Who says there is no more loyalty in sports? Two very important role players on teams with championship aspirations each re-signed with their respective teams on Monday. Derek Fisher, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, will remain a Laker for at least three more years while Udonis Haslem, a member of the 2006 Heat championship squad, spurned better offers from Denver and Dallas and will re-sign with the Heat.

After a weekend blanketed with news of free-agent superstars ditching their old teams for greener pastures, it was somewhat refreshing to see that there’s still some loyalty left in sports, and Fisher and Haslem proved there is no place like home.

L.A. has been Fisher’s home for 11 of his 14 seasons in the NBA. He was drafted by the Lakers in 1996, and after a brief three-year hiatus, he rejoined the club in 2007 and the Lakers have made three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals since his return. Life without Fisher would have been extremely difficult for the Lakers, especially for Kobe Bryant, who calls the 36-year-old guard the “emotional and vocal leader” of the Lakers.

Derek Fisher will return to the L.A. Lakers and make a run at a sixth championship ring. (GETTY IMAGES)

On the other hand, Haslem typifies what a Miami Heat player is all about: tough, aggressive, tireless and selfless. The undersized power forward has played his entire career with the Heat and is a close friend of Dwyane Wade. “UD is here to stay. Sacrifices all ard. I’m couldn’t b happier for any1 more then Mr Miami himself. My brother 4 life,” Wade wrote on his Twitter account.

Haslem’s deal is reportedly for five years at around $20 million.

Fisher has earned a reputation for making clutch shots throughout his playoff career, and is a huge influence in the locker room. During the 2010 NBA Finals against the Celtics, Fisher was the guiding force behind the Lakers’ huge victory in Game 3 and his tough defense on Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen, who is five inches taller than Fisher, was not to be ignored.

“Derek is very, very tough mentally and physically. He doesn’t back down from anyone,” Bryant said of his backcourt mate. “There’s not enough words or praise that I can use to describe him and how I feel about him.”

According to published reports, Fisher’s contract is a three-year deal, with the third year a player option. The negotiations got off to a slow start, with the Lakers not willing to match the $5 million per year Fisher was paid under his previous contract.

“I have decided to continue with Kobe [Bryant], continue with our teammates and the fans of Los Angeles,” Fisher said in a statement. “While this may not be the most lucrative contract I’ve been offered this off-season, it is the most valuable. I am confident I will continue to lead this team on and off the court. Let the hunt for six begin…”

Haslem opted to remain with the Heat, according to published reports, turning down bigger offers for the full mid-level exception from the Mavericks and Nuggets. Terms of Haslem’s new deal with the Heat were not available.

The Heat have stated throughout the offseason that bringing back Haslem was one of the team’s top priorities. It became an ever greater necessity when the team acquired All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with Wade in South Beach because Haslem is the type of player who doesn’t need to have the ball to be effective and does all the little things on the court that ultimately lead to winning ballgames.

Udonis Haslem was a key member of the Heat's 2006 championship team. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

“He’s the ultimate Miami Heat warrior,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said about the 6-foot-8 seven-year veteran. “Everything we try to have in a Miami Heat player, embodies all the characteristics, that’s Udonis Haslem.  He brings the toughness, he brings the character and he brings the leadership. And he’s true. There’s purity about who he is. He’s a Miami native and he’s special to all of us.”

Haslem, 30, averaged 12.7 points and 10.4 rebounds last season for Miami. In an e-mail to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Monday, Haslem said, “Turned down full mid level from Dallas and Denver. See u next season.”

Miami is slowing building up its roster to surround Wade, James and Bosh. Joining Haslem on this year’s squad are third-year guard Mario Chalmers, rookies Jarvis Varnardo, Dexter Pittman and Da’Sean Butler and forward Mike Miller, who was acquired this week. The 6-8 guard/forward Miller reportedly inked a five-year deal. Haslem and Miller were former teammates at the University of Florida.

Last year, Haslem lost his starting job to second-year man Michael Beasley, who was recently traded to Minnesota to clear some cap space. Haslem is expected to come off the bench and back up Bosh this season and could play some center.

