Dwyane Wade To Miss All-Star Game With Hamstring Injury
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Dwyane Wade has missed the Miami Heat's last six games due to a hamstring injury, but the topic of him playing in the NBA All-Star Game remained up in the air…until now.
Speaking after the Heat's Tuesday afternoon practice, Wade told the media that he would not be playing in this weekend's All-Star Game in New York.
"I felt like this was best," Wade said following the Heat's workout. "I wasn't going to play much either way. I think with the circumstances, I think the smartest thing to do is let someone else come in a really enjoy the All-Star experience.
He'll also miss Miami's last game before the break, which just happens to be the Heat's first visit to LeBron James' new/old home in Cleveland.
"I could play (against Cleveland) but it would not be the smart thing to do," said Wade.
Wade has been working out with his teammates lately and there was some thought that he may be ready to return to game action in time for the Cavaliers game on Wednesday.
With that now out of the question, it seems that Wade will hit the ground running when the Heat play their first game after the All-Star break on February 20th against the New York Knicks.
"I think I owe it to the Heat fans to at least play in a Heat jersey first than go out there in the All-Star Game and play a couple minutes," he said.
The Heat (22-29) currently sit in 8th place in the Eastern Conference, holding a one-game lead over the Brooklyn Nets.
Miami has the same record as 7th place Charlotte but lose the higher spot due to the Hornets having beaten the Heat two out of three times this season. The teams play each other one final team in early April.
Wade knows that if Miami wants to make the playoffs, and possibly advance to the later rounds, they need to have a very strong second half of the season.
With that being the case, he's not going to rush back two games early, especially considering the second one is a meaningless All-Star Game.
"We have a run to make after the All-Star Game break to solidify a playoff seed," added Wade. "It's going to be an interesting second half of the season for us, because we've got something to play for. We'll see how we respond."
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