It wasn't until Lebron took his talents to south beach that Wade apparently was always a 6'4 Monta Ellis. Can't say that Lebron teamed up with a top 3 player in the league with both in their primes, and definitely not the guy they were claiming was the closest thing to Michael Jordan we'd seen after that championship in '06.
The feeling that almost ended all of it was pain — complete and total pain during his prime with the Miami Heat.
Mornings were nearly unbearable. His knees ached so badly he could barely bend them. Tasks that should be simple, such as putting on his underwear, felt more like climbing Mt. Everest.
Games, when he could get on the court, were just as tough. By the time he got to the locker room afterward, both knees would balloon.
That he was playing on the best team in the world, that he had two of the best teammates of all time in LeBron James and Chris Bosh, that he was winning titles — all of it was dwarfed by the pain.
“It was playing with him more mentally than physically. And physically? He was hurting,” James said. “You can just imagine what it was doing to his brain.”
The hurt was too much. The joy was gone. He wanted out. He thought about retiring.
“My knees were in so much pain,” Wade said. “In my right knee, I had two sets of different bone bruises. I also had chondromalacia under the kneecap, which irritates the kneecap to the extent where it’s just more pain. In my left knee, I had three surgeries so I’m dealing with arthritis. I’m dealing with swelling and all the stuff that comes with that.
“It was a time where I didn’t want to do it anymore. I didn’t want to be in pain anymore.”
By Wade’s third season, he was a champion and a Finals most valuable player, but by the time James and Bosh joined him in Miami, all those hits and crashes to the court started to add up.
In the Big Three’s four seasons together, Wade played more than 70 games just once. In their final two years together, he missed almost one out of every four regular-season games.
“It was frustrating for him. He couldn’t play back-to-back games or play consistently because every time he would play, his knees would swell up,” James said. “He’d talk about, ‘I don’t know, man. I don’t know if I can continue to do this. I don’t think I can do it.’ I couldn’t say anything other than, ‘Let’s get through this season. Make the most of it.’
“But he said, ‘I can’t be the player I want to be and help you the way I want to because I can’t even consistently be on the floor with you.’”
The feeling it all began with was joy.
www.latimes.com
But you’re right Wade without injuries > Kobe
disgusting
