The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Kyrie Irving, but retooled by bringing in several new players, most notably Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade.
Wade was a late addition, signing with the Cavs shortly after reaching a buyout agreement with the Chicago Bulls. LeBron James actively recruited his former Miami Heat teammate to the Cavs, and has said that he's happy to have one of his best friends and someone with championship pedigree on his team.
On the CBS Sports Flagrant Two podcast, however, former NBA player Raja Bell said that the Wade acquisition could end up backfiring. He explained his logic to hosts Bill Reiter and Reid Forgrave:
"In 2017, in my estimation, [Wade] is a 15-17 minute a night guy who can come in and get you some buckets when you need them. That's the way I view him. They do great things with the medical staff there in Cleveland. I know LeBron takes care of his body as good as anyone in the league, so if there's any place that kind of could rejuvenate him, maybe it is Cleveland.
But I just can't see him filling a role like that, and if he is hell bent on reviving a career in the twilight -- very few people are able to do that -- if he's hell bent on doing that, it could be a major distraction to what they're trying to do."
Bell's comments about Wade begin at the 30:00 mark in the podcast, which you can subscribe to in the iTunes store.
Wade is 35 years old and is entering his 15th NBA season. He was limited to 60 games last season due to various ailments, but was still able to average just under 30 minutes per game while putting up 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Wade may not be asked to play as many minutes this season, particularly after Isaiah Thomas returns to the lineup, but he might have difficulty adapting to a 15-17 minute role as Bell suggests.
