A little sore, Wade may rest wrist
By Ira Winderman
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted March 6 2006
Dwyane Wade took flight Sunday with the Heat in preparation for tonight's game at Charlotte against the Bobcats.
He remains up in the air about a return to action.
In the wake of Saturday's 95-93 home victory over Atlanta, a game he missed with a sprained right wrist, Wade revealed he has been bothered by pain in his shooting wrist since a Feb. 14-15 back-to-back pair of games against Orlando.
"I don't want it to continue to get worse, so I decided to take the time and get it better," he said.
Wade not only played in those two games against the Magic, but also three more the balance of February, when he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for his 29.8-scoring average, highest ever in a month by a Heat player.
After finally sitting out, the third-year guard said he was particularly careful during the Feb. 17-19 All-Star Weekend, pointing to the wrist as a reason he struggled with his shooting while winning the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday and why he did most of his damage near the rim during the All-Star Game.
"I made sure in the game I shot a lot of layups," he said. "I didn't do too many jump shots. Around that time, just getting it warm was good enough."
A collision with Celtics guard Delonte West in Wednesday's victory at Boston was enough to convince Wade to sit out Saturday's game.
The schedule, of course, likely also was a factor. Saturday's victory was the Heat's 10th in a row against the Hawks.
The level of competition also could factor into tonight's plans. The Heat defeated the second-year Bobcats 91-85 Jan. 27 at Charlotte with both Wade and starting point guard Jason Williams sidelined by injuries.
Wade has missed only three games this season, all with non-related minor ailments.
While coach Pat Riley said Wade has to learn how to avoid breaking falls with his wrists, Wade actually worked on technique in the offseason with a personal trainer in Chicago.