Udonis Haslem is what the old-school types like to call a “pro’s pro.”

Coming out of the University of Florida in 2002, Haslem was the rare combination of undersized (6-8) and oversized (300 pounds) at power forward, and was subsequently undrafted by the NBA. So as the story goes, he signed with a pro team in France, never set his watch to European time so he wouldn’t get comfortable playing overseas, and came back to America some 70 pounds lighter.

After catching on with his hometown Miami Heat, Haslem turned himself into a valuable contributor thanks to his rebounding, defense, screen-setting, hustle and a reliable baseline jumper.

Haslem was a starter on Miami’s 2006 championship team, and considering that he’s just 29 years old and still playing at a high level, it would have been understandable if he didn’t react well to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra asking him to come off the bench this season to make room for Michael Beasley. But Haslem has taken his sixth man role in stride, and through the first three weeks of the season he’s averaging 11.7 points and 9.6 rebounds, both above his career numbers.

I spoke to “UD” after a recent Miami practice about his team’s surprisingly fast start, his own situation as a reserve, and his take on Dwyane Wade’s free agent future:

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Dime: From what we’ve been seeing with Allen Iverson and other guys over the years, starting versus coming off the bench is obviously a big deal to a lot of NBA players. How have you been handling your new role?
Udonis Haslem: I mean, everybody would like to start, but not everybody can. Honestly, I was a little disappointed when I first found out, but I’m dealing with it. I’m still playing. You want to be in at the end of the game and the beginning of the game, but I know I’m going to be in at the end of the game most of the time.

Dime: You guys have gotten out to a good start this year, better than a lot of experts predicted. What would you attribute that to?
UD: We worked hard in the summer, man. We had like 10 rotation guys in Miami, all working out together. I’ve been in the League for a while, and you never see that. Sometimes you might get a handful of guys to come in, but we had 10 rotation guys, 10 key players on the team in the gym. I think that hard work and that camaraderie is a big part of what we’re doing now.

Dime: Has the talk about D-Wade’s free agency been a distraction to the team or to Wade himself?
UD: Nah, not at all. Honestly, when I think about 2010, if anything I’m thinking about where I’m gonna be. I’m in a contract year too, and so are a lot of other guys. So you’re gonna be worried about yourself before you worry about somebody else. With D-Wade, he’s one of the top players in this League. He’s gonna have a choice to go wherever he wants to go. It’s only a distraction when you don’t have a choice. He can do what he wants to do, as opposed to a situation where you’re unsure about your future.

Dime: What’s your routine on game day?
UD: We have shootaround in the morning and go over the gameplan defensively and offensively. After shootaround, I take some time to get up shots from my spot (on the baseline) where I shoot most of the time. Then I get myself cleaned up, showered, you know. Go home, get a nap in, wake up and take another shower and get myself ready for the game. If it’s a 7:30 game, I usually wake up around 4:30 after my nap.

Dime: What do you eat before a game?
UD: I usually eat some kind of pasta — alfredo, wine sauce, mozzarella, anything like that.

Dime: Do you have any superstitions or things you have to do before every game?
UD: Not really. Obviously I like to get my rest. I’ll pray for health and safety, say thanks for the things I’ve been blessed to do, things like that. I do that every day.

Dime: You mentioned the baseline jumper. Is that something you had before you got to the League, or did you develop it later?
UD: I developed it after I came into the League. I used to watch the ball when I would shoot, but now I watch the rim. Back when Coach Spoelstra was an assistant, I used to work with him a lot and with Coach (Keith) Askins on my shot. I used to have a hitch in my release, and they helped me take that hitch out of my shot. Now it’s just muscle memory. I’m so much more comfortable shooting it now and being confident it will go in.