Who's next in the new Jordan search?

By Ben Miller

Jun 1, 2005, 12:00 AM

I am going to make this clear and simple for everyone: Dwyane Wade is the next Michael Jordan. After seeing his performance this season -- averaging 24 points and almost seven assists per game -- and how he has responded to the pressure of the postseason, it is obvious. Wade will win numerous MVPs, he will win six NBA championships and he will go down in history as one of the greatest to ever play the game. All right, well maybe not. In reality, Wade is just another young superstar who is having early success in a game where players are rookies at 18-years-old and all-stars when they hit 20. Playing along side Shaquille O'Neal, the former Marquette star is playing in the Eastern Conference finals, which is why we keep hearing the Jordan comparisons. The way that the playoffs are set up in the NBA, there is a great deal of dead time inbetween games. For that reason, the media needs something to talk about, and what better to talk about than to compare an emerging superstar with the best to ever play the game? Right now, Wade's the only one left playing. However, Wade is not the first player to be declared the mythical "Next." Before him, there was Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and even Lebron James hears his name in that conversation along with Wade. It is a common theme to look to the past to place the players of the present. While Bryant, Carter and McGrady have all been great players over their careers so far, they still pale in comparison to No. 23. It seems rather ridiculous to say that a player that has been in the league for a few years is the next all-time great for a number of reasons. First, after seeing Wade or James play for the last two seasons, we can tell that they are special players. They have done things as rookies and sophomores that some stars don't do in the sixth and seventh seasons in the league. But is two years really enough time to see someone play and write them into the hall of fame? I don't think so. Secondly, in sports, nothing is ever a guarantee. A player whose star shines brightest one year may supernova the next. Looking down rosters of years past, you can see graveyards of players from various sports who were supposed to be great but never got there. Penny Hardaway, Nomar Garciaparra or Ken Griffey Jr. were great for a while, but could have done so much more. It's just too easy to put the tag on players by unfairly jumping to conclusions. Finally, why can't Wade just be the next -- and only -- Dwayne Wade? He is a distinct player who does various things well, but not in the way Jordan did. While his 24 points per game are impressive as a second-year player, Jordan scored at a 37-point-per-game clip when he was 23. In that category, they aren't even in the same ballpark. Sure, Wade may end up being the next great basketball player before his career is all said and done, but let's watch him play a few more years before we start hailing him as an all-time great. Expect to keep hearing about the quest for the next MJ about every hot, young player who enters the league. We won't know for sure whether Wade is the next Jordan or not until we find ourselves looking for the next Wade in 15 years. One thing to look forward to- -- when Gonzaga's Adam Morrison enters the draft in the next couple years. We won't hear any Jordan comparisons, but Larry Bird's name might come up every now and then.

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