In this thing we call life, we are told there are some certainties we can’t avoid. You know, paying tax, dying – those upbeat guarantees we are all destined for at some stage or another.
The NBA however has its own certainties; no one will be better than Michael Jordan (supposedly), Joakim Noah will always be a pest, and no matter whether he just won a championship or not, some folk will still call for Dwyane Wade to retire.
I know, I know and yes we’re talking about this again. With eight days until the 2013/14 season begins, we still have nothing better to debate than Wade’s form.
Without reliving the school yard antics of he said/she said, or more to the point Instagram this then tweet that, Kevin Durant kickstarted the headlines off by claiming James Harden was now a top ten player and should have replaced Wade’s name in Sports Illustrated’s Top 10 players list.
*Cue laughter here.
Indeed the media do love a juicy sound bite and it’s Durant again who’s been ever so kind to give us his latest insight.
“A lot of people disagree with me, but it is what it is,” he said.
“It’s nothing against D-Wade, he is a great player, he set his mark in the league, he is one of the best shooting guards ever, but like I said, I just thought, that as an older guy, it’s time to pass the torch to the younger guys.
“Just like somebody did to him, just like somebody did to me and I will have to do the same later on. So I just thought it was his time.”
Look, we can’t blame KD for being honest, it is after all what we want and it sure beats those tiresome rehearsed answers.
Only it’s no longer KD or Harden having a dig, there is still a mob of you out there who think Wade is Ol’ Man River with a rotten knee expected to blow out mid-season.
It’s true there were times against the Pacers we wondered if Wade had passed his expiry date, after passing the ball to the invisible man and tripping over himself countless times, you were only human to question his ability.
I’m not going to rattle off stats, rings or All-Star appearances for that would be clasping at the past to prove a point. None of that appears to be relevant for those calling for Wade to step aside and make way for the future.
It is only here and now, and only this season that will be of relevance in the doubters’ eyes.
Wade is 32 next January. For the love of god, I hope someone starts engraving his tombstone, I mean we haven’t got much time left.
Eerily as though he could almost predict the criticism, today he dropped his 15 minute documentary Journey to 3, a behind-the-scenes video into the moments post Game 6, his mentality towards training and what drove him to winning a third ring.
He also takes a moment to address the naysayers.
“If anyone wants to pick up a basketball and meet me at the gym, you can do that,” Wade states.
Not a bad job for an old man.
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