No Need To Rebound In Miami
You know what, I don’t care that much about Udonis Haslem, to be honest. Udonis has always been present in the Association for almost as long as I’ve been following it and that cannot be neglected. The thing is I don’t remember hearing or reading his name until probably Miami’s 2006 Playoff run although he had been playing as a starter for the Heat for two seasons already (24 games started in 03/04 and 80 in 04/05, logging 23.9 and 33.4 minutes per game).
Then three more seasons followed with a starting role for the Heat and all of a sudden Udonis goes for 75 GS to 0 in 09/10. And that’s it. That is the point where Udonis’ legend really starts. The moment that defines the man. From his first season in 2004 to his last true season starting in 2009, he was able to get 3548 rebounds. From 2010 to 2016 he got 2117. As of now, Haslem is the historical rebounding leader of the Heat, no more no less, after going undrafted in 2002 and signed in August 2003. And he’s been in Miami since that day. Well, actually he’s been in Miami since the day he was born. So if Miami’s mayor for some reason decides to change Miami’s name he should choose Udonis as the new one. Udonis, FL. It just feels right.
Haslem is to Miami what James Jones is to LeBron James. You can’t just conceive one without the other. They’re and they’ll be bond forever. I don’t care what happens next or which path those relations take in the future, they’ll always remain alive in my heart. Udonis has been 14 seasons with the Heat and he wasn’t even drafted! He’s the only one-team man good enough to walk this path. Forget about Duncans or Kobes or Dirks or whatever. Only Udonis had it.
Will Miami eventually retire Number 40? It depends. It depends on how much they value Udonis. It depends on how they want to fuck around with the myth that that event would create. Can you imagine someone checking the retired number list in fifty years and finding some Haslem in it? That would cause more shock than finding Derrick Rose in the MVP list seventy-five years from now (let’s be honest, who will remember Rose after all of that time? He will look like a total outlier between the LeBrons and the Durants of our time given the proper perspective, not because of him or his fault, but still). He deserves his chance and would definitely be a good move by the Heat (Udonis is right now 184th in the all-time NBA top rebounders list with 5671, leading Miami’s franchise), but compared to other teams his numbers flop quite a lot.
One more note: I have watched a few Miami Heat games this season. Not that much but still something. I have not seen Udonis in the game recaps (condensed) or at least I can’t remember seeing him. Only for like 10 seconds or something. And he air-balled a three. Such a shame. The good thing about all of this is that he’s already got 6 rebounds which is not a lot but which is a lot if you consider he has played like 30 minutes in 4 games which roughly equates to 7 minutes per game which is probably the garbage time the Heat can afford to give to him given the magnificent poor results they’re getting during this first month of the season. He’s only 69 rebounds from the 75 he got in 2016. Keep pushing.
