Dwyane Wade questioned Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s decision, but he ultimately benefited from it.
In an era where NBA teams do not think twice before firing head coaches ahead of the playoffs, Erik Spoelstra has completed 17 seasons with the Miami Heat.
During his tenure with the Heat, Spoelstra has had the opportunity to coach some elite NBA players such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Jimmy Butler.
While coach Spo won two NBA Championships during the Heatles era, he once had a difference of opinion with franchise legend D-Wade.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesDwyane Wade was ‘hot’ with Erik Spoelstra’s 2011 decision
Prior to the Big 3 era, Wade was the team’s cornerstone superstar. He had already led the team to an NBA title in 2006 as the No. 1 scoring option.
Evidently, the legendary guard was habitual of playing extended minutes and getting as many touches as he wanted on the court. However, in the 2011-12 NBA season, Wade’s minutes were cut short.
The Heat legend recently shed some light on it and how coach Spo was responsible for that decision.
“I used to play like 38-40 minutes then it got to a point where Spo had to cut my minutes a little bit. Spo took me down to like 34 minutes,” Wade said, via Time Out podcast.
“I was hot because I’m thinking, ‘Oh, you f______ with my numbers, my touches.’ Obviously, my ability to put my imprint on the game, till he showed me film,” he added.
For context, Wade averaged 37.6 minutes per game from 2003-04 to 2010-11 NBA seasons. While Wade was a terrific player and scorer during this stretch, he also battled through numerous injuries.
Erik Spoelstra had to show D-Wade proof
Being the face of the franchise, Wade’s initial reaction was full of anger. However, coach Spo calmly handled the situation by showing him the true reason behind his decision.
“He was like, ‘You’re resting for four minutes, on the court! That’s why your plus-minus looks [terrible].’ But he took me out and played me for about four less minutes because I was finding moments on the court to rest.
“… He took me out. He took my minutes down and I became even more efficient. My numbers didn’t really drop that much at all. Because I had more energy to do things I needed to do,” Wade stated.
Prior to getting his minutes cut, Wade had averaged 25.4 points per game while shooting 48.5% from the floor. But over the next four years, Wade averaged 21.0 points per game, and his shooting went up to 50.6% from the field.
Of course, Wade’s numbers dipped, but the arrival of LeBron James and Chris Bosh also played a role in it. Ultimately, Spoelstra’s decision helped Wade extend his career and win two more NBA titles as a member of the Heat.