Mike Dunleavy Thinks Dwyane Wade Cheats

It's one thing for casual fans to complain about players getting away with traveling, but it's another when an actual NBA coach complains. Nevertheless, that's the tact Mike Dunleavy took recently when talking about Dwyane Wade. From NBA.com:

"His ability to carry the ball right now, he's getting away with that," Dunleavy said. "He [carries] left to right, right to left, but he just does it fast so nobody sees it, I guess.

Not surprisingly, Wade wasn't thrilled about the attention, especially considering Dunleavy's Clippers won last weekend's game against the Heat. From Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel:

"There's a lot of things going on that could be called," Wade said. "So if you want to nitpick at everything, then he doesn't have enough to do. He needs to do something else."

To be fair, Dunleavy wasn't completely bagging on Wade -- he compared Wade's slick move to something Bernard King pioneered years ago -- but still, it's rare to see a coach call out a specific player. How come? For one, it can do more damage than good: the Clippers may only have one other game against the Heat, but is Wade really the type of guy you want to face with a chip on his shoulder? I'm guessing Baron Davis and Eric Gordon think not, nor do I imagine they'd appreciate any extra scrutiny on their ballhandling technique.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-05-2008 @ 1:43PM

ecash94 said...

I enjoy watching the dude play, but Wade carries like a muther******. There was a play in that game - which he has repeated a couple of times this season - where it looked like he was dribbling through a line of cones, except he carried as he weaved through them. I can't knock him too much because if they don't call it, why stop?

12-05-2008 @ 3:26PM

Tony said...

I realize it's more work for the refs to call the gamel as it was originated as compared to looking the other way, especially when the super stars are involved. Palming, Cross over dribble, Walking are a thing of the past, the game now resembles streetball and that's the reason I don't watch it anymore!

12-05-2008 @ 4:27PM

Bob A said...

Hello Planet Earth to all - Most modern NBA players like to travel with the ball. The rule is one and a half steps. This is the most overlooked transgression in modern basketball. Some are just more sneaky than others, i.e. Patrick Ewing (who was the master at it), Shaq (who gets a silver medal) and yes, Dwane Wade who is without a doubt a tremendous player who travels at least 4 or 5 times EVERY game! It is curious that when the NBA games only had two refs (a lifetime ago) the games were much better officiated and the game was much more enjoyable to watch. The modern game is a drag to watch in most cases, unless it is one of the top 5 or 6 teams. The bottom teams are horrid and are about as much fun to watch as watching paint dry.