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Wade had left shoulder nerve damage, is playing through soreness
ESPN.com news services
Updated: January 8, 2008, 1:56 PM ET
The truth about Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade's left shoulder may finally be coming out. On Monday, Miami Heat coach Pat Riley said he was concerned about Wade's health, and revealed additional, previously unknown details about the shoulder injury.
Riley said Wade's shoulder, injured in a Feb. 21 game against the Houston Rockets, was dislocated to an extreme extent, and that Wade also suffered serious nerve damage. Wade underwent surgery to repair the shoulder in May, and had surgery to fix the cartilage in his left knee on the same day.
"I don't think anybody realizes how bad this was." Riley told reporters in South Florida. "It was a reverse dislocation, which doesn't happen that much. And he had nerve damage."
Now, Wade's playing with soreness from both the shoulder and knee, as well as a bruised right shoulder, an injured shin and a jammed finger.
"I'm really, really concerned about it -- those are compensation injuries," said Riley, who has tried to limit Wade's minutes. "There have actually been some games when it was actually painful for me to watch him. He'd play something like 40 minutes and he was barely able to move [afterward]."
Wade sat out Friday at Dallas because of the shoulder pain, but did come off the bench to play in Memphis. He's not waiting for the soreness to go away, however. "I've just reached a point where I understand this is just how my body is going to feel," Wade said. "It's just how it's going to be, so you just got to toughen up mentally and go forward.
"We've still got some guys healthy," Wade said, "so I guess everything ain't gone wrong."
