Rodney Carney‘s name has been swirling on my NBA radar ever since he joined Miami for training camp earlier this month. Carney’s addition to the Heat mostly brings back memories about his college career at Memphis, when he jumped over more things than Evil Knievel. He’s been mostly forgettable in his stints in the NBA — and is fighting for a roster spot as we speak — but one moment does leap to the mind. Yes, it’s the time he and Dwayne Wade had a “any dunk on me I can do better on you” moment in Philadelphia.
The moment, from a game in February 2008, is so fantastic to reminisce about because Wade was in the middle of a relative slump. He was two years removed from his first NBA title and one year before he would go on a full-season scoring rampage, averaging an NBA-best 30.2 points while averaging career highs in steals and assists per game. If there a soft underbelly to strike at, this was the time. Carney, meanwhile, had nothing to lose. He had to have known Wade would go out of his way to strike back after being demolished by Carney on the break, but Wade’s staredown, while predictable, is classic nonetheless. He came at the king and didn’t miss, but Wade held the trump card.
What do you think?
Follow Andrew on Twitter at @AndrewGreif.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
