NBA Weekly: Dwyane Wade Playing Like An MVP, Detroit Pistons, & More

Dwyane Wade: D-Wade has been getting his beast on in the past 12 games for the Heat. Wade is averaging 36.1 points, 10.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks a game, while shooting 56.3% from the floor, 43.1% from three, and 86.3% from the line. Those are some ridiculous numbers and have me wondering if maybe D-Wade should be the MVP over Lebron this year. I don't think you can wrong with either one, but one thing to keep in mind is that the Heat are just 7-5 in their last 12 games, so while Wade has certainly been impressive it's not translating into more wins for the Heat. Of course, without Wade putting up the monster numbers, the Heat would probably lost 3 or 4 of the 7 games they won. If D-Wade keeps playing like this for the rest of the season, then I would have to strongly consider him for the award. However, for you stat heads out there, Wade currently trails Lebron in Player Efficiency Rating and both Lebron and Chris Paul in Win Shares.

Detroit Pistons: Just when the Pistons looked like they were going to be left for dead after losing 8 games in a row they have fone 5-2 in their last 7 games since losing Allen Iverson to a back injury. In those 5 wins, they have beaten Orlando twice, Boston, and Denver. As much as I hate to say it because I love AI, it's pretty clear that this Pistons team is better off with Rip Hamilton in the starting lineup and Allen Iverson either on the bench or not playing. Rip has been averaging 25.0 points a game on 49.6% shooting from the floor during that 7 game stretch. I would love to see what Iverson can bring to a team off the bench and if it would make him a more efficient player overall. No matter what happens with Iverson, one thing is clear though: the Pistons are a completely different team with Rip Hamilton in the starting lineup.

Other NBA News:

- The Celtics are banged up with Rajon Rondo now sitting out with an ankle injury and joining KG on the sidelines. The Celtics are more concerned with them being healthy for the playoffs, then trying to get them back to win enough games to finish first in the East. It's looking more likely that the Cavs will have the top seed in the East.

- Rasual Butler has quietly been having a strong season for the Hornets and has played a big part in their recent resurgence. Butler averaged 14.3 points a game in February, but is now averaging 19.2 in the month of March, while the Hornets have gone 5-1. Butler has definitely stepped his game up and helped fill a void for the struggling and injured Peja Stojakovic.

More: NBA Weekly