Coming into these Olympic games, it seemed as if Dwyane Wade was only known for being the pitchman for a Chinese sex pill (without his permission). Oh, and a guy who once won an NBA title or something. Now, the Chinese are chanting his name when he walks by: “Wade-a! Wade-a!” And it’s not because of his prowess in the bedroom. Or maybe it is, who knows.
Point being, on an Olympic team that features the greatest basketball players on the planet, D-Wade has stood out as its best player so far. A invigorated Wade has been playing out of his mind during the Beijing games, leading Team USA in scoring and setting the pace for its all around atomic-wedgie inducing dominance over the other nations’ teams. On Thursday, the United States avenged their embarrassing 2006 World Championship semifinal loss to Greece by handing the Greeks a 92-69 Zeus-like beat down of Homeric proportions. Wade, who came off the bench, harassed and manhandled the Greeks with stifling defense, getting six steals and scoring 17 points. Thus far in these Olympics, Wade has been the Redeem Team’s MVP.
Best of all, it appears the D-Wade of the 2006 NBA Finals is back. Except the 2008 version is walking around with a copious amount of muscle mass and looking more driven than ever. No doubt Wade is hungry to prove those who have written him off wrong. The man needs no pills to display his dexterity on the basketball court (or in the bedroom for that matter).
-- Chris Joseph
