The Greatest Dwyane Wade Rookie Card Ever?

Not since the draft of Michael Jordan--which produced future hall of famers: Charles Wade Barkley, Chris Mullin, and Hakem Olajuwon--has there been an NBA draft class with so much talent. The 2003 draft class has already paid dividends with such notable stars and names as LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, T.J. Ford, David West, 05'-06' Most Improved Player Boris Diaw, Leandro "The Brazilian Blur" Barbosa, Josh Howard, Kyle Korver, and Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr.

With these developing talents and the full support of media and mass marketing, these players have become household names with the likes of LeBron, Melo, and Dwyane leading the way.

Getting Down to Business

According to Beckett Basketball Magazine, the card on the top of every Wade collector's wish list is the 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection #74 Dwyane Wade (JSY AU RC) (Pictured above). I have seen this card's value range from 3000 USD to 6000 USD on eBay, and that is already supposed to be a good deal as if you were to open these very, very pricey Exquisite Collection packs, you will be very, very, poor before you would be able to pull anything substantial--and realistically speaking, it may not be the Dwyane Wade card which you were hopping for.

That's what everyone wants.

But what about this?

2003-2004 Dwyane Wade Fleer Authentix Jersey Authentix Autograph (AJADW) numbered to 100. Unlike the Exquisite Collection which patch features your typical red, black, white, or combination of the three swatches; this particular card distinguishing quality is a Nike Swoosh Logo from the manufacturer's patch on each NBA jersey during that time. This would make it a relative 1 of 1 since Nike gave way to Reebok as the official outfitter of the NBA a year later.

Now which one would be more valuable?

A card that is atrociously expensive to begin with or one that: a) has a patch of a manufacturer that was the official apparel endorser of the NBA in 2003-2004, b) the patch has most of the Nike Logo on it (I've only seen two so far and the other card only features the tip of the tail of the Nike Swoosh), c)this is one of the last basketball card sets that Fleer produced prior to filing for bankruptcy in 2005, and d) its autographed.

Can you say, the greatest ever?

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NBA Live 2008's Dynasty Mode (Part V) – The NBA Store and their Shoes

Fifth of a series of articles on my first ever Dynasty Mode Season.

Game 13: Suns @ Warriors (156-103)

Quarterback by best player Luke Ridnour (14 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, and 6 steals) and a 52-point blitz in the second quarter, the Suns never looked back and put the Warriors to bed. Final score: 156-103.

Dwight Howard led all Suns players with 29 points and two blocks. While Dwyane Wade (27 points, 7 assists, 5 steals), Chris Bosh (20 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals), and David Lee (10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) also joined the party.

Warriors Joe Johnson finished with 39 points in this losing effort. Rookie Aaron Brooks (21 points, 15 assists, 2 steals), Andrei Kirilenko (15 markers), Troy Murphy (12 points, 11 caroms), and Stromile Swift (4 blocks) also made significant contributions for the Bay Area Warriors.

Game 14: Rockets @ Suns (104-162)

Chris Bosh is judged the best player after the game (and to think I was worried that his performance was “dipping”) with a smooth stat line: 38 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Dwight Howard complements Bosh with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 block shots. While Dwyane Wade finishes with 20 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals.

I guess they are my “Big Three.”

As for the Rockets, they were lead again by the duo of Gilbert Arenas (who is as unstoppable as Kobe Bryant…hey, he is after all NBA Live 2008’s endorser) (42 big ones and 15 dimes) and rookie Kevin Durant (23 points). Other notables were Shawne Williams (19 points and 11 boards – guess the Pacers are wishing right now that they could get that kind of production out of him in real life!) and the immortal Alonzo Mourning (4 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks) who I believe should have retired when the Heat won their ring in 06’

By the way…three more Adidas pairs and I would have cleaned out the NBA Store. Hey NY! It’s time to restock! Hehehe….

Game 15: Magic @ Suns (126-161)

Did you know that the Florida based Magic and Heat as well as the Jazz are the only three teams whose names don’t end with the letter “S”? (e.g., Bulls, Lakers, Clippers, Suns, etc.) But you probably knew that already right?

Now to the game. The Magic’s quartet of guards: Manu Ginobili (34 points; 3 of 7 from downtown); Bobby Simmons (29 points; 5 of 8 from beyond the arc); and Kirk Hinrich (23 points, 14 assists, and two three’s from the top of the key) kept things interesting until my bench (usually Watson, Redick, Korver, Lee, and Varejao at Center) came in and brought our lead into the twenty’s.

Led by the unofficial Western Conference player of the month (November) Chris Bosh (who leads the league in points, FG%, offensive rebounds, rebounds per game, steals per game, and blocks per game…*whew*) finished as the contest’s best player with 44 points, 8 caroms, 7 steals, and 2 block shots. Fellow twin tower Dwight Howard came up with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals. While D.Wade chipped in 20 points and 6 steals.

Oh yeah, I also finally purchased all the stuff at the NBA Store. Maybe EA should have put in more “unlockables.” What am I going to do with the Game Points now? A minimum per game for me is about 250 points (if the entire 12-man roster scores at least a point).

Well, that’s it for now. Happy weekend to all and I hope you are enjoying the ride so far.