I would love to see Shaq back so he could rotate in with Pittman. Dexter Pittman has skills for a big man, and he reminds me of a young Bynum. Wishful thinking perhaps.
Varnandro is a real stud. Check out this highlight reel. He'll get playing time for sure this coming season. The upcoming summer league and Heat practices will be INTENSE! :thumbsup:
so they got another piece in z. im not the biggest fan of him, but he is the big interior body they need. he has a decent outside shot. i expect 5-7 points a game from him and 8-10 rebounds. his main goal is to play interior d and rebound, and i think they accompished that with this signing.
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/basketball/bulls/5498526-579/udonis-haslem-puts-heart-in-heat.html
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Udonis Haslem puts heart in Heat
BY MARK POTASH
mpotash@suntimes.com
Last Modified: May 21, 2011 11:29PM
Dealing with unexpected problems is a rite of passage for a championship contender. That has been the case for the Bulls this postseason.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 points against them in the opener of the series against the Indiana Pacers, then shot 10-for-41 and averaged 8.4 points in the last four games.
With the Bulls’ hands full defending Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford against the Atlanta Hawks, substitute point guard Jeff Teague was a thorn throughout the second-round series until a wrist injury helped hold him to four points on 2-for-6 shooting in the Game 6 clincher.
Now the Bulls face another question they probably thought they never would hear: How do they deal with Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem?
Haslem, who missed the last 69 games of the regular season with a torn Lisfranc ligament in his left foot and played only seven minutes in the Heat’s first 11 playoff games, already has made a difference in the Eastern Conference finals against the Bulls. He not only scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in 23 minutes in Game 2 on Wednesday at the United Center, but he drew a charge on Derrick Rose, blocked a shot by Rose and kept several loose balls alive. He beat the Bulls at their own game.
‘‘He played very well,’’ center Joakim Noah, a fellow Florida alumnus, said when he was asked if Haslem caught the Bulls by surprise. ‘‘You’ve got to give credit where credit is due. The guy didn’t play all year, and for him to come out and play the way he did . . . I have a lot of respect for that player. It’s on us.’’
‘‘It’s on us’’ means that’s an issue the Bulls take responsibility for. As in, it’s nothing a little energy and
effort can’t resolve.
‘‘You combat it, that’s what you do,’’ Noah said. ‘‘You combat that. That’s really it. You just gotta fight.’’
‘‘He’s a good player,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said of Haslem. ‘‘He ran the floor well. He got to his spot-up. We didn’t challenge his shot as well as we should have. But he’s a high-energy guy, and you have to match that intensity.’’
With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the floor, neutralizing Haslem might be more problematic than the Bulls think. The Heat has struggled to find the right pieces around the Big Three, but Haslem is one that fits perfectly.
The question for the Heat is how Haslem will respond after playing more than four minutes in a game for the first time since Nov. 20. He didn’t practice Friday, but he said he’ll be ready for Game 3 tonight.
‘‘I feel fine,’’ he told reporters in Miami. ‘‘I had an opportunity to rest again, and I’ll be right back at it [Saturday] to get ready for Game 3.’’
Haslem might not score 13 points again, but he doesn’t have to do that to make a difference.
‘‘I don’t see why I can’t [duplicate the Game 2 performance],’’ he said. ‘‘I’m going to get out there and lay it on the line.
‘‘It’s never about shots for me; it’s all about rebounding and
defense. If shots come, they come. I was fortunate to [get] a couple of open shots.
*
Udonis Haslem puts heart in Heat
BY MARK POTASH
mpotash@suntimes.com
Last Modified: May 21, 2011 11:29PM
Dealing with unexpected problems is a rite of passage for a championship contender. That has been the case for the Bulls this postseason.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 points against them in the opener of the series against the Indiana Pacers, then shot 10-for-41 and averaged 8.4 points in the last four games.
With the Bulls’ hands full defending Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford against the Atlanta Hawks, substitute point guard Jeff Teague was a thorn throughout the second-round series until a wrist injury helped hold him to four points on 2-for-6 shooting in the Game 6 clincher.
Now the Bulls face another question they probably thought they never would hear: How do they deal with Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem?
Haslem, who missed the last 69 games of the regular season with a torn Lisfranc ligament in his left foot and played only seven minutes in the Heat’s first 11 playoff games, already has made a difference in the Eastern Conference finals against the Bulls. He not only scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds in 23 minutes in Game 2 on Wednesday at the United Center, but he drew a charge on Derrick Rose, blocked a shot by Rose and kept several loose balls alive. He beat the Bulls at their own game.
‘‘He played very well,’’ center Joakim Noah, a fellow Florida alumnus, said when he was asked if Haslem caught the Bulls by surprise. ‘‘You’ve got to give credit where credit is due. The guy didn’t play all year, and for him to come out and play the way he did . . . I have a lot of respect for that player. It’s on us.’’
‘‘It’s on us’’ means that’s an issue the Bulls take responsibility for. As in, it’s nothing a little energy and
effort can’t resolve.
‘‘You combat it, that’s what you do,’’ Noah said. ‘‘You combat that. That’s really it. You just gotta fight.’’
‘‘He’s a good player,’’ coach Tom Thibodeau said of Haslem. ‘‘He ran the floor well. He got to his spot-up. We didn’t challenge his shot as well as we should have. But he’s a high-energy guy, and you have to match that intensity.’’
With LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the floor, neutralizing Haslem might be more problematic than the Bulls think. The Heat has struggled to find the right pieces around the Big Three, but Haslem is one that fits perfectly.
The question for the Heat is how Haslem will respond after playing more than four minutes in a game for the first time since Nov. 20. He didn’t practice Friday, but he said he’ll be ready for Game 3 tonight.
‘‘I feel fine,’’ he told reporters in Miami. ‘‘I had an opportunity to rest again, and I’ll be right back at it [Saturday] to get ready for Game 3.’’
Haslem might not score 13 points again, but he doesn’t have to do that to make a difference.
‘‘I don’t see why I can’t [duplicate the Game 2 performance],’’ he said. ‘‘I’m going to get out there and lay it on the line.
‘‘It’s never about shots for me; it’s all about rebounding and
defense. If shots come, they come. I was fortunate to [get] a couple of open shots.
