Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem eyeing international move during lockout – NBA Update
With the lockout seemingly here to stay for some time, Udonis Haslem is one of the many players considering a move beyond the borders of NBA. He confirmed this news after he declared himself at ‘100% strength’ recently.
Udonis Haslem spent most of last year on the sidelines due to a foot surgery. He missed the entire bunch of preseason games, but eventually made a comeback during the playoffs, where he scored at an average of 5.3 points and grabbed
an average of 4.5 rebounds.
He recently had another minor operating procedure on his foot whereby a s***w was removed from his ankle. Since then, Udonis has claimed that he is feeling fit as ever and cannot wait for the season to start.
Not only was he confident about his own fitness, he also remained positive about the prospects of the issues being resolved between the NBA and the players.
“I’m going to remain confident that we will get a deal worked out and we’ll be able to play,” Haslem said. “I would love to play the entire season, I’m not sure if that will be the case.”
However, he was also open to an international move. Udonis has already had an international experience before. In 2002-2003, he spent a year in France playing for Chalon-Sur-Saone. This move was a direct result of being cut off
by the Atlanta Hawks.
Although Haslem did not particularly enjoy his stay in France, he said that he is much more willing to go and play in the international arena as he has grown a lot over the past few years. “I’m a lot more mature, a lot more laid-back,”
Haslem said.
Udonis is currently applying his trade with the Miami Heat and is motivated to win the NBA Championship after last season’s failure. He still recalls the playoff series with Dallas as a missed opportunity.
Recently, Haslem and his teammate Mike Miller reportedly used this free period to spend some time with each other. They spent most of the time discussing last year’s defeat to the Mavericks and how it all slipped from their hands.
“You’ve got to tip your hats to Dallas,” Haslem said. “That Game 2 just haunts me and haunts me. You know, who knows if we take that 2-0 lead, how that series will go?”
On Friday night, Haslem was busy attending a fundraiser event for his foundation known as ‘UD Kids’. The event was held in Boynton Beach and was for the development of the deprived youth.
“We’re trying to give back to the underprivileged youth,” Udonis Haslem told The Palm Beach Post. “Right now our main focus is getting kids back to school with books, school supplies, uniforms and haircuts.”
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