“Wasn’t Cool With None of That”: Baron Davis Was Glad When Dwyane Wade Gave Up the Point Guard Position

When people think of Dwyane Wade, they probably remember his later years alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Although the 6-foot-4 guard was still a great player then, those performances didn’t compare to his earlier years. Charlotte Hornets legend Baron Davis had to go against a rookie Wade, and it gave him nightmares.

The Miami Heat selected Wade as the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft with hopes of him becoming a key player. In the 2002-03 season, the Heat finished with a 25-57 record. After adding Wade to the roster, the team improved to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 42-40 record.

Their 2003-2004 first-round matchup was against Baron Davis and the Hornets. Davis was fresh off the best season of his career, during which he earned an All-NBA Third Team selection while averaging 22.9 points and 7.5 assists per game. Davis didn’t know much about Wade entering the series, but he ended up learning about him the hard way.

“Man, with D-Wade it was like, ‘Who the f*** is this dude?'” Davis said on Podcast P. He didn’t come to this realization at the end of the series or even halfway through. Wade earned a spot on his radar after the very first game.

With just over 11 seconds remaining, the score was tied at 79. Wade had the ball in his hands. He hit Davis with a crossover and attacked the middle. He then rose up for the floater and proceeded to win the game for the Heat. It was a storybook finish for the rookie’s first postseason game.

Davis could only tip his hat to Wade. “Great offense always beats great defense because this is an offensive league. The whole series, we could not stop him,” Davis proclaimed.

Back then, Wade was playing point guard. His athletic abilities gave Davis fits when he attempted to defend the Heat star. “He’s bigger than me, damn near faster than me. I’m glad he moved over to the two later in his career, cause I wasn’t cool with none of that,” Davis revealed.

The following season, the Heat began to run Wade more at the shooting guard position, and that eventually became his permanent position. That change was music to Davis’ ears because, afterward, the two rarely matched up positionally.

Playing shooting guard suited Wade, as he went on to win three NBA championships in that role. Unfortunately for Davis, he had to feel the wrath of Wade at the point guard position in the brief season he held those reins.