2017 NBA GO: Why it’s Still 50/50 for the Cavs even with D-Wade?

It’s been a couple of days already and surely, you must have heard of Dwyane Wade reuniting with LeBron James in Cleveland. And so, what gives?

The obvious comment fans and aficionados would say is -- ‘Super Team’! And indeed. Then again, even without Wade, the Cavs were already a super team (that's even during Kyrie’s time what with LeBron and Kevin Love forming their 'Big 3') especially now with Isaiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Jae Crowder and Jeff Green.

Problem is -- they are just too accommodating of LeBron’s on-court decisions (and off-the-court meddling) that they forgot they are a team. Hey, the Golden State Warriors are not like that! They don’t wait for a Kevin Durant or a Stephen Curry to tell them what to do -- they just play to their strengths.

And so, even with IT and D-Wade, if LeBron is just going to dictate Cleveland’s plays, they could still fall short. And don’t tell us about LeBron’s Miami run. Why? One, the East is just a weak conference so it’s easy for a LeBron-led team to make the Finals. Two, if not for Ray Allen’s shot, Miami could have lost to San Antonio in 2013. And three, in 2012, OKC was still a young group that Miami could just get them rattled on the big stage.

Now, how old is D-Wade? 35? Is he still the D-Wade that could easily fly or get back on defense? Wasn’t he a little slow and heavy already with the Bulls? And how’s his knees?

This is why even with D-Wade, it doesn’t really matter, the Cavaliers are still 50/50 even against a Kyrie Irving-led Boston Celtics -- who are young, healthy and eager to prove their worth. If they absorb their roles, chemistry won’t take a full season. Thus, team identity is what Brad Stevens should just confidently work on.

And that’s just Wade. What about Isaiah Thomas’ hips? Well, we heard he’d be ready by January 2018, that's good. Still, if he could indeed be healthy by that time and without deteriorating, don’t you think his desire to score 30 points a game or to prove himself out there wouldn’t affect the Cavaliers’ play?

What would happen to D-Wade then? Especially Kevin Love who’s been like promised of a greater role now that Kyrie is gone? Wouldn’t Love just sink further into nuisance then? What about Smith and Korver, don’t you think their talents could just rust with the entry of Wade? Look what happened to Channing Frye. After all, these guys don’t have the hops of a Jamal Crawford or the versatility of a Manu Ginobili.

At the end of the day, you can get all the named players but if you don’t know how to use them -- it’s useless. Again and just as we have always said, the problem of Cleveland is ‘trusting their players’ other than LeBron (and Kyrie when he was still with them).

Say what you?