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Shaquille
O'Neal: "When you are 60, hang out with 60-year-olds, not 20-year-olds.
That is all I got to say about Jerry Buss."
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HoopsHype.com Interviews Dwyane
Wade: "I've been overlooked a little bit"
Dwyane Wade: I think it's been a successful rookie year from the standpoint of helping my team go to the playoffs. What's the biggest difference between the college and the pro game? DW: I think the main thing is the quickness and the strength of the players. It's probably not too bad being in Miami in winter instead of at Marquette either. DW: Not at all. I love it everyday. It's not bad at all. How have you dealt with the distractions that come with all the traveling and people wanting a piece of pro players – that sort of thing? DW: I just try to keep my circle small and just be with my teammates. And when I'm not with them I just try to be in my room, and just try to be by myself. Does having a wife and kid help keep you grounded? DW: I think it helps keep me grounded, but I think if I didn't I'd still be grounded because that's just the way I grew up. Has it been everything you dreamed about so far? DW: Yeah, it has. Especially since the All-Star break when we've been winning and we've been playing well. Do you think you've been overlooked at all in the Rookie of the Year talk with LeBron and Melo getting all the press? DW: I think I've been overlooked just a little bit just because my team's winning, and I'm not having a bad year, but they're having great years. Like Coach Riley once said, whenever you talk about, there's only two people you talk about. They never really talk about three guys. It's always two, like Magic and Bird. How tough has it been moving to the point guard position? DW: It's been a learning experience. There have been times when I've been aggressive and there have been times when I haven't been aggressive. But it's been a learning experience. What do you still want to work on with your game? DW: Everything. I just want to fine-tune a lot of parts of my game. What's the strongest part of your game? What do you feel you bring to the team? DW: Making others better and getting guys the ball where they need it – driving, creating a little havoc and kicking it out to them for good shots. How has Coach Van Gundy helped your game? DW: Just staying on me hard, not letting me slide either way. He just stays on me hard if I'm playing good or if I'm playing bad. What happened that turned this team around? You guys had a tough early start, now you're in the playoffs. DW: We had to go through a learning process. We had to go through some games early in the year where we were losing. We had to learn from it. Now we learned and we're all comfortable with each other, so we just go out together and play as a team. What player on your team have you learned the most from or look up to? DW: I think I learned the most from the two point guards, Rafer Alston and Bimbo Coles. They both helped me in my learning process and my transition to the NBA. Are you looking forward to the playoffs? DW: No question. I've been watching all my life. Now I get the opportunity to step out there in the playoffs and I can't wait. Realistically, how deep do you think the Heat can go in the playoffs? DW: I think the sky's the limit for us. This team is getting better constantly at different things. If we put everything together with our defense and our offense and rebounding, I think we can be a pretty good team. So the sky's the limit. Bruce Meyer is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com Tell us what you think about this interview. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
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