Udonis Haslem – who is in his 18th NBA season, all with the Heat – has not played a single minute this season. And while the 41-year-old would welcome the chance to see some action, he has embraced his increasingly off-court role within the organization, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“I’m always ready,” Haslem said. “And that’s my job, is to stay ready so I don’t got to get ready. And I’m always ready if Spo (head coach Erik Spoelstra) needs to put me out there and contribute to winning basketball games. But I understand that the bigger impact that I have is off the basketball court, before the clock starts.”
Last season, Haslem only played in four regular-season games, but he helped the Heat make their sixth NBA Finals appearance since 2005. The role on the team he plays is deeper than actually going out there to set screens and rebound the basketball, according to Spoelstra, who says the big man is “moving mountains with his leadership.” However, the Heat coach said the team would have no qualms about using Haslem on the court if needed.
“I always have the ultimate confidence in UD,” Spoelstra said. “And he and I have been through so many pressure-packed moments that I feel I can throw him in at any time, even in the fourth quarter if he hadn’t played before that.”
More from the Southeast Division:
- After some uncertainty, presumably related to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Wizards head coach Scott Brooks received clearance to coach Thursday’s game against the Grizzlies, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported (Twitter link). Brooks and the Wizards got off to a slow start but are creeping up in the standings (two games back of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference).
- Magic point guard Michael Carter-Williams spoke to Spencer Davies of BasketballNews.com about feeling as if his NBA career was in jeopardy during the 2018/19 season, just a few years removed from winning Rookie of the Year. “I didn’t know where my future was gonna go,” said Carter-Williams, who has rejuvenated his career in Orlando. “I kept thinking, ‘Am I gonna go the G League route? Am I gonna go overseas? Do I even want to play at all anymore?’ There was a lot of things that went through my head at the time.”
- Veteran wing Tony Snell looked like a salary throw-in when the Hawks acquired him from Detroit in the offseason, but he has played a meaningful role for the team, as Chris Kirschner of The Athletic details. The 29-year-old, a free agent at season’s end, is knocking down a scorching 56.9% of his three-point attempts, including a last-second, game-winning buzzer beater on Thursday. Atlanta has now won its first three games since Nate McMillan took over as head coach for Lloyd Pierce.
For the last 3-4 years, I always beg to see Haslem get minutes in certain matchups, and Spo still wont use him, not even in the finals when he was the best option to defend Davis. He is in good enough shape that he looks like 2008 UD when he gets on the floor, but it’s really frustrating to know that and still not see him play in those matchups. I know he works with Bam and Silva, and Achiuwa. Sometimes, you need that presence on the floor to show you what it’s supposed to look like. So I say again, hopefully he gets his chance. There is a picture of him next to “winner” in the dictionary
Atlanta needed Snells defense on the wing, especially after making poor decisions with Bogdanovic and Gallinari
MCW should be used a lot like Shaun Livingston, as I’ve said for a few years. Think he would be a good fit for a few teams that have shooting
ORL was 6-2 when their lineup went kaput with injuries. Terrance Ross has been kept as their second-unit igniter throughout. I suspect he is first- string second-string lol, or, just being positioned as 6th man OY.
Listen man, I get it. You don’t wanna be taking life advice from a user named “buttholesurfer69”. None of us do.
Nevertheless. A piece of advice: go to a website called “basketball-reference.com”, and look up the player “Udonis Haslem”.
There will be a drop down called “Advanced Stats”. Nearly every metric in this drop down will inform you that any NBA coach without a learning disability would refrain from playing Udonis Haslem serious minutes, unless the rest of the team contracted COVID and simultaneously tore their ACLs.
Does he still have a nice body? I guess I’ll take your word for it. But at 48 years old he’s just no longer a productive NBA player. I’m sorry :(
He doesnt have to play significant minutes. 8-14 minutes in specific matchups is all I’m saying. He also isnt 48…and ya, he is in phenomenal shape. He trains maniacally
Starting to think Haslem has dirty photos of Riley at this point. Just make him an asst coach already
He is the heartbeat of the organization, and the city of Miami. Maybe you just dont know what a winner looks like
No man, you’re totally right. It’s totally been Udonis Haslem sitting at the end of the bench that’s been responsible for Miami’s success.
Superstars like Lebron, D, Wade, Bosh, Butler, and Bam have been mere epiphenomenon.
This is what I’ve been trying to tell people for years, yet for some reason they seem to think I’m a total moron.
Weird.
If you don’t get any minutes does it still count as his “18th season”?
Played in the preseason, and 100% will get on the floor at some point, when it matters.
100% will not play a meaningful minute because he hasn’t been an NBA level basketball player in over three years.
72/74/44 – 1.8/3.6/6.5
Those are the TOTAL minutes played and PER for Haslem over the last three seasons. Just putrid.
Please stop with the Haslem stanning. You’re embarrassing yourself. You’re better than this.
You’re the one embarrassing yourself. Haslem is still their best post defender, can get a double-double in his sleep, defends pick and roll, sets arguably their best screens, still takes charges, and makes winning plays. Can still get up for putback dunks on offensive rebounds lol. Just a couple of years ago, when the Heat bigs were all out, he shut down prime DeMarcus Cousins pre injury, and guarded Anthony Davis strong in a matchup just a couple of days apart. These last couple of years he has come in at times either in garbage time, or in special moments at the end of Wade’s career, where they specifically tried to set up specific moments, so those numbers are a bit skewed for those reasons. Even so, just last season there was a game where the Heat came out poorly in a first half, with defensive lapses, and Spo brought UD in for his first minutes of the season, and he got the comeback started with his defense and effort.
He is a significant reason for at least the first 2 championships, if you wont concede all 3. Defended Dirk in 2006, and had big games in that series, including Game 6. In the first year of the big 3, he was injured, and came back early during the playoffs, helping them beat the Bulls. In 2012, he stepped in when Bosh got hurt and had big games against Indiana to help them get back to the finals, and did the same the following year. Throughout his time here, he gave up multiple opportunities to go elsewhere for a lot more money, leaving upwards of 50+ million on the table to do so.
This organization is built on his intangibles, just like Zo before him, and Bam taking on that responsibility moving forward. He is the heartbeat of the organization, and the city, as I said. Udonis Haslem epitomizes Miami Heat basketball, and that’s why his jersey will hang in the rafters someday. Thats why the last thing you see when you go out of the tunnel, and walk on that arena floor is the picture of him with blood dripping down his face. If you claim he isnt a winner, you dont know what a winner is