Miami Heat Roles: Joel Anthony Doing His Best Udonis Haslem Impersonation

Danny DolphinApr 19, 2011

Joel Anthony might be best known among casual NBA fans for having the most awkward offensive game in the league.

His hands at times appear to have been soaked in baby oil, his footwork can be frightening, and the rim often is the only defender needed to deter him from scoring.

Just watching Joel “operate” on the offensive end can get very uncomfortable.

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His deficiencies are obliterated when you remove scoring from the equation. Just take a look at the video below, a montage of Anthony’s defense in the second quarter of Game 2 last night.

Wow is my first reaction. How can a guy who taught himself the game of basketball at age 16 have such an incredibly high basketball I.Q. on the defensive end?

While LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have recently praised Chris Bosh for being the Heat’s most important player, the same can be said for Anthony on the defensive end.

He’s starting to finally get his due publicly. Joel was spotlighted in the New York Times today in an article describing his value as being beyond the stat sheet.

Heat fans have taken extreme notice.

In each of the past two games, MVP chants swarmed Anthony as he stepped to the free-throw line. It’s great to finally see some fan recognition for a guy whose game isn’t always box-score friendly.

Opponents are starting to realize his impact as well. Just ask Sixers’ defensive ace Andre Iguodala.

“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to Joel Anthony,” Iguodala said after Game 2. ” I think he’s been playing great for them. They’re chanting MVP when he’s shooting free throws. He does a lot for that team that goes unnoticed and isn’t on the stat sheet.”

Anthony may lack the ability to put the ball in the hole consistently, but his value to this team is tremendous. In fact, I’d go as far to say that a defensive player of the year award should and just may be in his future.

Watch out, Dwight.