Miami Heat’s Plan B For Dwyane Wade
By Jared Doyle
@outofboundsjay
Sam Sharpe- USA Today Sports
Dwyane Wade has been playing some lights-out basketball since the season started, averaging more assists than any other guard in the league and leading his Miami Heat team to the second best record in the Eastern Conference, going 5-2 over seven games. With everything going so right for Wade, one has to wonder, what happens when he gets hurt? Considering his age and likelihood for injury, it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Do the Heat have a Plan B for Wade going forward? Absolutely.
The signing of Danny Granger was supposed to alleviate concerns of wing depth for the Heat, but with Granger’s lingering injuries, it’s been hard for the Heat organization to really get a feel for how he will fit into the lineup. Once Granger is healthy, you can bet that he will be taking some of those shooting guard minutes away from Wade, more as an attempt to preserve his body for a hopefully lengthy playoff run.
If Granger health becomes an issue, the Heat will have to rely on Mario Chalmers to be the primary backup shooting guard for Wade. This has actually been the case for the first seven games of the season, and Chalmers has performed well playing more minutes at shooting guard, averaging 11.1 PPG (career-high), 2.6 RPG and 3.6 APG while playing a career low 27 MPG.
These are quality numbers for a back-up shooting guard, which is ironic considering how the Heat organization has played Chalmers as a point guard for the last six seasons.
The Heat have a solid Plan B for a potential Wade absence, no matter how long that is. Last season, not having Wade for key stretches of the season was brutal, even with LeBron James playing in Miami. This season, it might not be so devastating.
Jared Doyle is a Miami Heat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @outofboundsjay, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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