Dwyane Wade’s final Miami Heat season is ending eerily similar to Kobe Bryant’s.
Clearly, there is no debate about who the greatest shooting guard of all time is.
The No. 2 and No. 3 spots also seem solidified. However, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade have more in common than a career pursuit of Michael Jordan.
Their drive to compete against each other was more than evident. It showed from Wade playing Bryant hard enough in an All-Star game to break his nose, to their statistics against each other during their 20 matchups.
Wade (11-9) averaged 24.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.9 steals a game versus Bryant, while Bryant put up 26.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals during their battles. Everything was similar down to their fallouts with Shaquille O’Neal as a teammate, to their ages of retirement (37).
So, it should be no surprise that the Miami Heat season is going the way it has been.
Granted, Miami was expected to at least be decent.
Instead, a 9-13 record is as much as the team could muster in the first third of the season. A result that caused the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman to tap into Wade’s psyche after a loss last week:
"“…I did sense in the locker room after the [Atlanta Hawks] game that this was not what Dwyane Wade signed back up for. He does not want to go out in the lottery, wants “One Last Dance” to include a playoff chapter. I’m just not sure that his priorities with align with the Heat’s.”"
The current two-game winning streak aside, Miami’s losses are slightly reminiscent of the debacle known as the 2015-16 Los Angeles Lakers. With the difference being that the world was well aware that Bryant’s farewell tour would be the highlight of the season.
A few good games–including the 60-point finale–sprinkled the 17.6-point, 3.7-rebound, 2.8-assist season. Wade has given flashes, with a more competitive team, yet his numbers shake out the same–15.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
And it is a shame.
The Heat organization should have been doing their hardest to make sure Wade’s greatnes came to an end with a run, alongside mentorship.
Otherwise why beg him to comeback?
But, hey, at least fans have the Wade jersey exchange to keep them entertained.