‘The Heart Part 20’ by Udonis Haslem

Udonis Haslem’s final year in Miami was announced by the man himself around the community he holds dearly. Fulfilling a promise to his late father.

20 years ago, before the Heat were known as the leaders in finding diamonds in the rough, they found a priceless gem of a lifetime. A local kid named Udonis Johneal Haslem out of the University of Florida. Haslem had worked on his weight and fought for a roster spot with every grueling workout the team put him through. The organization saw something in him that many teams passed on and decided to give him a deal as an Undrafted Free Agent. Neither party at the time could have predicted the 19 years that followed.

What ensued was the unbreakable bond between one man and a city that will last for eternity. Udonis has always been proud of his roots and will never shy away from speaking glowingly about his home and the people that make it. Haslem is an extension of all the citizens of Miami that the fans get to watch put on the red, black, and white.  When they see ‘UD’ put on that uniform they see themselves being a part of the team. The front office, coaching staff, and players understand what he means to not only the team but the city as a whole.

Many outsiders have wondered why exactly he remains on the roster and isn’t converted into part of the staff. Have we not thought that maybe he doesn’t want that? And perhaps the team is with him on whatever he decides? This argument has gone on for so long among even Heat Twitter, that it’s gotten nauseating. I took part in this discourse until I realized that it’s really not worth arguing about. I’ve seen the players that Miami has developed into starters, bench contributors, and so on. Yes, you could say that Haslem is “taking up a roster spot for a player who could maybe contribute.”

If you said that you’d be wrong but you could say it, it is a free country after all. The Heat have found so many diamonds in the rough that they could open up a Zales. Do we honestly think that if there was a player they collectively saw something in that they wouldn’t find a way to have him on the roster?

That collective would include Haslem himself after all. It’s not outlandish to imagine that he has had more than a hand in picking out some of these players out. He very well could do this as a member of the staff but, again, he doesn’t want to and the Heat respects his wishes. The relationship between players and coaches is something difficult to understand even at a High School level. Haslem wants to remain as close to the players as possible without seeming like he’s their “boss” of sorts.

It’s difficult to walk that line and I imagine Udonis doesn’t want to deal with the balancing act just yet. When he watches some of these guys at the very limited practices the team has, he wants to connect with them on a level they can understand while trying to evaluate them at the same time. He also uses post-practice scrimmages and workouts with players who are willing to join to gain more of a connection. (It’s pretty impressive that a 42-year-old like him can still be in this type of shape.) There are many behind-the-scenes portions Haslem has a hand in that the general public doesn’t see. I can imagine that list is too long to even begin to make.

So many of the players Miami has found talk endlessly about what Udonis mean to them and their connections, due to Haslem’s own journey mirroring their own. They see a player who stuck it out through the toughest times when so many others would have given up. They see someone being held as this folk hero of basketball in South Florida because the organization took a shot on him. Haslem understands that not all of these guys will make it through the grind that is making a Heat roster. But damn it if he won’t make sure they’re all given a chance.

If you want to tell him that he’s blocking someone’s chance to make a roster; I imagine he’d have something to say about that. The team had JaVonta Smart and Omer Yurtseven on the roster last season. Those guys contributed a total of zero meaningful playoff minutes. No one is losing sleep about that 14th or 15th roster spot anymore. I’d say Erik Spoelstra and the organization has more than earned the benefit of the doubt in this case. Everyone should calm down about Miami missing out on a possible next Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson, etc. If that player exists in the pipeline, the team will surely be the first to know. I’ll defer to the best Coach in the league plus the renowned scouts and development staff.

Haslem will get to enjoy his farewell season on his terms. The team will continue to accommodate him financially in a way they regret not doing for Dwyane Wade. They’ll make sure that the sacrifice he gave in 2010 to re-sign wasn’t for naught. A promise he made to a father he lost will be fulfilled. A promise he never imagined would ever be this close while playing in the French League in 2002. Twenty years for a single team is an achievement only Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki have accomplished. Now the list will gain a kid from Miami that never left since he was born. He’s earned all the time he wants on the bench wearing that uniform. No one will ever wear that ‘Miami’ on the front, while also on the back.

Here’s to one more season where after we’ll truly say “Udonis…he did it.”