MIAMI — One star from the much-heralded 2003 draft has returned. Another is taking a seat. Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade returned for Friday night’s game against the New York Knicks at AmericanAirlines Arena after missing six games due to a sprained right ankle. However, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony sat out for what will be the first of at least two games in order to rest various injuries that have landed him in a horrid shooting slump. Heat forward LeBron James had said earlier in the day that Wade was “very close’’ to returning. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra before the game called Wade "healthy" and "ready go" and said he would start. Heat forward LeBron James had said after the morning shootaround that Wade was "very close" to returning. But James, who is also from the 2003 draft class, was disappointed to not have the chance to face his good friend Anthony, who has been battling injuries to his left wrist and right thumb and has a sprained right ankle. "Well, of course, as a brother to (him), I definitely feel for him," James said. "You hope things will turn around for him with the injuries, the wrist, thumb, ankle. You definitely don't want to see those injuries and his team is struggling as well. I think he'll figure it out. I think his team will figure it out. I hope they don't do it against us." The Knicks, who had high preseason expectations after center Tyson Chandler arrived to join Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire on the front line, are just 7-11. Anthony's health hasn't helped. In his past six games, Anthony has shot just 40-of-126, an anemic 31.7 percent. He had one point while shooting 0-of-7 last Tuesday at Charlotte — though the Knicks won that game, 111-78. "At the end of the day, I have to be smart," Anthony said. "I was trying to be a superhero. I was trying to hide (the injuries) and fight it but it was only getting worse." So it was decided Anthony would sit out against the Heat and again Saturday at Houston. Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni is hopeful he will be able to return Tuesday against Detroit. "He just can't perform the way he needs, the way he wants to," said D'Antoni, who also said that guard Baron Davis, who is working his way back from a back injury, is still not quite ready to play. "The medical staff decided it best to take the weekend off. ... He can't make a shot and he's playing through a lot of pain. It's not going away, and it just kept getting worse. We got to get him 100 percent. If not, it's crazy to keep going." Meanwhile, Wade is finally ready to return after being hurt in the fourth quarter of Miami's Jan. 13 loss in Denver. He has been going through workouts. "In the last week or 10 days, he’s really been able to step up his conditioning and do a lot of court work," said Spoelstra, whose team went 5-1 with Wade out due to the ankle injury. "So he’s not coming back early. He’s not rushing it. We were very, very patient with this."
Forward Chris Bosh did average 26.7 points for the Heat in the six games Wade was out. And, yes, Bosh is another member of that 2003 draft class.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson.
