Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat continue to make clear that they’re about winning games.
If it’s any consolation, the Miami Heat and Hassan Whiteside are doing exactly what they should.
Good families fight. Members say stupid things, and problems get resolved. When Whiteside spoke his mind on his limited playing time, he said it in a bad way and at a poor time.
Days later, Whiteside has made clear he is regretful in his word choice, and seemingly committed to a positive relationship with Miami moving forward. Problem solved, right?
"“Yeah, because I could have handled it different,” Whiteside said of his comments. “But I got so caught up in wanting to get that win. I get real competitive. I really want to be out there. But I just trust coach’s decision.”"
Ok, the story is deeper than that, but the sentiment stands.
Whiteside has spent the season following head coach Erik Spoelstra’s game plan to a T. The results are evident by the win column: Miami’s not a perfect team, but they are a playoff team.
Speaking out has given the Heat the chance to address the elephant in the room, and at a good juncture. Entering the playoffs is inherently stressful, so ironing out these personnel problems before the post-season is important.
Whiteside’s outburst is key but not just for impending contractual reasons. Yes, the talk of the town shifts to his future with the organization, but there’s more at stake.
This situation could be looked at as just a hot-head blowing steam or the end of Whiteside in South Florida, however, things aren’t always so black and white.
So let’s take a look at the deeper narrative here.
For the Culture
With his slick back hair, glistening championship adornments and no-nonsense attitude, Heat president Pat Riley effortlessly fills Miami’s Godfather role. Evidenced by past run-ins with LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal, Riley doesn’t take well to disrespect.
Subsequently, this hard-nosed mantra trickles down, through coaches and players alike.
Expecting an all-in culture, Whiteside’s remarks sit in contrast to anything Miami’s dealt with since the glossy Heatles era. The roster’s collective youth pales in comparison to Riley’s battle-tested history. As such, Heat players tend to fall in line with their organizational expectations.
But Whiteside bucked that trend. As a max contract player, he expects max contract time.
Players get signed to bogus deals all the time (see: Chandler Parsons) but Whiteside’s drastic shift in playing time, down to 25.6 minutes per game from 32.6 in 2017 is troubling.
Whiteside’s comments then, are a breath of fresh air in an organization that usually sees problems swept under the rug before they hit national media. Udonis Haslem has done a fantastic job of bridging the gap between Heat players and coaches/management, but Whiteside’s attitude is keeping Miami in check.
Coaches and presidents can be wrong just as players can. If coaches were never wrong, Earl Watson, Jason Kidd and David Fizdale would still have their jobs.
That’s not to say Whiteside or Spoelstra were right in their judgement. If you have a seven-foot, shot blocking madman, it might a good idea to play him.
Still, if there was ever any doubt about Whiteside’s commitment and effort (which there was) Miami’s giant, four-year offering should have been reconsidered.
Regardless, the fact that Whiteside spoke up at all is better than his general ambivalence. Whiteside’s comments signify he still cares about the organization.
When office conversations with Spoelstra and Riley no longer cut it, taking matters into his own hands with the media could result in the mediation Whiteside was looking for.
It’s ok to be mad, sometimes
Losing to a lottery-bound team like the Brooklyn Nets in overtime is shameful. Even worse though, is a placid attitude portrayed to the postgame media. Class is surely a key component to professionalism, but in the NBA, so is passion.
After the Brooklyn game however, the conversation hinged on a missed call on Dwyane Wade. Excuse the fact that Wade still missed an earlier layup, and the Heat had numerous chances to avoid overtime altogether.
Still, all Miami could talk about was the forthcoming last two minutes report.
"“Thanks for nothing,” Spoesltra said of the no-call. He added, “I shouldn’t have said something because sometimes when you say something they’ll definitely take the opposite angle and stance on that.”"
Acknowledging his misstep in addressing the refereeing is akin to Whiteside’s misstep in addressing the media. Both were rash decisions at the time, but their passion for the game won out, leading to bad choices all around.
The moral of the story is that calling out refs doesn’t change the game outcome and calling out the coach doesn’t automatically increase your playing time. But both moves have a place in addressing accountability and proactive behavior to ensure those situations don’t become the norm.
It would be a real pity to have the franchise’s legacied unique culture shift, just because of one player’s inability to work through issues behind closed doors. Especially considering that both parties do in fact want the same thing; it just comes down to how to achieve it, and how to best communicate with one another along the way.
What’s next?
If Whiteside doesn’t call out Spoelstra, would he have been as receptive to Whiteside’s concerns behind closed doors? Fans have already seen Spoelstra flake on at least one initiative this season, namely, pairing rookie Bam Adebayo with Whiteside in the rotation.
From a managerial standpoint, Miami wants Whiteside to keep his mouth shut. Chastising the organization hurts his trade value and tarnishes the respect the Heat have earned among potential free agents.
At the end of the day however, all Heat Nation wants, from the owners to the fans, is passionate Heat basketball. Luckily, Miami has the chance to regroup against the Atlanta Hawks, one of league’s worst teams.
Should Spoelstra try and run Whiteside 30-plus minutes to see how he fares? It wouldn’t hurt. The Hawks are in the market for a few more losses, and Miami would have to outright skip the game to give Atlanta a fair shot at victory.
Sitting Whiteside however isn’t the answer. For better or worse, Whiteside is on Miami, and playoff matches with the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors will need his presence.
Aron Baynes and Marcus Morris can outmuscle much of Miami’s frontline in Boston, and Jonas Valanciunas’ tank-like structure would give Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk trouble in Toronto.
Until Miami has a winning formula without him, benching Whiteside and losing games is a defeatist strategy just before the playoffs.
Next: Turning up the Heat: Is Miami’s Whiteside in or out?
The Heat have come too far in their journey over the past two years, to squander a successful postseason run just because of a disagreement. Regardless of which side fans are on, everyone wants the team’s efforts to keep being recognized, both now and during the playoffs.