BEIJING — Tayshaun Prince has never held back in his assessment of Dwyane Wade.
During the 2006 Eastern Conference finals, it was Prince who openly admitted he couldn't defend the Heat's explosive shooting guard, pleading publicly with his team to devise a new defensive plan.
Given how many battles Wade and Prince have had before and since those conference finals, Prince might be better qualified than anyone else on Team USA to assess the 2008 Wade.
"The way he's playing right now is the way he was playing in '06 against us and against Dallas," the Pistons forward said after Team USA's first practice in Beijing. "He's obviously fearless going to the rim. He's able to take body contact and finish. He's looking great. He really has a hunger in him right now."
Wade has more than hunger in him at the moment. Sure he's determined to exorcise the ghosts of a 2007-08 season gone horribly wrong, and yes he wants to prove he can successfully exist without Shaquille O'Neal by his side. But it's more than mere resolve that has Wade returning to his peak form.
It's also his legs. His legs are as strong as they've ever been. Stronger even. That's what his trainer, Tim Grover, told him before he left to train with Team USA. And it's what he kept telling himself after he made explosive move after explosive move during the Olympic team's five-game exhibition.
"There have been times that I've jumped this summer and it's as high as I've ever been," Wade said. "I haven't even planned to do a lot of those things. The one lob windmill (dunk), I didn't even plan to do it, it just happened in mid-air."
Wade said his primary goal this offseason was to strengthen his legs so his knees won't need to work as hard as they have been. It was his critical error while rehabbing his knee and shoulder last offseason. Wade said he spent so much time worrying about his left shoulder, which he dislocated in February 2007 and had surgically repaired three months later, and didn't pay enough attention to strengthening the muscles around his ailing knee.
"In the weight room, I've been doing more stuff on my legs, more than the upper body," he said.
With his explosiveness reaching unfamiliar levels, Wade has been able to rediscover his entire game faster than even he expected. And it's complete with a consistent jumper from as far as international three-point range (20 feet, 6 inches).
Wade, who normally needs several games to find a rhythm on his jump shot, says the instant shooting success came from the days when he couldn't run or jump and focused strictly on his stroke. The result has been 72 percent shooting from the field, including 5 of 7 from three-point range during Team USA's exhibitions.
"Actually, I've turned down some shots that guys on the team are like, 'Shoot it,' because I've been shooting the ball so well they want me to shoot more," Wade said.
All of a sudden Wade, whose star had taken a significant fall since winning Finals MVP in 2006, has become the go-to player on the most talented team in the world.
If Prince says that about Wade, it must be true.
"What's good for us is when we get the ball out, just to kick it up to him on the wing, because nobody can stop him from getting to where he wants to go in the paint," Prince said. "I think he's the best at that on this team, as far as just throwing it up to him and letting him play."