Miami Heat big-man Chris Andersen is towards the end of his NBA career, and is attempting to make the necessary adjustments. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:
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He still plans to play with high energy in his 13th season, but will do it at a smarter pace.
“I was told a long time ago, even though I’m called Birdman, you can’t jump forever,” Andersen said Wednesday. “Like [Shaquille O’Neal] says, you have a certain amount of jumps in your career.”
Step one in the transformation process is becoming a well-rounded player, especially on offense. Andersen, 36, explained why he’s been shooting jumpers after practices during training camp, mostly from the elbow and baseline.
Translation: he wants more scoring opportunities with less wear on the body.
“I’ve been blessed to be able to jump at 36 so I want to be able to use that a couple more times but I want to be able to shoot it, too,” Andersen said. “That’ll prolong my career three years, maybe.”