Haslem, Heat's Heart, Out Indefinitely

 Miami Heat back up power forward Udonis Haslem has a torn ligament in his left foot and will likely be out until the All-Star break at the earliest. He was injured in the Heat's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. Haslem's absence may further expose the Heat's biggest weaknesses: team rebounding, toughness and leadership. 

 Co-captains Haslem and Dwyane Wade are the Heat's only players with rings. Haslem turned down more money from other teams to re-sign with the Heat last summer. After the team voted him captain in October, Haslem gave them an emotional speech asking them to play every game this season for his mother, Debra Haslem, who died of cancer last July. Despite LeBron James' posturing and MVP status, Haslem is the true leader of the Miami Heat.

 "It's huge," said James about Haslem's injury. "He's like our heart of our team. He's our power. He's our pride. He brings everything every night. Size never really matters to him. He always plays above his height, plays above his weight."

 Haslem leads the Heat in rebounding with 8.2 per game. Chris Bosh is second with 6.8 despite averaging seven more minutes than Haslem each night. Haslem is 23rd in the NBA with 14.8 rebounds per 48 minutes. Bosh is 71st with 10 per game. Haslem has four double-doubles this season while Bosh has only managed three.

 The Heat are currently 19th in the NBA in team rebounding at 40.46 per game. Haslem's high energy hustle and defensive toughness made Bosh's life easier and afforded him the luxury of extra bench time and less responsibility in the paint. Will Bosh will come clean from his Miami haze to do more than ride the backs of James and Wade? 37-year-old Juwan Howard will see more action to try to do some of Haslem's dirty work but he hasn't averaged more than five rpg since the 2007 season.

 The Heat are currently tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the tenth best record in the NBA and fourth best in the Eastern Conference. The loss of Haslem combined with the injury of Mike Miller and Bosh leaving his rebounding talents behind in Toronto make it even less likely that Miami will win the East this spring. A team that some labelled a dynasty before their first game together may struggle to get to the second round if they can't find a way to get out of fifth place in the conference. The road will be much tougher until Haslem returns to the lineup.