Chris Andersen Before Joining Miami Heat: 'I Was Hunting Hogs, Messing Around'

The Miami Heat picked up Chris Andersen near the end of January in an attempt to add an athletic rebounder to their lineup, but before he got the call from Miami, it seems as if basketball wasn't even on his mind.

Andersen went unsigned during last summer's free agency, and while that doesn't mean there was no interest, it's usually not a good sign when a guy who is still in good shape gets passed over.

Now, courtesy of HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy, we're hearing that Andersen seemed to have pushed basketball out of his mind by the time January rolled around—at least a bit.

"

I asked Chris Andersen what he saw from Miami prior to signing with them in January, and he proceeded to give me the best quote of the day.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 7, 2013"

"

"I wasn't watching basketball, bro. I was out in the country. I was hunting hogs, messing around, hanging out with the homeboys." - Birdman

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 7, 2013"

Two-thirds of that answer is perfectly normal, but I'd say he's in the minority of NBA players when it comes to hog-hunting habits.

Heck, I would even wager that three-quarters of the players in the NBA have never even touched a hog, let alone hunted one.

Perhaps it's the hog hunting that helped him stay in shape during the long layover between contracts.

Running around, trying to creep up on those big creatures and nabbing them has to be exhausting work.

More surprising is that Andersen, who has missed just 10 shots in the postseason and is an instant source of energy off the bench, was barely paying attention to what was going on around the league when he signed his first 10-day contract with the Heat.

He went from screwing around on what I can only assume looks like a creepy ranch somewhere in Texas to having a meaningful role on a team that could very well end up winning an NBA Championship.

Not a bad situation to work your way into without having to play any of those pesky early-season games.