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Guard Delonte West and forward Anderson Varejao play key roles in the Cavaliers' highly effective defensive scheme. (GETTY IMAGES)

Defense wins championships. At least that’s the prevailing thought among athletes in any sport. In basketball, stopping the opposition from scoring is ultimately the difference between winning and losing in April, May and June.

To win an NBA championship, you need that lockdown defender that can take away the opposition’s best option. It is equivalent to a shutdown cornerback in the NFL. A lot of times, great defenders are left to cover a prolific scorer all by himself, and a double team was not an option. Bruce Bowen played this role perfectly. Bowen, a member of championship teams in San Antonio, did not completely stop a great scorer, but he was able to at least make it difficult and uncomfortable to score the basketball.

Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets is cut from the same cloth. Like Bowen, Battier is not asked to score a lot of points for the Rockets because his job is mainly to shadow the opponent’s top gun.

Guys like Battier and Bowen, as well as Ron Artest, Tayshaun Prince and Devin Harris, initially made their marks on the defensive end of the court and have carved up a solid reputation around the league. But what about those players who don’t get the same notoriety but are just as good on defense – or even better.

OneManFastbreak.net uncovers the most underrated defenders in the NBA. Unlike the more celebrated first-team All-NBA defenders such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard, who claim the majority of the votes because of their reputation and inflated statistics, these following players go unnoticed because they don’t usually make the spectacular steal or block. They’re always assigned to the other team’s primary threat on offense and play straight-up defense the entire time they’re on the court.

DELONTE WEST, Cleveland Cavaliers – One word to describe this undersized guard: Tough. His celebrated teammate, LeBron James, gets a lot of the credit for Cleveland’s defense but, with all due respect to King James and his much-improved defense, West is the guy Coach Mike Brown calls on to defend the scorers.

KIRK HINRICH, Chicago Bulls – Hinrich makes up for his lack of foot speed and athleticism with grit and a lot of grabbing. He is the master of clinging to someone’s jersey (sometimes pulling it) and getting under a player’s skin. Just ask Dwyane Wade. We like to call it the Hinrich Manuever.

KENYON MARTIN, Denver Nuggets – Despite all the knee surgeries, K-Mart still creates matchup problems for low-post scorers. He put a blanket on David West in the first round and, even though Dirk Nowitzki posted great numbers in the second round, K-Mart made Dirk work for every point.

ANDERSON VAREJAO, Cleveland Cavaliers – He may not be the best on-ball defender, but his value to the Cavaliers cannot be measured with rebounds, blocks and steals. The man they call “Andy” takes a lot of charges, and irritates a lot of opponents with his boundless energy and his Sideshow Bob haircut.

KENDRICK PERKINS, Boston Celtics – Kevin Garnett gets most of the ink and the pub, but this burly 280-pound force in the low block is tough to uproot and plays with great force. He rebounds, blocks shots and defends the pick-and-roll better than most than half the centers in the league.

RUSSELL WESTBROOK, Oklahoma City Thunder  – The former Pac-10 defensive player of the year made an easy transition from college to pro. He has extremely long arms for a guard and his quick feet allows him to beat an offensive player to a spot. Give him another year and he should make the All-Defense team.

PAUL PIERCE, Boston Celtics – Pierce is mostly known for his offense. The truth is, at this stage of his career, his defense might be better than his offense. During the Celtics’ great playoff in 2008, Pierce guarded Joe Johnson, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. And more often than not, Pierce won his one-one-one battles.

TREVOR ARIZA, L.A. Lakers – The former UCLA Bruin is the real reason for the Lakers’ upgrade on defense. Kobe Bryant only plays defense against the elite guys. When you are a nobody, Kobe will leave you open. Ariza, on the other hand, plays defense 24/7. His length allows him to get a lot of deflections and steals.

UDONIS HASLEM, Miami Heat – Despite being undersized and overmatched more often than not, Haslem – who is generously listed at 6-8 – wins a lot of his one-on-one battles mostly with heart and determination. The Heat co-caption embodies everything Pat Riley likes in a player.

CHUCK HAYES, Houston Rockets – Another undersized frontcourt player who plays with great leverage. Former Houston Coach Jeff Van Gundy calls Hayes a great low-post defender despite his lack of size (he is listed at 6-6). He has a very strong lower body, which keeps bigger centers from backing him down.

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