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Boston Celtics: Does Wade Decision Change Anything?

By Joshua Bateman

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 19: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers are seen after the game on March 19, 2016 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 19: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers are seen after the game on March 19, 2016 at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Dwayne Wade is joining the Cleveland Cavaliers, but what does that mean for the Boston Celtics?

The Cleveland Cavaliers capped off the most unbelievable offseason in the history of the NBA by reuniting LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The two of them are surely excited to once again fight together for a championship, but it is unclear exactly how this may impact the Boston Celtics.

It would be a complete shocker if it was announced that Wade would not be starting, so the biggest impact is this would move J.R Smith to the bench, and take away minutes from their best outside shooter Kyle Korver.

For the regular season and seeding, this really should not change much. Chances are Wade will not play the entire regular season, and Tyronn Lue will have to pay close attention to managing his minutes, meaning his greatest impact will only come in the playoffs.

Then when you get to the playoffs it is still unclear as to whether or not this will drastically change the chances the Celtics have. On one hand, Wade is one of the most established payers in the NBA, and he has proven that he will get it done on the biggest stage time and time again.

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On the other hand, Wade is clearly out of his prime, and could end up being a liability on both ends for the Cavaliers.

Defensively, it will not make a significant difference. It is not as if this is some lock down defender. Even if the Celtics will be able to attack a slower Wade, they would be able to do the same with any player in that position. Wade’s defense really should make no difference in how the Celtics approach their offense against them.

Offense is obviously where Wade will have the biggest impact, and could cause problems for the Celtics. The biggest question is how much the Celtics will respect him off the ball. Wade has struggled to shoot the three pointer throughout his career, so he may not bring the same kind of floor spacing that smith or Korver would.

That being said, when he attacks he knows exactly what he needs to do to be comfortable, and if the Celtics think they will be ale to help off him, he will find a way to punish them, even if it is not from the three point line.

Wade is also another secure option that James can defer to if he is getting too much attention. He may not be able to maintain any kind of volume, but he will certainly be able to pick his spots and go out and get a bucket if James is too overwhelmed, and he will do that much better than either Korver or Smith in that respect.

On offense, Wade may not be as productive as the other options and may not put up the same kind of efficiency numbers, but he will impact the opposing defense more than anyone else, and whether or not he reclaims his clutch days, which were as clutch as we have ever seen in the NBA, will determine how much he hurts the chances of the Celtics.

Another way Wade can have an impact is in the mentality of James. After Losing Kyrie Irving, and all the speculation about going to the Lakers, James finally gets some stability, and a little bit extra motivation to once again win in Cleveland.

Wade can change the mindset of James, and if he is a calming presence that allows James to be under more control then he could do even more damage to the Celtics.

Of course, speculating on the mental part of the game is always a fragile task, but these guys are extremely close and they know how each other play. With a bunch of new faces on the Cavaliers, having Wade will surely ease a lot of things that may be weighing on James’ mind.

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It is hard to tell if Wade will drastically change the chances the Celtics have of getting to the finals. One thing we do know for sure is that Wade being there is going to make things a lot more interesting in the east.

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