Wade Out Against Clippers

Dwyane Wade won't be suiting up against the Clippers. He had nothing positive to say about his injury after Tuesday's practice:

"I tried to shoot a little today, just for a minute, with tape on, and it's discomfort, so I stopped right away."

Even a possibility of a return for Friday's game against Phoenix (10:30pm ESPN) seems to be in question.

"I've still got some soreness in my wrist, so it's not time," Wade said. "The way I play, I've got to be very cautious about me jumping back in."

To err on the side of caution would be well-advised. Shaq is gearing up for his return, which is being loosely slated for January 15th. In fact, it could be to Riley's advantage to hold Wade out until then as well, and work the rest of this team into somekind of shape. Walker has been struggling, but so have many others on the Heat. Riley, in fact, pointed to himself as well.

"We're 13-17. There's about five guys who have underperformed. As a coach, I've underperformed. There isn't anybody you can point your finger at. Nobody. This is an absolute team effort."

Tonight's matchup against the Clippers will not prove to be an easy task either. Coming off a 5 point loss to the Magic, the Clippers are not exactly the NBA's strongest road team, but will present some formidable matchup problems for the short-handed Heat.