Haslem gets moment of shock
INDIANAPOLIS Udonis Haslem was in hustle mode, this time even before making it to the court.
Having appeared in only one of the Miami Heat’s first 13 games, Haslem found himself in the rare instance of being out of position when summoned in Wednesday night’s victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
“He called me and I was so shocked that I dropped my mouthpiece while trying to tuck my shirt in at the same time,” Haslem said of the rare call of duty from coach Erik Spoelstra. “It was like 30 things going on at the same time.”
Haslem, in his 16th NBA season, had been limited to only four previous minutes of action this season — in the blowout home victory over the New York Knicks on Oct. 24. He appeared in only 14 games for a total of 72 minutes last season, none in the playoffs, before returning at 38 at the veteran minimum salary.
“It was fun. It was cool,” Haslem said, as the Heat turned their attention to Friday’s game against the Indiana Pacers at the close of this twogame trip. “Being ready, it’s not easy.”
The emergency order came after Hassan Whiteside, Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk got into early foul trouble, and only after Spoelstra first elected to go with Justise Winslow in a smaller lineup.
Haslem eventually wound up playing 2 minutes, 10 seconds, making 1 of 2 shots for two points, with a foul that he insisted wasn’t a foul as his only other statistic in the 120-107 victory at Barclays Center.
“Just to be able to come in, hold the fort and contribute a little bit until these guys get back, that’s my job, that’s my role now,” he said. “So I’ve got to be a star in that role.”
Now what he would like is a little respect, insisting there was no blocking foul as part of his Wednesday equation.
“Oh man, trying, that was a charge,” he said of the play at the end of Wednesday’s first half. “I know a charge when I take one.”
Overall, the sweat equity, as brief as it was, was rewarding.
“Once you get out on the court, it’s just like riding a bike,” he said. “It’s always fun to be out there with my guys and be able to contribute and just show that I can contribute a little bit.”
Hassan Whiteside confirmed Thursday in a statement issued through the team that a permitted firearm was stolen from him over the summer.
The Heat issued the following statement from Whiteside, “I have a license for the gun that was stolen from me over the summer. I should have secured it better and I’m glad it was recovered. It won’t happen again. It is now locked in a safe and I only use it at the gun range.”
Whiteside’s statement was issued after South Florida radio personality Andy Slater reported, “According to exclusively-obtained police reports, Whiteside bought a $50,000 Colt M16 assault rifle, ammunition, a rifle bag, and a silencer at Johnson’s Firearms in Miami on July 5. Whiteside went directly from the gun store to the University of Miami for a workout. As he practiced in the Hurricanes gym for about an hour, Whiteside left his Rolls Royce unlocked.”
The report continued, “After reviewing surveillance video, Coral Gables police determined that the gun was not stolen on campus, as he believed. Whiteside was the only person seen to go in and out of his unlocked $400,000 car. About two weeks later, Whiteside and his attorneys spoke with detectives. During that conversation, Whiteside remembered that he had left the just-purchased rifle unattended in his unlocked car when he went back inside the gun store.”