"Let's reimagine it"- Dwyane Wade says the NBA needs to have separate MVP awards for Eastern and Western conferences

Dwyane Wade recently shared his opinion on the NBA's introduction of new awards for players. Last season, the respective Conference Finals MVP awards were unveiled and were given to the best-performing player in the series. This year, the Clutch Player of the Year award joined the fray.

With all that in mind, Dwyane Wade believes that the league should also consider having two MVP awards, one for each respective conference. He argues that the competition and dynamics of each conference are different, and therefore, two players, one from the East and one from the West, should be recognized as MVPs. The NBA legend explained:

"You don't play every team equally. They play at a different time for sure." ... "But if we break this thing right now and all these new awards is coming up, why not reimagine this thing? You get an MVP award for the Eastern Conference Finals, I didn't an award for the ECF, I got it for the NBA Finals."

Wade continued:

"So if we reimagine things, then lets reimagine it. Let's get an MVP out for the East and out for the West."

---

Would Dwyane Wade have won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP back in 2006?

Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal win the 2006 NBA Championship

Considering Dwyane Wade's perspective on revisiting the past, let's imagine if the Conference Finals MVP award had existed during his championship run in 2006. Wade, alongside Shaquille O'Neal, played a crucial role in leading the Miami Heat to success.

Both players made significant contributions, and it is plausible that Wade could have been named the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, given his well-rounded performances throughout the series. Ultimately, 'D-Wade' was named the NBA Finals MVP after they beat the Dallas Mavericks.

Dwyane averaged 26.7 points, 5.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in the ECF. As for O'Neal he put up 21.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg, and 2.3 bpg. Given how Wade had a more all-around game, it's most likely that he could've won the ECF MVP award.