Billy Donovan's had a nickname for Udonis Haslem when the two were at Florida
Udonis Haslem has been in the NBA for 13 years, all with the Heat, but that doesn't mean he's forgotten his collegiate days.
Haslem is a Florida alum, which means when the Heat take on the Thunder on Thursday, he will be going up against his former college coach, Billy Donovan. So, Donovan and Haslem got to talking about each other before the game, and it turns out, the coach has a pretty aggressive nickname for his player.
From Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post:
Haslem has barely played so far this year, which makes sense given that he's already 35 years old and has more good years behind him than in front of him. Donovan, meanwhile, has struggled to integrate into the pro game.
Donovan can be brutally harsh on underachievers and he got after Haslem plenty. He grew so tired of his complaining that he permanently nicknamed him The Crab.
“I’ve seen that side of Billy Donovan when the hair is all of a sudden not as slicked back and well-groomed and the face turns red,” Haslem said Wednesday, ahead of Miami’s game tonight against Donovan’s Thunder. “I’ve seen that side.”
Many players fail to fight their way back into good standing, and Haslem was one of them. He grew into a starter for the Gators and to this day is one of Donovan’s favorite players from his 19-year career with UF.
