Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade battled through knee injuries in 2007 to sustain his elite play until the issues resurfaced in a major way throughout the 2013 playoffs. After undergoing Ossatron shock wave treatment to his knee in July, Wade is finally ready to return to basketball activities, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida SunSentinel.
NBA news roundup: Dwyane Wade resumes basketball activity after knee treatment, Blake Griffin ready to step up for Clippers
A three-time NBA champion continues dealing with knee issues, Blake Griffin preps to expand his game and more from around the league Thursday.
USA TODAY Sports
Doctors previously used Ossatron treatment on Wade’s knee to alleviate arthritis pain linked to jumper’s knee, a common ailment for athletic people.
The procedure is non-surgical, taking just 30 minute to complete. Results vary, and a second treatment can be administered if patients do not feel relief by the 12th week. Twelve weeks out from now would put a second treatment in early November, near the start of the 2013-2014 season.
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Wade suffered multiple bone bruises to his right knee at the end of the regular season, which pressured him to consider asking Heat coach Erik Spoelstra for limited minutes. In Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Wade's left knee collided with Manu Ginobili, forcing him to have the knee drained and eight hours of therapy prior to Game 7.
Blake Griffin ready to step up
Blake's mid-range issues
Blake Griffin's field goal percentage in the mid-range was a lowly 35 percent in 2012-2013. He'll have to significantly improve to force defenses to respect his in-between game. The Los Angeles Clippers had a momentous summer filled with free agent signings, trades, the acquisition of Doc Rivers and the re-signing of superstar point guard Chris Paul. Paul will look to lead the Clippers after a disappointing first-round playoff exit, but has made it clear he believes Blake Griffin will be the key for the team's success.
Griffin agrees and stepped up to address Paul’s thoughts in an interview with ESPN Los Angeles:
“But in my mind, this is the year I need to step into that role and really help him shoulder that load. I’ll be right there with him at the end of games, being the guy that he can always count on.”
The three-time All-Star has been working on his mid-range game this summer, expecting more looks from around the elbow and a green light from Rivers to have a “shooter’s” mentality. Griffin averaged 18.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in his third season in the NBA.
Marcin Gortat returns to Poland after foot tests
Polish big man Marcin Gortat is headed back to his native country to play for the national team after visiting America to have his foot examined. Gortat sprained his foot in March and missed the remainder of the season. When he played with Poland in July, he was still experiencing pain.
There were no updates on the status of his foot following the evaluation, though Gortat is expected to play for Poland as teams prepare for the FIBA EuroBasket championship, which tips off in September.
Poland will play a host of exhibition games prior to the championships beginning group play. Other teams in Poland’s group include Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Georgia.
Boston Celtics send Fab Melo to Memphis Grizzlies
The Boston Celtics traded Fab Melo and cash considerations to the Memphis Grizzlies for Donte Greene. Melo was drafted by Boston with the 22nd pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, but he'll be joining a new team this year after an underwhelming rookie campaign.
Boston is expected to waive Greene, who is on a fully non-guaranteed contract, but can wait until after training camp to release the 25-year-old forward. The Celtics can dodge the luxury tax if Greene is waived.
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Melo joins a frontcourt featuring 2013 Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol as well as Kosta Koufos, also acquired via trade this summer by Memphis.
Too soon to laud Kawhi Leonard
The San Antonio Spurs found a gem when they drafted Kawhi Leonard with the 15th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Leonard averaged 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in the NBA Finals and made a lasting impression on the league's biggest stage.
Pounding The Rock’s Aaronstampler isn’t prepared to jump on the Leonard hype train, though, and produced a very convincing as to why it’s too soon to consider Leonard a star in the NBA:
Yeah, this is the troublesome part. Rebounding rate: Down. Steal rate: Down. Turnover rate: Up. Assist rate up, but not to a level I'm at all happy with. Most disconcerting of all, Leonard's PER actually went down his second season, and it's not like the 16.6 he posted as a rookie was world-beating. I mean, we're talking about a fellow who has a worse career PER than DeJuan Blair, for all that stat is worth.
Stampler goes into detail combing Leonard’s stats over his first two season with San Antonio, explaining why he believes Leonard is receiving acclaim from around the league. He concludes that it’d be unreasonable to put faith into Leonard as the future “face of the franchise.”
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