Winning back-to-back championships usually elicits one of those "not broke, don't fix it" sentiments. When you're as good as the
Miami Heat, though, winning championships doesn't mean all's as it should be.
A bone bruise in his right knee, tendinitis and a handful of other nagging bumps and bruises
followed Dwyane Wade into the 2013 playoffs, threatening to derail Miami's attempt to win its second-straight title. If he has anything to say about it this summer, next time will be different. According to the
South Florida Sun Sentinel's
Ira Winderman, Wade is now turning to the same
OssaTron therapy he used to ease his aching knees five years ago.
Wade will also spend the time between now and training camp trying to get in the kind of shape he was in when he came into the league, ostensibly hoping to reduce some of the wear and tear on his joints. To that end, he's
again working with Tim Grover, trainer extraordinaire who's also helped the likes of Michael Jordan and
Kobe Bryant.
Grover had worked with Wade earlier in his career and came to his rescue after Game 2 of the 2012 Finals in the star's last-ditch attempt to remain on the floor and somewhat effective. In his book
The Cleaner You Are, The Dirtier You Get, Grover expressed admiration for Wade's willingness to seek help (via
The Palm Beach Post's
Ethan J. Skolnick):
A different player might not have made that call. He could have relied on LeBron to carry the Heat to the title, he could have tried coping with the pain, hoping his knee would give him a couple more games. That’s what most players would have done. But when a championship is on the line and you’re a Cleaner, you don’t let others carry the load, and you don’t just hope it all works out. You make every possible move to put yourself where you need to be.
Another title isn't on the line just yet, but Wade's already putting himself where he needs to be in anticipation of a season that could vault Miami into the
NBA's rare ranks of three-peaters. His injury history is one he's not eager to repeat.
Fresh off the 2011 NBA lockout, Wade's health appeared an ominous warning in advance of Miami's attempt to improve upon its 2011 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. By the end of January, he'd missed nine of the Heat's 21 games.
In addition to a strained calf and a bruised left foot that kept him out of three games, Wade suffered a sprained right ankle that put the cherry on top of his early struggles (via ESPN's
Michael Wallace):
Wade told reporters in
Denver that he had never experienced pain from a sprain as severely as what he felt Friday. He also made light of his recent rash of injuries being a sign that he's getting older. Wade turns 30 on Tuesday.
However many times Wade's been around the sun, discerning his age in NBA years is a little like trying to figure out
how old Miguel Tejada was back in the day. It's ultimately a guessing game where birth certificates mean absolutely nothing.
Fast-forward to the postseason, and a familiar problem began haunting Wade's attempts to earn teammate LeBron James his first title.
Two games into Miami's second-round series against the Indiana Pacers in 2012, Wade had to have his left knee drained to relieve soreness that began plaguing him in the postseason. He went on to struggle initially, making just 2-of-13 field-goal attempts in Game 3 and turning the ball over five times. From there, however, Wade exploded for totals of 30, 28 and 41 points in the series' final three games—all Miami victories.
Shortly after upending the
Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals, Wade went on to have knee
surgery in July that didn't raise any red flags.
In turn, he was unable to join Team USA for the London Summer Olympics but recovered in plenty of time to begin the 2012-13 season in fine working order.
What's Next?
Dwyane Wade entered the summer vetoing the possibility of another surgery, but his regimen of treatment and training looks to be robust as ever. A sign the 31-year-old is finally acting his age?
Not according to Wade.
He's hobbling into the 2013-14 season as defiant as ever (per South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman): "I'm not done yet. I still got more in the tank. Like I said, my focus is just to make sure physically I can do the things I need to do. My skills haven't diminished by no stretch of the imagination."
Between his cutting-edge treatments and working with Grover, Wade may indeed have the last laugh. Pat Riley was already sold in June, telling Dan Le Batard (via ESPN's
Brian Windhorst), "He’s going to get down to 212 pounds next year and he’s going to come back and reinvent himself and everyone is going to say 'Wow.'"
All that talk means Wade will have plenty of walking to do. If he can stay on his feet, anyway.
