Are Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem Key to a Miami Heat Championship Run?

Well, the concept of these two possibly assisting the team to a championship might have just went down the tubes with word from Udonis Haslem that Mike Miller be forced to miss two months due to a recovery period following hernia surgery.

This news coming on the day that players were finally allowed to begin attending their facilities. Udonis Haslem, Chris Bosh, James Jones, and Dexter Pittman all made an appearance at the American Airlines Arena In the afternoon of December 1st with Haslem stealing the spotlight upon his announcement of yet another setback to the Miami Heat's primary sharp shooter in Miller.

Sitting out eight weeks will mean that Miller will not be cleared to play until sometime during mid-January and even that's a stretch for someone recovering from a hernia surgery among a number of other injuries that he suffered throughout last year in his first season with Miami. Miller didn't play one healthy regular season game with the Heat as he suffered a thumb injury during a practice prior to the start of the season and wouldn't return until late December.

Upon his arrival back to the court, Miller struggled greatly and would go on to suffer another injury to the thumb on his other hand, a concussion, and a shoulder injury. Miller was inconsistent throughout the year and would hardly provide any positive contribution from beyond the arc as he'd make a career low of only one three-pointer per night while also connecting on only 35 percent of his three-pointers, five percent below his career average.

Now a hernia surgery will derail any progress that Miller had made over the offseason as the Heat will continue to not be at full strength until it's either proved that he's fully recovered two months from now or if the Heat decide to utilize the amnesty clause to cut Miller and take off the $24 million that they owe him off of their listed salary.

As far as we know, cutting Miller may be the best thing the Heat can do. They're not sure if Miller will ever recover from this stretch of injuries, they desperately need the help from the perimeter, and they'll have $24 million freed up to do whatever they please over the brief off season period that begins on the 9th.

It would be an extreme disappointment to see Miller depart after such high hopes and expectations, but it may be for the best at this point as the organization looks to possibly cut their losses.

Miller may be injured once again, but the Heat will have a healthy Udonis Haslem back and that's just as vital and important to the team as having Miller. Haslem was forced to recover all season long from a torn ligament in his foot that he suffered in late November. He wouldn't return until the Conference Finals and would continue to be hampered even then by the ailment as he still wasn't 100% healthy.

It was only prior to the expected start of the regular season that Haslem would finally announce that he was at 100%. To put it into perspective on how catastrophic this injury was, you need to take note of just what kind of player Haslem is. He's the hardest worker on the team with Joel Anthony being the only other player to even come close to equaling the effort that Haslem output.  There's no doubt that a warrior like Haslem was willing to do whatever it took to make his return to the court.

It turned out that Game 2 of the Conference Finals was Haslem's calling as he'd make a triumphant return by throwing down a series of poster dunks and assisting the team in a series victory that would catapult them to the NBA Finals. However, Haslem was limited by his injury and he just wasn't as effective from the mid-range, on the boards or defending Dirk Nowitzki as he usually would be.

Haslem was the key to a NBA Finals victory in 2006 as his hounding defense on Nowitzki forced the seven-footer into a dismal and uncharacteristic 40 percent shooting from the field. Udonis gives up a few inches to Dirk, but it's his physicality and the pressure that he applies on defense that forced Dirk out of his comfort zone and into situations he'd prefer not to be in.

The problem in the NBA Finals last year was that Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony constantly allowed Nowitzki to get to his spots and then proceed to play defense. What they should have done is force Nowitzki into the shots they want him to take which is what Haslem did all series long in 2006 when Dirk only shot 40 percent from the field.

The only way to guard players who have a height advantage on you is to be physical with them and make them play the way they want you to play which is what Haslem is best at.

Losing out on players like Miller and Haslem was a lot more detrimental than most would think. The Heat were lucky enough to have a solid replacement in James Jones replace Miller, but his intangibles were lacking and he was a three-point shooter and nothing else. Compare that to Miller who is a solid rebounder and can actually dribble rather than camp out on the perimeter and wait for his shots.

