Cavs’ Dean Wade hints at need for knee surgery

Wade at first missed time due to personal reasons. When he returned to action with Cleveland he suffered the injury in mid-March while the team was in Houston, right when he was preparing to rejoin the lineup and his team’s playoff pursuit.

Soon after one game turned into multiple and there was a lot of uncertainty about when or if Wade would return to the floor. It only became even more unclear when the Cavs ruled Wade out for the first round, further casting doubt if he’d ever return to action.

So, after a long recovery period and uncertainty around his return, Wade checking in for the first time in two months was a little sweet – especially when the fans showed him a little extra love.

“I’ve never got a standing ovation before,” Wade said. “That was kind of cool. It was crazy.”

Twenty-four seconds later, his first time touching a basketball for the Cavs in nearly two months, Wade drilled a three-pointer that caused the ovation to turn into a raucous cheer.

“When he threw it back to me, it was just basketball again,” Wade said. “I just kind of stepped into it and shot it. I thought I’d left it short and luckily it went in. The place was going crazy.”

Wade logged 17 minutes in Game 3’s loss to the Celtics, chipping in five points, three rebounds, three assists and one block. It was a small sample of what Wade is expected to give most nights. But, it’s a remarkable step forward after everything he endured while sidelined.

“Felt great,” Wade said when asked what it was like to finally be back in the lineup. “A little winded. But other than that, I felt good. A little sore. But we were expecting it. My biggest thing was just to give space. I didn’t know how many times I was going to touch the ball or what was going to go on. But I knew if I was out there, I could at least be a semi-threat.”

What he could give Cleveland on the floor was why Wade worked so hard to get back and why he’s held off surgery for the time being, especially when he knows his team needs him with how thin the rotation has become.

“Just being here every day, being with the guys, I just don’t want to let those guys down,” Wade said. “I knew I could bring a lot of energy to the game and you see those guys out there just like Donovan, everyone, D.G., those guys are just burning themselves out.

“I just want to be the extra body out there, give them a little break and really go out there and just play hard. That’s what kept me going.”