Miami Heat 1-on-1: There’s never a dull moment with this team

And who do you blame for things with Hassan Whiteside, not panning out as expected?

Tachauer: Well, blame is a little harsh, but I guess the coaching staff? Look, the Heat knew who and what Whiteside was, when they re-signed him to that max contract, right? So with that fact on the table, Spoelstra and company should have done whatever it took to make sure they found an effective way to best utilize his skill set by now. Forget about his lackluster 2017-18 run. And the fact that yes, they have a great up-and-coming big in Adebayo. Whiteside is ready and willing (and still able to be dominant by the way), in the here and now. Therefore, there’s really no reason why Miami shouldn’t be trying to maximize his potential.

Johnson:  Honestly, I basically blame the entire front office for offering him that max contract in the first place. Listen, Whiteside could have been producing at DeMarcus Cousins level-numbers, and still, that wouldn’t have changed the reality of being 7-feet tall in the modern NBA world. The game is changing, whether we like it or not. And will only continue to do so, moving forward. Whiteside isn’t the pace and space player Miami wants—and obviously its’s no fault of his own—so the onus has to fall on the team itself. There’s just no way around it. Plus, the fact that Whiteside and Spoelstra have supposedly patched things over, indicates that Miami did very much want things to work. But  unfortunately, Whiteside just falls short (pun completely intended) of making the Heat’s ideal roster.

Maybe the bounce back is coming.