Perkins: Udonis Haslem, the Heat’s key “addition”

MIAMI — The first thing you notice about Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem is his hair. The trademark braids he wore for his previous eight NBA seasons are gone. Spending two hours a week getting his hair done finally got to be too much.

But after you get over that initial shock of seeing Haslem wearing a medium-sized afro, you notice the rebounding, the toughness, the willingness to take charges, to get on the floor after loose balls.

You see the art of making the pick-and-pop mid-range jumper. That’s when it becomes apparent Haslem, a.k.a U-D, is that fill-in-the-gaps guy, the guy who makes many of the effort plays the Heat didn’t get last season. Haslem, often mentioned as the heart and soul of the franchise,  brings an edge; he brings focused, infectious aggression to go along with veteran savvy.

“Every night he goes out with a chip on his shoulder, no matter what he’s doing,” said guard Dwyane Wade, the player who knows Haslem best. “I’ve always said for nine years I’m glad to have that guy on my side.”

So think about this: if Haslem stays healthy he’ll be the best addition the Heat makes this season, better than forward Shane Battier, better than swingman Mike Miller (if he ever gets healthy), and better than rookie point guard Norris Cole.

You saw Haslem’s return last season, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against Chicago. He was the Heat’s Energizer Bunny. You saw him in Sunday’s season opener against Dallas, with his nine points and 14 rebounds. Miami was missing that element for a big part of last season.

A year ago Haslem went down with a torn ligament in his left foot 13 games into the season. He missed the final 69 games.

“I had the shoulder injury as well last year,” Haslem said, pointing to his right (shooting) shoulder. “I kinda kept that under wraps.”

But in his brief active playing time with the revamped Heat, he has made an impression, even amongst a group headlined by the Big Three of Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.  Haslem was voted a team captain by his teammates a year ago for a reason. He sets an example, he does things the right way, the Miami Heat way. He’s drunk the Kool-Aid. He has a championship ring. He loves it. He’s trying to get everyone else hooked.

Haslem, who averages  10.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for his career, is the model of consistency. You always know what you’re going to get. He was a starter on the 2006 championship team, averaging 10.7 points and 8.3 rebounds during the regular season and 8.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in the playoffs. After the 2008-09 season, during which he averaged 10.6 points and 8.2 rebounds in 75 starts, Haslem swallowed his pride and willingly came off the bench so rookie Michael Beasley could start.

Haslem ended up averaging 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. Nothing changed. It’s one of the reasons he’s so highly valued.

Not only that, he’s Mr. 305 (the local telephone area code)as far as local athletes. He’s a lifelong Miami resident. He teamed with Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Blake to lead Miami Senior High to a state title. He teamed with Miller to help lead Florida to a Final Four appearance. Yet in a town known for lots of flash and not much substance, Haslem has never gone Hollywood. No athlete epitomizes Miami grit like Haslem, a self-made player who was undrafted out of college. He lost about 70 pounds while playing in France for a season before making the Heat’s roster. He’s cool with fellow Miami residents such as hip-hop artist Rick Ross and streetfighter/MMA fighter Kimbo Slice.

You’ve heard the story of how Haslem re-joined the Heat. It illustrates how much Wade values him. Haslem, an unrestricted free agent during the frenzied summer of 2010, was all set to sign with Dallas. He was driving to AmericanAirlines Arena to say goodbye to Heat president Pat Riley. During that drive Haslem spoke with Wade via telephone. It was an emotional conversation. After they hung up Wade called James and Bosh and suggested they all take a paycut so the Heat could afford to bring Haslem back. They agreed. While Haslem was in Riley’s office saying goodbye, his agent, Henry Thomas (who also represents Wade and Bosh), told Haslem to leave the office. They worked out a contract in minutes. Haslem was staying.

But that’s where this feel-good story hit a speed bump. The foot injury followed. Even when Haslem returned during the playoffs last season he wasn’t totally himself, he wasn’t U-D.

“Basically after the first Chicago game everything went downhill for me in the playoffs,” he said.

That’s why Haslem went back to the future, so to speak, during the summer.

“It was probably the least productive off-season for me basketball-wise, but the most productive off-season for me body-wise,” he said. “I was able to get a lot of core work done, a lot of plyometrics. I really stayed off the weights and tried to use a lot of bands and different things like that, just kind of rebuild my body.”

It’s early, but the result has been noticeable so far. In four public appearances — the Red & Black scrimmage, two pre-season games against Orlando and the opener at Dallas — Haslem has looked good and played well.

If this continues, and history says it will, Haslem, with all due respect to Battier, Miller and Cole, will be the best addition the Heat makes this season.

Chris Perkins is a regular contributor to SheridanHoops.com, covering the NBA and the Miami Heat. His columns appear every Tuesday. Follow him on Twitter.

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