What does the future hold for Hassan Whiteside?

As we get closer to the playoffs, the spotlight will be shining on Hassan Whiteside and his upcoming free agency.

All U Can Heat’s Chris Posada and Wes Goldberg thought it would be a good idea to talk about what the future holds for the Block Mamba. We also try to keep it 100. This is Goldie and CPo.

GOLDBERG: It’s been a while since we visited the Hassan Whiteside situation. He’s been coming off the bench since the All Star break, putting up monster numbers (17 double doubles since then!) and has fit in swimmingly without causing any problems. The team has seemed to be rallying around and embracing him. It’s a dramatic shift from when he was almost ran out of town after trying to elbow Boban Marjanovic’s jaw into the 25th row in early February. His punishment of sorts (even if it wasn’t intended that way) has been coming off the bench for Amar’e Stoudemire. He’s thriving in that role, and the Heat have been one of the hottest teams in the league in that time, this week’s Lakers loss not withstanding.

A lot of people are wondering when he will regain his staring spot. Personally, I like Whiteside coming off the bench. Not only does he give the second unit a boost in scoring, it also allows the veteran starting unit to set the tone. This gets lost in the raw stats. As much as Whiteside is showing he can be a team player, he still demands the ball and will stop the ball movement a majority of the time. Stoudemire starting over him allows the ball to pick up some momentum and give the other four starters an opportunity to get in the flow before Whiteside enters the game. I think this is where he has the most value to the team.

POSADA: This really has been the tale of two Whitesides, and it has been such a fascinating sub-plot to this season. We can probably agree that he was the ultimate X-Factor to this team’s playoff hopes coming into the season, and this season has played out exactly that way. Of course, it hasn’t been without its drama (your Boban example stands out; his never-ending quest to fight Eastern Europeans is definitely a drawback at the negotiating table), as the On/Off numbers debate early on, his inability to defend on the perimeter, block hunting, free throw shooting, and lack of passing were all being dissected under the microscope. I, for one, thought and said he should have been dealt for whatever they could get.

The lesson, as always, I’m an idiot.

Call it coaching, or growing up, or just realizing that Lebanon wasn’t that long ago that lit a fire under him, whatever it was I’m glad it did. All those concerns magically disappeared. He’s shooting 76% from the line since the break, he’s developed a consistent enough jumper that I expect it to go in if he’s in a rhythm. A bright spot in the Lakers game was when he switched onto Clarkson on the perimeter and stripped him. That effort was beyond insane! The Heat now have the luxury of summoning a Death Star to come off the bench and bring carnage and chaos as a part of that Miami Speed Machine lineup (alongside Dragic, Richardson, Winslow, and Deng).

And coming off the bench is such an overblown topic, as he’s basically playing starters minutes, and, most importantly, finishing games. I like your point about letting the vets set the tone early, then let the kids come in to run amok. Besides, Whiteside facing off against opposing second units builds his confidence and helps him focus the rest of the game.

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GOLDBERG: I want to talk about the free throw shooting thing for a second. I don’t think we have fully digested just how incredible the improvement at the line has been. Talking heads scold the likes of DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard and for years–same thing if you go back to Shaquille O’Neal–and blame the entire hack-a-dealio on their inability to learn how to shoot free throws. A couple of teams tried the same thing against Whiteside and what did he do? He hit the gym and tried to fix it.

Now, I’m a big believer that simply saying “hit your free throws” is unfair to centers. They are in the NBA because they are tall and can block shots and can rebound and have a height handicap to getting the ball in the net, not to shoot. Still, for Whiteside to just flip the switch on his free throw shooting is mind blowing and, more than anything, a hint that this dude has only scratched the surface of his potential. It’s clear he has some kind of shooting touch, and delivering from the stripe only backs up that notion.

This guy has all kinds of room to grow still (you mentioned his effort defending Jordan Clarkson last night when no one else gave him consistent deterrence) and the Heat should absolutely lock him up.

POSADA: The free throw thing is beyond astonishing. 76%! That’s a real figure! That’s not even a gradual improvement, it’s basically Whiteside punching in a cheat code!

But it does speak to the larger point of him putting in the work to fix the areas that were deemed broken. In what amounted to a week’s time, he’s evolved into a whole new player. His final form could rule the planet, and I, for one, welcome our new overlord.

At this point, the sky’s the limit for him and he’s the only thing that could get in the way of that. It’s a no-brainer for the Heat to lock him up; he’s earned every penny.

Of course, giving him a max deal does have a ripple effect on the rest of Pat Riley’s plans. You have to think that gets in the way of Riley trying to lure a big name, right?

GOLDBERG: That’s what it all boils down to: chase a big name or re-sign the big guy. But it’s not as simple as just choosing between the two options. Timing comes into play.

Luckily for Riley and the Heat, the moratorium period exists. They have to, and likely will, get a meeting with Kevin Durant during that time. They need to navigate that meeting skillfully and determine how much of a chance they have at signing Durant because, and I imagine you agree, if it’s Durant or Whiteside, you sign Durant. But if it’s Whiteside or Al Horford? Or Whiteside or Nic Batum? Nope, you go with Whiteside.

The Heat just can’t risk him walking when free agency opens while they court Durant. That’s why I think if the Heat don’t get a near commitment from Durant during that in-between period, Riley has to make an offer to Whiteside at 12:01 AM the day free agency opens.

POSADA: You could argue that the Heat will have one of the top three free agents available on the market, which, to me, says a lot about how overrated this class is going to be. I’m not punting Whiteside for the likes of Horford (approaching 30) or Batum (nice player, but not worth max money).

But Durant is an interesting case.

I don’t really think the Heat have a good shot at him. But with the way the Wizards are going, Miami or Boston might fill the void of team in the East he could go to. I’d say a core of Bosh (*crosses fingers*) Dragic, Whiteside, Winslow, Richardson, and maybe Tyler Johnson could appeal more than Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder. But Ainge has all those picks to use to get someone like Love or Cousins to Boston, which could turn the tide.

Of course, that means keeping Whiteside in the fold to appeal to Durant, which I think would have interest to him. Maybe Hassan takes a little less if he feels playing with KD puts the Heat in the driver’s seat in the East. But that scenario muddies the water for a Wade return…

Assuming Durant re-ups in OKC (a two-year with an opt out after one is likely), Heat really should bring this group back together for another run (max/close to max Whiteside; fit Wade, Deng, and possibly Joe Johnson on one-year deals) and dive head first in 2017, where guys like Durant, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul (ETO), and Gordon Hayward (ETO) will be waiting.

GOLDBERG: There are reports that suggest Riley views this as a two year plan and, if that’s true, I think you’re spot on. We know that Riley is going to do what he can to maintain flexibility for 2017 if he doesn’t land Durant this summer (and I agree that seems unlikely and Durant probably re-signs with OKC).

In that case I don’t think Riley has a choice but to sign Whiteside to an expensive, long term deal. That could still muck up what they can do in 2017, but we know Riley and general manager slash/GOAT Andy Elisburg are resourceful A.F.

While I don’t have a problem maintaining flexibility–and signing aging players like Deng and Johnson to one-year deals seems both prudent and savvy–I’m not sure the grass is always greener. Durant and Westbrook may want to sign with each other somewhere and the Heat won’t have money for that unless they blow up the roster. Chris Paul is aging and Gordon Hayward is a good player but not worth planning future free agencies around.

And that brings us back to the original point, how good can Whiteside be? He’s 26, a physical freak and has proven he can improve his deficiencies when he puts his mind to it. With all of the talk of the Heat landing a big name, they may already have.