Miller was meant to be the player that would thrive most off of the talent of the Big Three. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh all thrive within the perimeter which means that opposing defenses will have to lay the majority of their focus on wherever the Big Three go.

If they're in the paint and attracting double teams, that leaves Miller open for three-pointers which would have been no problem for him considering that he's been a consistent three-point shooter for the past decade.

Prior to writing this piece, I only had the title and an idea of what I was going to speak of. I had no idea that Miller would be forced to sit out another two months with an injury which could mean the end of his short tenure with the team. If he does leave, however, it means room to sign a quality perimeter threat such as Jason Richardson, Shane Battier or Grant Hill.

While the Mike Miller situation may be a disappointment, the Udonis Haslem ordeal has finally come to an end and the Heat can once again bring their iron man back. Besides Dwyane Wade, Haslem is the only player on this team that was a part of the 2006 Finals team and it's obvious how committed to this he is when you see that he rejected lucrative offers from Dallas and Denver in order to stay with Miami.

Why wouldn't he? The Heat were the only team to give Haslem a workout after he went undrafted out of the University of Florida and most teams looked past him because he was a little heftier than what the average NBA team was looking for. Once Haslem hit the weight room, the Heat then became the wise ones as they ended up picking up a player that would stick with the team through thick and thin for basically nothing.

That's the main appeal of a player like Haslem. He's loyal and committed in a time where money has played the largest roles in these affairs and can make a man sin in ways he never thought possible. He's extremely grateful to the Heat for being the only team to give him a chance to make it in the NBA and he shows his gratitude each and every time he's on the floor by playing harder than anyone else and doing the work that doesn't show up in the stat sheet.

If Haslem's being sent to the bench in favor of a second-year player in Michael Beasley with absolutely no complaints despite starting for the previous five seasons doesn't represent the work ethic of a true warrior and asset to this game, then I don't know what possibly could. Losing out on Haslem last year was just as detrimental to the team as the Mavericks losing Caron Butler.

Haslem will also be in the same boat as Miller when it comes to receiving kick-out's from members of the Big Three upon attracting attention on their drives. He and Wade had run the same play for years with Wade driving, drawing attention, and then kicking out to an open Haslem on the baseline who was basically as automatic as they come from 15 feet out.

That mid-range jumper was one of the most missed aspects of the Heat's offense last year as defenses were allowed to pack the paint without the threat of a Miller three-pointer or a baseline jumper from Haslem. Without that, Chris Bosh is the lone mid-range threat and LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have to deal with either attacking a packed paint or relying on an inconsistent long-range shooter.

Having Haslem and Miller also represents the only thing resembling depth on this team. The Heat experience a tremendous drop off in talent after Mike and Udonis which makes the two players just as important to the cause as ever. Instead of using Miller, the Heat are forced to use Mario Chalmers and James Jones and without Haslem, the Heat are forced to use Joel Anthony and Juwan Howard for extended minutes that they never deserved in the first place.

The most important aspect of these two players when it comes to a championship setting is how they supply the extra bit of energy that most players aren't willing to exert. Miller might have been injured all of last season, but his commitment to contributing in other aspects of the game by hustling after loose balls and grabbing offensive rebounds was huge for a Heat team that needed every extra chance it got.

If you watch Miami Heat basketball on a consistent basis, then you should already know what needs to be said about Haslem and his willingness to go after loose balls and grab offensive boards.

When you match up talent-wise with another team, it could cause a stalemate but all of that changes when you have players willing to work as hard as Miller and Haslem at all the little things that many players will shy away from. If the Heat do end up using the amnesty clause on Miller, then they're going to need to find a player that works as hard and commits as much as he did.

Either way, the Heat are built for the championship with or without Miller now that Haslem returns. The Big Three may be the ones on all of the highlight reels, making the big shots and doing the majority of the work on the offensive end, but it's players like Haslem and Miller that give the team the extra boost they need.