Haslem making strides toward return for Heat

Udonis Haslem grabbed a basketball, leaped toward the rim and dunked with two hands, hanging on the basket for a few moments afterward.

For most NBA players, this doesn't exactly merit a celebration.

For Haslem, it's significant progress. A week ago, he couldn't have come close to doing that.

Haslem's recovery from surgery to repair a torn ligament in his foot is now in its fifth month, but some signs suggest he may be on pace to make his long-awaited return to the Miami Heat lineup before the regular season ends.

Originally, Haslem was targeting a return to the court by late March, but is now taking a decidedly more-cautious approach.

"It's not hard because it's the smart decision," Haslem said. "It's the smart decision. This injury is a little different, so I have to approach it a little differently than I have in the past. Having so much time off, I had time to research the injury and learn more about it and understand it a little bit."

That being said, he'll take a significant step on Monday.

Miami typically leaves injured and rehabilitating players at home when venturing out on road trips, so recovery schedules are undisturbed. But with virtually the entire Heat training staff accompanying the team on a four-game swing starting Tuesday in Cleveland, Haslem will travel with the club for the first time since getting hurt in November.

He has little doubt that he'll be ready to help the Heat come playoff time.

"I'm making good strides," Haslem said. "It's looking good. I'm not thinking I'm coming back to play 30 minutes, score 25 points and grab 15 rebounds. That's not the point. But I do think I can come back and contribute something."