Chris Bosh wants Udonis Haslem in the Miami Heat starting lineup – NBA Update
Miami Heat might be the defending NBA champions and hot favourites for the next one, but they certainly have had their issues with rotations so far this season.
The addition of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis has added a new dimension to their team, but with that the headache of playing a starting lineup which can make inroads early has come into question. Coach Erik Spoelstra has tried different combinations so far, and when it comes to the power forward position, there is still competition between Shane Battier and Udonis Haslem. The Heat have gone with the later in 4 of the last 5 games and have been 2-2 in them, not the output that the defending champions would like.
As far as deciding a permanent starter at 4 is concerned, Heat are still un decided, but Chris Bosh for one want UD to be alongside him at the start of the game;
"They're different players," Bosh said of his own adjustment as reported by the Sun Sentinel. "The beginning of the games, I always just like to crash into other teams, play physical. Shane does play physical and everything, but sometimes on offense he's in different spots. I'm looking in different areas sometimes. But it does make you more aggressive when you have someone else who's going to attack the offensive glass sometimes, who can get second-chance points, which is something we need to work on and get better at.
"Me and U.D., I've been playing with him for three years now, this is our third year together, and he's just an easy player to get used to."
Haslem has been an important member of Heat for a long time, but even though his rebounding and hustle in the paint is phenomenal, the forward has been struggling a lot with his mid range shooting. That means that Bosh, who is an undersized centre, remains as the only viable option in the front court when the duo is on the court.
Haslem has however been working a lot on his shooting discrepancies and in the last game against the Washington Wizards, he knocked down 6 of 7 from the floor for a season high 13 points. If he continues to perform at that level, there is no doubt that Coach Spo will want to start off with him, and will also increase his on-court minutes.
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