NBA Rumors: After a woeful showing in the NBA Playoffs, Pat Riley, in his season-ending press conference, had a few choice words for Hassan Whiteside
Something was off with Hassan Whiteside. That was pretty clear when watching his performance in the Miami Heat’s first round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
During those quick five games, Whiteside, the Heat’s max player, averaged just five points and six rebounds while playing only 15 minutes per contest. When he was on the floor, he often looked uninterested and out of place.
The Hassan Whiteside that we saw in the playoffs looked an awful lot like a checked out player who had no interest in playing basketball. And as soon as the series concluded, he wasted no time in complaining about the role he was given for the postseason.
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Which leads me to believe that he was checked out. It’s honestly the only logical explanation, unless there’s an injury here that has not been reported. However, by now, it would’ve surfaced, and one hasn’t.
With that said, it’s going to be an interesting offseason, to say the least, for both Hassan Whiteside and the Miami Heat. Hassan has two years remaining on his max contract, and is reportedly going to be shopped this summer.
The big problem for the Heat, however, is that his stock is at an all-time low after his putrid performance in the postseason. But that’s a problem that the team will have to figure out in the coming weeks and months.
As a parting shot into the postseason, though, Heat team president Pat Riley made known that the organization was clearly disappointed in how he performed to close the season.
Riley: 'To do the things he needs to do, defensive, rebounding, shot blocking .. he had a bad year this year.' Said Whiteside has to help himself
— Tom D'Angelo (@tomdangelo44) April 30, 2018
Riley: "I have the same problem with Hassan. He's going to have to do something to change because he's a hell of a player." (Spoke of way centers are asked to play in today's NBA) "How can he make himself effective?"
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) April 30, 2018
It’s pretty clear that the Heat didn’t like the way Hassan handled himself down the stretch. Question is, how will he do moving forward?
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And will he be playing in a Miami Heat uniform next season? It’s a question that shouldn’t be overlooked.