Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside clearly isn’t a fan of how head coach Erik Spoelstra uses him.
The Heat lost 110-109 in overtime to a very bad Brooklyn Nets team on Saturday night in Miami. Whiteside only played 20 minutes, and didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter or overtime.
After the game, Whiteside was very honest about how he frustrated he is with his usage. The media specifically asked him about when he’s on the bench when the opposition goes with a small lineup late in the game, and Whiteside said “it’s bullshit.”
BREAKING: Whiteside says it's "bull shit" that Heat doesn't use him late when other teams go small. Unsure of future here. Whoa.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) April 1, 2018
Whiteside: "Man, it's annoying, you know. Why we matching up? We got one of the best centers in the league. Why we matching up? A lot of teams don't have a good center. … It's bullshit. It's really bullshit, man. There's a lot of teams that could use a center."
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 1, 2018
Whiteside was also asked if he’s discussed his playing time with the coaching staff, and if he’s now questioning his future with the Heat (via the Miami Herald):
Asked if he tried to discuss it with one of the coaches during the game, Whiteside said: “I don’t know if it’s because I’m on a minutes restriction. The minutes have been like that all year. It’s really frustrating. It’s been frustrating. It’s tough. I don’t know, man. It’s crazy. I don’t understand it.”
Asked if this has made him question his future with the Heat, Whiteside said: “I don’t know. Maybe.”
Whiteside, 28, is averaging 14.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game this season. His 24.10 Player Efficiency Rating ranks 16th in the NBA, and fourth among centers.
However, the Heat are 6.1 points per 100 possessions better without Whiteside on the court, as Sports Illustrated’s Rohan Nadkarni noted:
https://twitter.com/RohanNadkarni/status/980285824624418816
So perhaps the Heat are handling this situation as they should be, but it’s clear that Whiteside doesn’t agree with it. Then when you factor in that Whiteside is owed $25.4 million next season and has a $27.9 million player option in 2019-20… you’d have to think Miami will shop Whiteside in the upcoming offseason.
