Flash in M.A.S.H.?

The chart reads, "bruised ribs, bruised left knee, sprained left ankle and back spasms". Is this a boxer? Or perhaps a crusty old vet making his way through the regular season on his way to that allusive title? The pain before the glory, sweetening the fruit that can be quite bitter when plucked too early.

Nope, this is the medical status of one rising young superstar, Dwyane Wade.

He has missed all of four games this year; his team's record being 1-3 in which there was no presence of Shaq's notable sidekick. An double OT loss to the Clippers being the most recent example.

Recently turning 23, Wade has talked about the pain he has gone through, quite literally. "It gets frustrating because I can't explode all the time the way I want for different reasons. It gets frustrating, but I continue to keep pushing and keep pushing." Suffering a headache, which is only the least of how his opponents would describe his growing game, Wade seems worn. Not so much that he is any imminent danger, no. He is too young for that. But, caution must be taken if this superstar wants to have a long career and not be the flame that burns quickest.

This is from a recent article detailing Wade's new rise to national attention, found in the recent copy of Sports Illustrated, "Many of Miami's plays begin with Wade coming up from near the basket to set a hard screen on the outside, then bouncing off and getting the ball to initiate the attack. That's how the Utah Jazz offense often ran when John Stockton was at the point, and Stockton garnered a lot of respect because he wasn't afraid to give up his body. Ditto for Wade."

Now, you can see where I am going with this. Sure, Stockton had a long career almost injury free. But Wade is different; he is demanded - no, expected - of more. He is the catalyst to this Heat team, the new power in the East. I remember Jordan, when getting established in the league, decided to work out more and build up his body. He also developed his game more to take away from some of the punishment he put himself through every night during the regular season. Perhaps it is not irony that as he got older, he got better because he played smarter. A lesson Wade could certainly benefit from.

But there is more - it involves more than just Wade adjusting his game, but the team as well. Reading the quote from SI helps illustrate what has to be done. The Heat needs to find a less jarring way to generate their offense through Wade. He is the catalyst, yes, but if he takes that much punishment each night, he won't be around to be the catalyst for long. Perhaps another player landing on this team - with more offensive skill - could help alleviate some of the abuse Wade puts up with. Or maybe, run different plays that demand less on Wade's person.

Whatever the case, these past 5 days of rest will give momentary relief to Wade as an oasis amid the torturous NBA regular season.