Column: Hassan Whiteside is foolish for calling out DeAndre Jordan
By Wes Goldberg
Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside shouldn’t be providing bulletin board material for a superior team and better player.
The Miami Heat host the Los Angeles Clippers Friday, a game that features two of the better rim-protecting bigmen in the game. Hassan Whiteside, however, is not impressed with DeAndre Jordan. In fact, he dismissed the oft-made comparison, via the Miami Herald.
"“No,” Whiteside said Thursday when asked about Jordan and whether their games are similar. “He catches lobs. I shoot jumpers, catch lobs, block shots. I do a lot. He just catches lobs.”"
Jordan has mastered catching lobs, and is converting 65 percent of his field goal attempts this season compared to Whiteside’s 54.2 percent. Almost all of Jordan’s shot come near the rim.
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Whiteside, meanwhile, is converting 72 percent of his shots at the rim (better than Jordan) while shooting less than 40 percent on his jumpers between 3 and 16 feet. Whiteside saying he does a lot is like me saying I play piano. I can sit down and tap some keys, it doesn’t mean I’m playing the piano well.
Whiteside went on to talk about himself in the third person. Which is totally reassuring.
"“It doesn’t really matter to me who I’m playing,” Whiteside said. “I don’t pay attention to any other center. I’m still trying to beat 12 blocks. I’m just trying to compete against Whiteside every day.”"
And just to make sure he didn’t give Jordan too much credit, he made sure to add that he has Chris Paul throwing those lobs.
"“[Jordan’s] got CP3 as a point guard — a great North Carolina point guard, I’d like to add,” Whiteside said."
What’s Goran Dragic? Chopped liver? Maybe set better screens for him and he’ll throw you better lobs, big guy.
We talked about this on the latest Locked On Heat podcast, which you can listen to here:
Here’s a summary.
Whiteside is supposed to be a leader in the Heat’s locker room, and rather than calling out opponents (the Clippers have won 10 more games than the Heat this season) and a player who he probably should look to as a role model (Jordan has twice made the All-NBA Defense first team and made the All-NBA first team last season. Whiteside made the All-NBA Defense second team), he should be focusing on his own team and what he can do better.
Him having the audacity to think he is better than Jordan is worrisome for the Heat when considering his development. If he already thinks he’s the best, where is there left to go?