Udonis Haslem to undergo surgery
Miami Heat power-forward Udonis Haslem is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a badly torn ligament in his left foot on Tuesday 23 November that will sideline him indefinitely.
Haslem, who is averaging eight points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds for the Heat this season, sustained the injury in their game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday 20 November. His
absence is a big blow to the Heat, who were struggling to find their identity in their first 14 games.
“We lose a warrior,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. “He will be out an extended period of time. How long exactly, we will not know until after the surgery. Hopefully, it will be quick.”
Spoelstra also added that he had talked to Haslem about the development, and the veteran-power forward and Heat co-captain said that he would still support the team with his leadership even
if he is not playing, a quality that earned the admiration of coach Spoelstra.
“That was the first thing I mentioned to him yesterday when he was getting his tests,” Spoelstra said. “I said, 'You've been through a lot already in your life. You will get through this.
And secondly, your role as team captain and leader won't change.' We will still need that leadership and his voice behind the scenes.”
Without Haslem, the Heat is expected to give veteran power-forward Juwan Howard some playing time to fill in the hole left by Haslem. Two-time and reigning Most Valuable Player LeBron James
is also expected to play more minutes in the power-forward position, and the high-flying forward said that he would embrace the role, although he knows that Haslem’s role is hard to fill in.
“There's no replacement for UD. We all know that,” said James, who is averaging 23.5 points and 8.6 assists per game this season.
Heat starting point guard Carlos Arroyo also recognized that things will be more difficult for them without Haslem, since the do-it-all forward has been providing them the much-needed energy
off the bench this season.
“His toughness, not disrespecting anybody on the team, is going to be tough to replace,” Arroyo said. “He's such a tough guy and what he brings is something special every night. But we have
the guys to do it. We understand it is going to take everybody to continue to work on those details that he provides for us. Rebounding, loose balls, charges; we just have to step up.”
The Heat played without Haslem for the first time on Monday 22 November and they sorely missed his energy off the bench as Miami absorbed a 93-77 loss against the Indiana Pacers.
Tags: