Heat Facing Spurs Minus Dwyane Wade
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Heat return to the court Tuesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, most likely without All-Star shooting guard Dwyane Wade.
Wade suffered a sprained ankle in last Friday night's game against the Denver Nuggets and the Heat said he will be out for an undetermined amount of time.
With Wade out of the lineup, the Heat will lose roughly 20 points, 4 rebounds, and more than 5 assists per game. It will also open up the question of who will take the final shot in a close game?
Wade had been the primary shooter at the end of games, but with him out, the chore will likely fall on All-Star forward LeBron James.
Beyond taking the final shot, LeBron will have to attack the basket more during the home stand the Heat are starting Tuesday night.
LeBron has shown a willingness to play in the post this season, but he'll also have to slash to the basket to get shots and get to the foul line, where he's shooting 73 percent.
The Heat play eight out of their next nine games at home and with Wade's injury; it will finally give Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra a reason to finally activate Mike Miller.
The oft-injured Miller is said to finally be fully healthy and he could help ease the team through the period without Wade.
As for Heat center Eddy Curry, Spoelstra hasn't said when or if Curry will play during the next week of games. Curry's main challenge to getting in the lineup will be his conditioning.
As soon as he's able to consistently get up and down the court, he'll likely be brought in for added bulk at the center position.
