Time for a divorce: Miami Heat need to trade Hassan Whiteside
Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside is a poor fit for the Miami Heat’s culture. To improve the team, the Heat should trade him.
According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard the Heat are gauging interest for a Hassan Whiteside trade.
Hassan Whiteside may very well be one of the top five centers in the NBA. He leads the league in blocks, is fifth in the league in rebounds, and averages 12 points a game. He is the quintessential rim protector.
The weaknesses in Whiteside’s game can be fixed. The weaknesses in his character cannot.
Further, he has a surprisingly soft touch and shows signs of developing a decent mid-range game. As a 55 percent free throw shooter, opposing coaches can no longer employ a hack-a-Whiteside tactic. Such an approach would now give up 110 points per 100 possessions.
But, Whiteside is not the perfect player. He doesn’t do the little things that make big men great. Once he gets the ball, Whiteside almost never passes, posting one of the worst assist per game ratios in the league. He sets poor screens, allowing defenders to stay with Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade when they attack the rim. He lacks a developed post-up game.
On the defensive end, statistics indicate the Heat are actually better defensively with Whiteside on the bench. The weaknesses in Whiteside’s game can be fixed. The weaknesses in his character cannot.
Whiteside is emotionally immature. The most recent example came when Whiteside was ejected from the game against the San Antonio Spurs on February 9. The attack on Boban Marjanovic was the result of frustration. Last year, Whiteside had similar incidents with the Phoenix Suns’ Alex Len and the Boston Celtics’ Kelly Olynyk.
The easy answer is to say that Whiteside needs to grow up. But, Whiteside is grown. He is 26 years old and has played professional basketball for 6 years, 2 of which were overseas. Other signs of immaturity can be found in Whiteside’s social media presence and obsession with his virtual self’s NBA 2K stats.
At this point, one must conclude that Whiteside is what he is. An emotionally immature, rim-protecting monster. He will never ‘grow up’.
The question then becomes: is his talent worth the baggage? On other teams the answer is yes. On the Heat, the answer is no.
The Heat organization has had success by cultivating mature, team first players. The Big-3 worked because Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were more concerned with championships than with their own egos.
Players like Udonis Haslem embrace their role and execute it to perfection for the sake of the team. There is a reason when the Heat drafted Justise Winslow that multiple outlets reported he was a perfect fit. Winslow is emotionally mature and cares more about winning then stats.
In contrast to Winslow, Whiteside just doesn’t fit. He doesn’t fit with the Heat philosophy. He doesn’t fit with the Heat basketball system. It’s hard to part with someone of Whiteside’s talent, but sometimes you have to add by subtracting. Just ask the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks had a similar situation with Percy Harvin, one of the most talented players in the NFL. When they realized Harvin didn’t fit with their philosophy and system, they traded him. And then went on to when the Super Bowl.
From a basketball stand point, Whiteside would be a better fit with a team that surrounded him with shooters. The Heat lack shooters. The Heat would benefit from a big who could stretch the floor since two of their most effective players, Wade and Dragic, are rim attackers. Whiteside does not stretch the floor.
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If the Heat want to make a deep playoff run this year, they must trade Whiteside. It’s simple addition by subtraction.