Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade doubtful against Portland Trail Blazers on Monday
By Brad Rowland
Miami Heat All-Star Dwyane Wade has missed 18 games this season due a variety of maladies (copyright: Gregg Popovich), but it appears as if “Flash” will miss the team’s match-up with the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night for a new reason.
ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh reports that Wade will likely sit to an ankle injury that he suffered in a 5-point loss to Boston on Wednesday, but with Wade, it is always curious to know how hurt he actually is. The 32-year-old shooting guard has famously sat out back-to-backs and random nights, mostly for preservation purposes, but because of the nature of this “new” injury, the curiosity rises a bit.
Still, the Heat are in great shape to cruise into a top-two seed in the Eastern Conference, and there is zero incentive for Miami to rush him back. LeBron James is enough to carry the Heat on a nightly basis until Wade returns, and as long as he is back 100% for the playoff run, there is virtually nothing to see here. Stay tuned to see how long Wade is out, but unless it’s a long-term setback, Heat fans can breathe easily.