In a recent episode of “The OGs” podcast, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller were joined by former NBA player Jeff Teague.
Since his retirement, Teague has shown that he is not afraid to share his opinion on any NBA topic. Many topics were covered, from why Teague chose James Harden over Dwyane Wade to why Chris Bosh was Miami’s most important player during the Big 3 era.
A few months ago, Jeff Teague said on his podcast, Club 520, that James Harden was better than Dwyane Wade, which rightly upset Miami Heat fans. Teague doubled down on his claim with Haslem and Miller.
“Harden is the No. 3 shooter of all time. I was just watching his game against him, competing against him. James Harden when he was alone in Houston, my brother, they went to the Western Conference Finals every year. They were doing all that and he was incredible, averaging 35-8-8. He was out of control!” » said Teague. “I’m not trying to disrespect D-Wade, but before Bron went, Miami was competing with us, the Hawks. Then Bron came along and it’s a different stratosphere.”
I don’t understand what Teague is talking about in this debate. Wade was the best player in the 2006 Finals along with Shaquille O’Neal and Dirk Nowitzki. After 2006, look at those Miami teams: not a lot of talent. From old Jermaine O’Neal to young Michael Beasley, from 2008 to 2010, Wade’s second-best player on the team was Udonis Haslem. We all love Haslem, but he can’t be your second best player.
Before the arrival of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Wade had still allowed his team to reach the playoffs. There were first-round eliminations, but Wade took his teams to two fifth seeds in consecutive years. Once Harden arrived in Houston, he undoubtedly put up numbers with two conference finals that could have resulted in a Finals appearance, but Houston and Harden fell short against the Golden State Warriors. Harden’s teammates during that stretch included Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
Teague’s comment shows that we forget the entire history of a player’s career, not to mention the fact that Teague doesn’t care about defense – because Wade is a million times better defender than Harden – or championships .
The group was talking about what sacrifice looks like and Chris Bosh’s name came up. Saying you’re going to sacrifice sounds good, but doing it is completely different, as former NBA players have discussed.
“Everyone thinks our most important player was Bron. Our most important player, not our best player, was CB (Chris Bosh). Because if Bron went down, you could bring in D-Wade, and that wouldn’t isn’t the same player, but you’ll get similar results,” Haslem said. “We didn’t have another CB. If (Bosh) went down and got hurt, we didn’t have another one.”
Mike Miller added: “The way Spo started using him too, made him unguardable. He was shooting threes. That man was a cold brother!
I remember being nervous when Bosh got injured during the Indiana Pacers series in 2012, thinking Miami had no answer for guys like Roy Hibbert and David West with Bosh sidelined.
Years later, it shows that guys like Haslem and Miller still admire what Bosh did for those Miami teams. Bosh gave up his offensive numbers to win championships. His most memorable play was a rebound and assist in the 2013 Finals.
The national media loved to pick on Bosh during his years in Miami, but Heat fans know how important he was to two championship teams.
