would be an improvement for the Knicks, our goal is to not only make the playoffs but to do some damage once we get there.

4) Not as clutch as you think - Have I seen Wade make game winning shots? Have I seen him steal the ball at the end of the game and go ahead to score the game winning points? Yes. Does he do it as consistently when the game on the line and the ball is in his hand? Not according to the stats. 82games.com has a nifty way to determine how clutch a player is by compiling every players stats in the 4th quarter or overtime with less than 5 minutes left when neither team is up by more then 5 points. When looking at the +/- averages for Wade during the 2008-09 season and then sorting by the 5th or 6th column, you will see that Wade isn't even in the top 50 whereas basically every other top player is. He is also right up there is in turnovers committed.

5) The quickness won't always be there - The last reason isn't as easy to quantify as some of the others but it is something that I believe happens with every NBA player once they reach their late 20's - They slow down. They don't have the step they once did. Some of the past and present NBA greats developed their game by relying on their jumpers and high basketball IQ's to carry them once young defenders were capable of staying in front of them. The thing is, will Dwyane ever have a devastating jumper? Does he already have an exceptional basketball IQ? You could argue either way. One thing you can't argue is that he is one of current great players now solely because of superior athletic ability. Once he can't fly by his defenders anymore and slice through zones, will he still be able to evolve to offset his diminishing skill set?

As a life long Knicks fan who has toiled in misery these last 10 years I don't deserve the right to be selective. I am a hypocrite. I'd be happy with Dwyane Wade if Lebrontosaurus and Chris Bosh weren't around. It would be worth the risk that all 5 of the reasons above present. But these are all things that any team should be considering when signing Dwyane Wade to a long term contract.

Are my reasons valid? Is there another concern about Wade that I missed? Please let me know in the comment section below. Thanks for reading.

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Tags: 2010, dwyane, free agent, knicks, still-fat-eddy, wade

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Comment by Athena Anne Foxx on July 2, 2010 at 5:45pm: I don't care whatever you say on Wade. Just to remind you, Wade is the only player who stepped up on their championship games against Dallas. Shaq, yes, he was still dominant that time but Mavs made him invisible using their tactics: Hack-a-Shaq. He never got a chance to surpass 1st round of the playoffs since then but at least, Heat made it to the playoffs even Wade does have limited back ups. If you could compare Heat to Cavs, Lakers or any other teams that made to playoffs, the Heat are the only team with poor roster.

Anyway, even if the Knicks want to sign him now, Wade we will never sign on them and so is James. So if I were you, don't still expect a lot for the Knicks this season.

Comment by Dan on May 5, 2010 at 10:28am: Although I;d be happy with D-Wade i have to agree with some of the points Age, durability are concerns. Im not concerned with his shooting it can get better and is still decent. The last point i will make is I remember it was either game 6 or 7 in the finals vs. Dallas Wade gets to the line up 2 with like 4 seconds left to shoot2 ft'. He hit 1 of 2. I remember thinking then, wow, he really sold out. I want my max contract to go to a guy that will put the dagger in a club when it counts. I think there are two players like that available next year. LeBron, and Ray Allen. Lets get them, save some money and go after a pg the year after.

Comment by NYsportsGUY on May 4, 2010 at 4:09pm: After reading through the general writer misanthropy and southern slang you make some good points Dazzla. Bravo.

I like your points about the Knicks though. They do suck, can't argue there. I'm upset you didn't like the writing, I had an editor review it and everything!

Quick question - Is "garbage on fire" better or worse than regular temperature'd garbage?

Comment by dazzla ganz on May 4, 2010 at 2:33pm: just read the article thru my boy posting it on facebook...... and who the fuck wrote that sorry ass piece of literature? dude doesnt know shit. he is a wack ass writer. 2 many injuries? yes he played 50 games in the 07 -08 season and played a full season (but how does that make him injury prone he had one bad injury season dude is a fuckin idiot) this year why because he took more jumpers much like Jordan when he got to year 7 of his career jumper got better can take that since everyone is looking for the drive. 2- he said cant hit the trey????? did u see him light up boston with treys? and most of the treys he misses is when the sorry ass heat are down 8 with 30 seconds left. Early in his career he didnt shoot 3's. in fact last year he made more three's than he attempted his first 3 years in the league. his percentage is affected by taking desperation 3's when his team is down but his shot is only getting better. and he says a reason is cuz the heat havent left round 1 since the championship.....what the fuck have the knicks done? has he looked at the roster he takes to the playoffs? get the fuck outta here who is this moron who wrote this shit. not as clutch as you think? he hasnt been in many close games cuz his team is bi polar. either they get blown out or he makes his clutch performance midway 4th qtr so there is no last 2nd shot needed. he isnt clutch for the last 2 min because he's clutch the last 12 min. fuck what 82games.com says. i havent seen the site but espn did a study with the final 30 seconds in a game with the margin being 3 pts up or 3 pts down Carmelo has the best FG% out of anyone in the league since 05 but who gives a fuck cuz i would still give it to Kobe or Wade because I know Kobe will drain the fadeaway and Wade will make u foul him and he'll drain it from the line. 5- quickness wont always be there? so u must say the same for Lebron who's dick he wont seem to get off of. basketball iq in question? are you serious. he makes headdy plays all the time and uses his basketball iq to play to his strengths. the jumper isnt devastating yet but its better every year and better than lebrons currently. lebron is great but get the fuck off his nutsack because it will never suit up for the new york dicks. who the fuck wrote that garbage. poorly written. poor examples. just garbage on fire. i'll give you 3 reasons why he wont go to the knicks. 1- knicks roster is worse than heat. david lee is a 20 10 guy by force. 2- the front office sucks 3- who in their right mind would leave a city like miami to go to new york????? like jadakiss said " gangstas dont die they get chubby and move to miami" better bitches, better weather, better lifestyle, better cost of living, and better for your taxes which is every rich athlete and celeb buy houses in florida and register as florida residents