Dwyane Wade Is Hurting Because Of The Load He's Carrying

If you've watched a lot of Miami Heat games this year, you've probably noticed that Dwyane Wade seems, well, uninspired.  Last year, he electrified the league with dazzling athletic plays and crazy buzzer beaters, all while leading the overachieving Heat to 43 wins.  Any other year, he wins the MVP.

This year?  Miami is still over .500 with the same crew, but Wade just hasn't been Wade.  His numbers are down.  His shot selection is not good.  His team has suffered several bad losses and is barely .500 at home.  And now, via Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald, we learn he's been nursing some nagging injuries.

The back spasms came from nowhere and have had a deep impact on his mobility. The sore right shooting wrist does impact his ability to control the ball, follow through on his release and finish strong at the rim. The knees and legs do ache at times. And that's all on top of the general burden he has to carry with this middle-of-the-pack team, one that's heavy enough alone to carry when he's healthy.

The rest of the article, though, reads like the real problem is the load Wade is carrying, between being on an average team in an obvious holding pattern until 2010 and his own free agent status.  Does one mental state play a role in a player's physical ailments?  The answer is probably yes, and it's something we often overlook when thinking about injuries and player performance.  Dwyane Wade's "plight," if you want to call it that, proves that point.