Udonis Haslem: “Make Sure Nobody is Slacking”

Udonis Haslem also got to speak with media, which a good portion was discussion about the coaching staff, in particular Caron Butler.

He said, “Caron was my OG. Although we’re so close in age, he took me under his wing.” He also was asked about many coaches on the Heat’s staff being former players. He responded, “We’ve been able to take Heat culture and apply it to other parts of our life.”

He also mentioned some differences in training camp this season, but said once you step on the court it’s normal. He said, “I make sure nobody is slacking,” which is obvious since that is UD’s main goal.

There was also a lot of talk about Bam Adebayo, since UD took him under his wing when he arrived. He was asked about Bam now trying to take Precious Achiuwa under his wing, and said, “That’s what I’ve been molding Bam for, to be that leader…I hate when people waste my time. And Bam hasn’t wasted my time.”

Udonis then mentioned the comparisons between Bam and Precious, saying “I see so much of Bam in Precious. Precious has a little more skill than Bam had coming in, and shoots a little better.”

That is a very good sign for the development of Precious, since even Erik Spoelstra mentioned today that his work ethic will lead to his success.

Finally, it ended with a question about people calling Miami’s past season a fluke. Udonis responded, “We don’t like people who throw rocks and hide their hands…If you don’t tell us who said it we don’t care.” He followed that saying “Was it some people we probably beat?”

Udonis is continuing to withstand his role on this Heat team, by being the go to guy in the locker room, or in this case training camp. But his ultimate goal is for Bam to end up being the go to guy, and it seems as if that is soon to come.