Haslem’s minutes likely rare
Beloved veteran’s playing time down in recent seasons
When that Miami Heat No. 40 jersey heads over to the scorer’s table at AmericanAirlines Arena, it’s a special sight in its increasing rarity.
That happened slightly before the 3:04 mark in the first quarter of Wednesday night’s exhibition against the New Orleans Pelicans, when Udonis Haslem checked in and received a significant cheer from the home fans.
“I appreciate it. It’s been an amazing ride. We’ve had a lot of success together,” said Haslem on Wednesday night after playing nine minutes against New Orleans. “I appreciate my fans, and I appreciate the city.”
The 16-year veteran, a Miami native, only played 14 games last season, averaging 5.1 minutes in those appearances. He’s played in just 30 games the past two years and hasn’t started a game since the 2014-15 season.
For Haslem, the franchise’s all-time leading rebounder, Wednesday night’s 9:07 of playing time marked the second time he saw action this preseason and first since chipping in 6 minutes and 19 seconds in the opener at San Antonio. Wednesday’s minutes were his most since Dec. 23, 2017 (13:06), ironically also against Pelicans. His stat line, for an upand-down, fast-paced affair where the Heat notched a preseason franchise-record point total in a 140-128 win, was modest but solid. He had five points on 2-of-3 shooting and a pair of rebounds as coach Erik Spoelstra sat eight veterans – three due to injury and five for rest.
“It’s always fun being out there with the guys,” Haslem said. “Anytime my number is called and my moments come, I just want to go out there and put my fingerprints on the game and contribute.
“It’s like riding a bike. The game hasn’t changed that much. If you can play, you can play. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay healthy, and that’s been one of the most important things.”
Spoelstra, while getting 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks from center Bam Adebayo, a 16-point first quarter from Josh Richardson, a first sharp preseason outing from Tyler Johnson and high-flying action from Derrick Jones Jr., liked what he got out of Haslem. He figured it was time to get him back into an exhibition game after seeing him in recent practices.
“The last couple of practices I put ‘Miami Heat Retro Team’ together, so it was Dwyane [Wade], UD on the quote-unquote scoutteam defense,” Spoelstra said after Wednesday night’s game. “And they just went old school, and the timing and intuitiveness that only two guys can have from 15 years of playing with each other was on full display.
“I’ve seen it now for several practices. [Haslem] has been sharp, and his minutes were really good out there [Wednesday night]. I don’t take that for granted at all.”
More so than any benefit Haslem can draw from seeing the floor in the preseason, he was happy to consume minutes while the Heat essentially had what could comprise a full rotation of players out.
“For me, preseason is more so about the team than about myself. Just watching us take strides toward our goal,” Haslem said. “We got a lot of guys out right now, so we want to get guys healthy. That’s the most important thing.”
Guard Dion Waiters and forward James Johnson remain long shots for the regular season opener at Orlando on Oct. 17, recovering from left ankle surgery and sports hernia surgery, respectively. Sharp-shooting guard Wayne Ellington also sat with soreness in his left ankle. Guards Goran Dragic, Rodney McGruder and Wade, forward Justise Winslow and center Hassan Whiteside all rested.
Haslem has not played in consecutive games since last March, but he said he’ll be ready if Spoelstra once again rests rotation players on Friday night when the Heat host the Atlanta Hawks in the preseason finale.
Heat fans appreciate every opportunity to see Miami’s No. 40 come onto the floor, and rightfully so. There will come a day, in the not-too-distant future, where that jersey will never again be worn by an active Heat player and will only be seen by looking up at the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena.