The Wrist or the Headlines?
Something is messing with Dwayne Wade's game, the question is whether it is his tender wrist or the sudden MVP hype that he has been receiving over the last week. For the past two months, D-Wade has been destroying people while leading Miami on a torrid run. Then, suddenly, he was being discussed as a leading MVP candidate for the first time all season. He also crashed hard to the floor and seemed to re-injure his sore wrist. In the four games after those two things happened, he has struggled mightily. His scoring is down almost 5 points per game, his boards are down 2, his turnovers are at an all-time high (4.8 per), and his normally terrific shooting (.504 for the season) has been abysmal (.375). Plus, the Heat are 2-2 over that span with a win over New York and a one-point victory over the Bulls. What is going on? It is clear that Wade is either hurt, or is not responding well to all the MVP talk. I would guess the former, because he seems too down to earth to let hype go to his head, but either way, if he can't shake off this recent slump, the MVP chatter will be gone just as quickly as it came.