Miami Heat: How Will Udonis Haslem Injury Affect Dwyane Wade?
Udonis Haslem, the Miami Heat's leading rebounder, tore ligaments in his foot and could miss quite a bit of time.
With Haslem expected to be out until the All-Star Break, the Heat will need to find an answer in the paint.
In addition to finding answers in the paint, the entire team will need to step up to fill the massive hole left by Haslem's abscence.
This likely means more minutes for the stars on the team, which isn't good for Dwyane Wade. Wade injured his wrist in Friday's win against the Charlotte Bobcats and is listed as questionable for the time being.
So, how does the loss of Haslem affect Dwyane Wade and others on the Miami Heat?
Juwan Howard, PF
1 of 6
Udonis Haslem is listed as the No. 2 power forward (behind Chris Bosh) on the Miami Heat depth chart. Juwan Howard is No. 3.
That means Howard is going to have to step up and take some of the minutes left by Haslem's injury.
That will be no easy task for a 37-year-old who has been in the NBA for 16 years.
Howard is currently averaging one point and 1.5 rebounds in the four games he's appeared in this season.
Miami will need him to step up and take around 15 minutes per game until Haslem returns.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, C
2 of 6
Big Z will need to start crashing the boards more now that Haslem is out. Unfortunately, that's never been the strength of Ilgauskas's game.
He's always been a spot-up shooter who plays on the perimeter. The Heat already have that in Chris Bosh, so what they need is a banger down low.
But at this stage in Z's career, he won't be able to adjust his game to fit what the Heat need.
LeBron James, SF
3 of 6
When LeBron James drives the lane from now on, he won't have Haslem there ready for a pass and an easy lay-up or dunk.
This means LeBron will be on his own more when he drives the lane. This will likely lead to him being fouled more and knocked down more.
The Heat can't afford to lose LeBron to an injury, so he'll need to be more cautious about how often he drives to the basket.
Joel Anthony, C
4 of 6
Joel Anthony is the backup center on the Miami Heat. In 15.3 minutes per game this year, he's averaging 1.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and a block.
He's the guy who needs to emulate Haslem's style of play the most. From now until February, he'll probably average around 20-25 minutes per game.
He needs to start pulling down at least eight boards a game in those minutes.
Chris Bosh, PF
5 of 6
Chris Bosh is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds per game this year. Those are respectable numbers, but not numbers that warrant a "Big Three" nickname.
It's really a "Big Two and a Half" if anything. Bosh will need to start living up to his part of the Heat trifecta if the Heat will survive Haslem's injury.
He'll be playing more minutes, including more minutes at center, so he needs to avoid injury and avoid foul trouble.
If he can do that, he'll help ease the loss of Haslem.
Dwyane Wade, SG
6 of 6
Now that Haslem is out, Dwyane Wade will need to avoid scenes like this. It was on this play that Wade injured his wrist.
Wade needs to stay healthy because the Heat will likely start using a smaller lineup that features Bosh at center, LeBron at power forward, James Jones at small forward, Wade at shooting guard and Arroyo at the point.
Wade's backup is Jerry Stackhouse, another veteran who can't handle 30 minutes a game anymore.
Therefore, Wade needs to start playing more under control in order to keep from ending up on the bench in a suit like Udonis Haslem.
