Is Hassan Whiteside’s career salvageable for the Miami Heat?
Will we see Hassan Whiteside in a Miami Heat jersey this season?
Over the past two months, the Miami Heat have teeter-tottered in their alleged plans for its max contract center, Hassan Whiteside.
In April, as the season came to a close, Whiteside bemoaned his lack of minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs, feeling head coach Erik Spoelstra didn’t even give him a chance.
"“Not being out there,” Whiteside told reporters in round 1. “Not being out there. At least give me a chance to fight. At least give me a chance to fight. I can understand if I was playing 30 minutes and I played bad. At least give me a chance.”"
His exclusion and off-kilter attitude pointed to Miami washing their hands of his 7-foot presence, even if that meant losing the 2015-16 NBA leader in blocked shots.
Two months later, with the stagnant heat of Las Vegas spoiling any lasting memories of the 2018 NBA playoffs, the Heat sang a different tune.
"“We’ve gotten together for lunch, in constant contact on the phone and in text,” Spoelstra said of his relationship with Whiteside. Like many things in this league, it’s not what it seems on the outside. It’s pretty normal NBA life. I’m looking forward to the start of the season with a healthy Hassan. I know he’s looking forward to that. And we still have a good part of the summer to get better.”"
Such a turnaround would send even the Tasmanian Devil into a frenzy. Here is Whiteside, arguably Miami’s biggest problem – positionally and attitudinally – coming back to reality after the maelstrom that was his 2017-18 season.
And we’re to believe that everything can be patched over?
Well, of course we should.
Whiteside’s game fits Miami’s needs
Team president Pat Riley added to Spoelstra’s comments, that this mediation is exactly what the Heat needed: equal and opposite forces coming together to find a common ground.
"“The disconnect between he and Spo that’s going to take a discussion between them and it’s going to take thought on the part of coach and also Hassan,” Riley told the Palm Beach Post."
Riley also suggested that even if Whiteside were still on the trading block, Miami would need contracts that would make such a move worthwhile. That implies expiring contracts and deals that would help get the Heat out of the luxury tax by the end of 2018-19, not to mention a player (or players) that fill the rotation, at least in the short term.
At the end of the day, all the news that has come out surrounding Whiteside has left fans and media with a big pile of nothing.
On a good note, Whiteside has been almost entirely absent from his name’s chatter. Besides a miniscule outburst that saw him drilling a 3 in a murky gymnasium and questioning why he isn’t allowed to shoot, Whiteside has been quiet.
His Twitter features the staple retweets about haters and Fortnite, and his Instagram has a heartwarming post about collaborating with Lamborghini to serve even the most gargantuan of men.
That Whiteside has kept out of the speculation is wholly a net positive for Miami. If he returns with lifted spirits and a healthy body, he can easily provide the Heat the defensive anchor they desperately need in the East.
While small ball is the league’s latest craze, enough teams still posture with oversized pieces and rim-assailants. In the Eastern Conference alone, Miami faces the Sixers, Milwaukee Bucks, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors, all of which feature a core player who makes his living attacking the basket.
Whether that means meeting Giannis Antetokounmpo at the rim or squaring off against any of Andre Drummond, Jonas Valanciunas or Dwight Howard in the post, the Heat will need Whiteside’s contributions.
Stock market boom, Whiteside’s doom
Unfortunately, the positivity seemingly flowing around the Whiteside talks could be Miami’s best rouse yet.
Picture this: the Heat, desperate to shed salary and remain competitive this season, hop on the phones with various NBA personnel, pushing for a move but no one is biting on a Whiteside deal.
Claims of being too disruptive in the locker room or being too unhealthy to reach 100 percent health again stopped Miami dead in their tracks.
That’s when Riley pulls out his most Godfather-esque move yet. Miami starts talking Whiteside up.
By inflating his value with stories of Whiteside’s inclusion in 2018-19 and his willingness to work with the coaching staff, Miami is singlehandedly reversing the narrative that Whiteside is untradeable.
In fact, you’d be stupid not to take on such an asset.
In either scenario, Whiteside’s career is a reclamation.
Whether that means he helps get Miami under the cap with a deal or two, or that he actually aids Miami’s on-court efforts, Whiteside is potentially Miami’s most important piece this offseason.
At the moment, all the Heat can do is wait. The trade deadline isn’t until February, giving them time to figure out what to do with Whiteside.
Next: Miami Heat: Two more Summer League talents receive contract offers
Patience is a virtue, especially when your client has another 20-point, 13-rebound season just waiting to be realized.