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Dwyane Wade's season is over. |
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Sunday, 09 March 2008 00:00 |
Heat coach Pat Riley said at Monday's shootaround that the team has decided not to continue to walk on eggshells when it comes to the guard's tender left knee.
Instead, Riley said Wade would undergo a specialized treatment on the knee that would keep him off the court for 30 days.
The Heat's season ends April 16.
Riley hinted Saturday in Atlanta that he felt it no longer prudent to take a game-by-game approach with Wade, who has struggled to recover from surgery last May.
The fifth-year shooting guard was held out of Friday's home game against the Warriors, with the Heat dropping to 1-9 in his absence this season. Wade then regrouped to score 24 points in Saturday's 97-94 loss in Atlanta.
Wade had played in 14 consecutive games before sitting out against Golden State. Over that 14-game run, he had scored 26 or more points seven times.
He closed the season averaging 24.6 points on .469 shooting and 6.9 assists in 51 games. Last season, Wade averaged 27.4 points on .491 shooting and 7.5 assists also in 51 games.
Wade had appeared in at least 75 games in each of the previous two seasons.
Despite now missing 31 games each of the last two seasons, Wade has said he plans to play in this summer's Beijing Olympics, a grueling two-month schedule that includes more than a month in China.
Wade has been scheduled for Ossatron treatments, a form of shockwave therapy. He said last week he does not plan to undergo additional surgery on the knee. |
