NBA PM: James, Wade Try Comedy
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade Try Comedy
The Mavericks may not have known while they were winning Game 5 on Thursday night, but HEAT stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had a little fun at Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki’s expense earlier in the day (see video below). Following the morning shootaround, Wade and James both feigned sickness in an apparent effort to poke fun at Nowitzki, who had reportedly been dealing with a fever and a sinus infection while helping the Mavericks to a Game 4 victory on Tuesday.
“Whoa, did y’all here me cough? I think I’m sick,” Wade said.
Wade then brought up the weather as the root of their spurious sickness, to which James replied, “It’s hard to go from 85-degree weather and then go to 90.”
Wade said on Wednesday that he wasn’t going to “get into the fun-loving story of [Nowitzki] being sick,” and his post-shootaround routine on Thursday seemed to stem from that sentiment.
Ironically, this is the type of childish behavior the HEAT hoped to avoid when pairing James with Wade. Yes, HEAT president Pat Riley wanted to put as many stars on one team as possible, but he also needed the players—particularly James—to mature. There have always been some signs that he’s struggled in that area (remember when he stormed off the court without congratulating the Magic or speaking with the media following the Cavaliers’ elimination in 2009?), but that’s what made a potential pairing with Wade so interesting.
Theoretically Wade, who has won a title and understands the discipline required to accomplish the feat again, was going to be like James’ big brother. Yes, the two were friends before they became teammates, but this year could have been about more than friendship. James and Wade should have been challenging each other to be more co-workers than buddies, but the opposite might actually be happening. Judging from the video—as small of a window into their lives as it may be—Wade and James felt like having a laugh before Game 5.
Of course, it’s the Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki who could be laughing after Game 6 in Miami on Sunday.
Marion, Barea Prepared for Game 6
When asked about Wade and James’ bit by radio host Tony Bruno, Mavericks forward Shawn Marion and guard J.J. Barea didn’t really seem to care.
“Everybody, the media, just comes back and reports stuff like that,” Marion said, as transcribed by Chris Fedor on Sportsradiointerviews.com. “We don’t care about that.”
In retrospect, James and Wade might feel a little foolish for poking fun at Nowitzki, considering he scored 29 points and grabbed six boards in a winning effort. At the very least the pair has to be concerned about their last two performances—winnable games that they allowed to slip through their fingers. The question is, did Miami lose because they simply stopped hitting shots, or has Dallas gained a mental edge in this series in addition to its 3-2 advantage?
“I don’t know if we’re in their head,” Marion told Bruno. “We know what we’re capable of doing. We just go out there, stay persistent with what we want to do and what we accomplish, and go after it.”
“We’re doing a great job of closing out games,” Barea said. “I think we have the players to do it. Jason Kidd with the ball, we’ve got Dirk, the best finisher I think in the game right now, Jason Terry is not scared to shoot it, and the important part is we’re getting stops. We’re getting stops in the last couple of minutes and that’s been big for us.”
Mental toughness will be key for the Mavericks as they hit South Beach with a chance to win the series in six games.
“Oh we know it’s not going to be easy,” Barea said, “but we have a great opportunity. We better take advantage. We’re gonna give it everything we got and we’ll see what happens.
“We don’t want to go to Game 7 but we’re gonna give it all on Sunday and see what happens,” he added.
Game 6 tips-off on Sunday at 8 p.m.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Monta Ellis, Anyone?
The Andre Iguodala-for-Monta Ellis rumor was apparently just the beginning. Contra Costa Times beat writer Marcus Thompson II is reporting a flurry of trade talk regarding Ellis, who was the Warriors’ leading scorer this season. But while a trade isn’t likely to happen anytime soon, it seems safe to say that Ellis won’t be back by the bay next season.
Reportedly the 76ers, Bulls, Grizzlies—who have been rumored to be interested in Ellis in the past—and Nuggets are interested in discussing a trade, but the Warriors would be looking for a “difference maker,” according to Thompson. In the case of Memphis, that might mean parting with Rudy Gay or O.J. Mayo and other assets. Thompson is also reporting that Ellis’ agent Jeff Fried is working in conjunction with the team to find a contender for his client.
Another Warriors beat writer, The Oakland Tribune‘s Tim Kawakami is reporting that the Lakers are a “possibility” as well, but they may lack the assets to acquire a player of Ellis’ caliber unless they’re willing to part with Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol.
Kawakami also went on to write that sources say Ellis and Warriors power forward David Lee have been at odds for some time. Ellis supposedly told former coach Keith Smart that he didn’t want to be around Lee unless the two were on the court. Obviously, we don’t know for sure if that’s true, but the bottom line is it’s pretty clear that Ellis is on his way out.
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