We all know the controversy by now that’s been going on between Dwyane Wade and James Harden, which was all started by Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant said that James Harden should replace Dwyane Wade when asked who should Harden replace in the top 10. Wade then responded back with a little note saying “Kevin Durant said James Harden should replace me in the Top 10…*Note to self Make him respect your place in history…..again…” However, was Kevin Durant wrong? Or is his incite spot-on? Take a moment and look at these quick statistics as we get into further detail along the way.
Trophies and honors: Dwyane Wade, a man with 3 championship rings and a finals MVP, seems to look better at first glance comparing to James Harden, a man with no championship rings, and no MVPs. These men are both Olympian gold medalists so it’s safe to say that they are both outstanding players. It just comes down to who is going to be better in this upcoming 2013-2014 season.
Wade has already proved his place in history and really doesn’t have anything left to prove to anyone. Wade is a 3 time champion, 1 time NBA Finals MVP, a 9 time All-Star, a 1 time All-Star MVP, A Scoring Leader, 2 time All-NBA First Team, 3 time All-NBA Second Team, a 3 time All-NBA Third Team, 3 time All-NBA Defensive Second Team, the All-Rookie First Team, and Wade is also an Olympic Gold Medalist.
As Harden’s honors are being compared to Dwyane Wade’s, remember that James Harden has only been in the league since 2009 while Wade has been in the league since 2003. Harden was named Sixth Man of the Year, a recent All-Star and an Olympic Gold Medalist. Harden still has more to prove to earn a spot better than Dwyane Wade’s but as earlier said, only time will tell.
Health: Dwyane Wade has knees that could give out on him any time, and often do, but the fact of the matter is that he is still able to play through all of his injuries. However, James Harden hasn’t been in the league long enough to experience any of the injuries Wade has gone through and Harden probably never will experience that many injuries.
Supporting Cast: Harden has just gained Dwight Howard on his team which brought him a little help considering Wade having access to LBJ. James is a bigger factor than Howard without question but maybe that means Wade makes his team better while we are still waiting to see what Harden does with his new teammate. The truly great players have the ability to make their teammates better. The new dynamic with Superman in town could change things. Remember, Wade has been playing on a team where is clearly not the go-to guy – that makes a difference!
Both players are excellent – beyond excellent. Dwyane Wade is an outstanding player who has already proven his place in history. Harden has not had the same path, and therefore has plenty more to show us. As of this moment, Harden has not had the measurable success as Wade. It’s not to say that he won’t mind you, just that his best is yet to come.
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