Hassan Whiteside: Road To The Max

[Rich2Hassan]

Lol, can we knock this chit thread into a black hole?

I've been calling for this for a while now. Maybe since the mods like you, one of them will listen and take it down.

[Bishop45]

Let's build a team that can possibly beat them for sh*ts and giggles. Or better yet to get an idea of what it would take an how unrealistic it is.

Westbrook
Wade
Durant
Bosh
Whiteside

I think we still lose lol

lol of course we lose, not enough basketballs for them and an even worse shooting back court

Wade would defer to a Westbrook or a Durant and take a lesser role, but not a Dragic... hell ******* no.

Hard to see him deferring to both Durant and Westbrook but possible

[KingDavid]

Let's build a team that can possibly beat them for sh*ts and giggles. Or better yet to get an idea of what it would take an how unrealistic it is.

Westbrook
Wade
Durant
Bosh
Whiteside

I think we still lose lol

That would destroy gsw starters...and the rest of the nba.

[Bourne85]

Let's build a team that can possibly beat them for sh*ts and giggles. Or better yet to get an idea of what it would take an how unrealistic it is.

Westbrook
Wade
Durant
Bosh
Whiteside

I think we still lose lol

That would destroy gsw starters...and the rest of the nba.

I doubt it. Westbrook barely gets the ball to Durant as is. I highly doubt he would find touches for Durant Wade Bosh and Whiteside.

If we were allowed to play with 2 basketballs then yea I can see us winning.

Truth is if u wanna beat the Warriors you have to have a VERY mobile big that can switch onto and semi guard Curry.

Which is why any team looking to knock them off needs to start with a guy named AD.

This lineup would beat them.

3nD PG
Wade
3nD SF
Lebron or PG
AD

That's what it takes. And that's exactly how unlikely it is for a team to build that. Basically we, along with the rest of NBA need to pray for injuries or internal drama. If not just sit back and enjoy greatness just like teams had to put up with the Jordan Bulls. Now we have to put up with the Curry Warriors. Sucks, but it is what it is.

[QUIZ]

Lol

[Flash4thewin]

At some point you have to ask yourself this (and that point might only come after the playoffs) -

REGARDLESS of how good Whiteside is/can be - Will this team with him in it making Max money improve enough to contend? Will it be able to have an above average offense?

It doesn't matter if it's "his fault", the coach's fault, or the fit fault. The bottom line is the same - this core isn't looking like it's capable to be good enough together, especially on offense.

For example - If I have a team featuring David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Hakeem and Shaq - and one spot left, I would take Uncle Beno over Dwight Howard for that final open spot. That doesn't Mean Beno is a better player then Dwight, but he will fill my needs for the spot better then Dwight.

I feel we might have a similar situation with Hassan.

Wade - Can't and shouldn't be moved - too much history.
Bosh - Can't be moved - Both history and just our best player overall
Dragic - Can't be moved - simply because there's not a better fitting PG out there we could get.
SF : Deng will probably get moved, But the true upgrades there (Batum, Barnes) will be out of our price range if we Keep Whiteside on Max money.

So Hassan might be the best player we can have for our money this summer, but it also might be a situation where a lesser player will make us better because we'll click better as a team. (or at least that would be the hope, if you subscribe to the "change it up" thinking, which I'm not sure I am at this point).

I believe he was healthy tonight to play big minutes, But Spo benched him for the second half anyway.

YOU SIMPLY CAN'T HAVE A MAX MONEY PLAYER GET "DIDNT PLAY - COACH DECISION". IT DOESN'T HAPPEN.

Very tough spot to be in if you're Pat Riley.

Pat would sell his own mother to win. The notion that Pat holds honor over winning is funny. I can see Pat making monster trades with our core or not resign Wade easily if it means we are a better team in his eye. First and foremost we are a business not a family.

If Spo insists on not playing Whiteside we will trade him on pennies on the dollar vs the obvious losing him for nothing this offseason. Even if we offer Whiteside the Max on day one I bet he still leaves.

[EscapoTHB]

I wonder if we're trying to get Whiteside to implode so that we can lower his price for free agency? The constant negativity, largely led by the organization(they're the ones who were feeding the media the first negative stories about Whiteside's impact(remember Lebatard's first reporting on the subject, and then that just became the party line) could be designed to lower his value the same way that Riley has in the past stashed talented players on the bench to lower their value so we could re-sign.

If we portray Hassan as a low-impact problem-child to the rest of the league, such that no one will offer him the year years--and then we come in with an offer that gives him the most years and money, while still keeping some cap flexibility--well a lot of this will look kinda smart.

[BleedGreen1989]

I wonder if we're trying to get Whiteside to implode so that we can lower his price for free agency? The constant negativity, largely led by the organization(they're the ones who were feeding the media the first negative stories about Whiteside's impact(remember Lebatard's first reporting on the subject, and then that just became the party line) could be designed to lower his value the same way that Riley has in the past stashed talented players on the bench to lower their value so we could re-sign.

If we portray Hassan as a low-impact problem-child to the rest of the league, such that no one will offer him the year years--and then we come in with an offer that gives him the most years and money, while still keeping some cap flexibility--well a lot of this will look kinda smart.

I'm pretty sure the NBA in on to Whiteside at this point. Teams either like him for a max or don't. I can't imagine any stories in the media are truly going to be changing their minds. These teams all do their own homework.

[contract]

Even if we offer Whiteside the Max on day one I bet he still leaves.

You know some team (the Mavs) is going to shovel a load of bull at Whiteside about building a team around him ... and he already knows his status here. It is what it is.

[RexBoyWonder]

I wonder if we're trying to get Whiteside to implode so that we can lower his price for free agency? The constant negativity, largely led by the organization(they're the ones who were feeding the media the first negative stories about Whiteside's impact(remember Lebatard's first reporting on the subject, and then that just became the party line) could be designed to lower his value the same way that Riley has in the past stashed talented players on the bench to lower their value so we could re-sign.

If we portray Hassan as a low-impact problem-child to the rest of the league, such that no one will offer him the year years--and then we come in with an offer that gives him the most years and money, while still keeping some cap flexibility--well a lot of this will look kinda smart.

I don't buy it at all.

In basketball as in life - when facing 2 possible explanations to an issue - It's VERY rarely that the complex conspiracy is the right explanation. 99% of the time it's just the boring, logical, plain and simple answer.

In our case - the simple truth is We (as an organization - And I Include Spo AND our leading players) just don't value Hassan that highly. At least not as highly as the fan base. They see things we don't, on and off the court. They know what helps them win more then we do.

To me it looks like they're trying to make it work, but they just don't see him as a max money player. They see him as a unique piece with real issues that can help at times but also hurt us at other times or just be a non factor. They don't think he impacts winning like a great overall player would. That's why he's getting just 17 minutes against Jordan (played 35).

[CoolD]

I wonder if we're trying to get Whiteside to implode so that we can lower his price for free agency? The constant negativity, largely led by the organization(they're the ones who were feeding the media the first negative stories about Whiteside's impact(remember Lebatard's first reporting on the subject, and then that just became the party line) could be designed to lower his value the same way that Riley has in the past stashed talented players on the bench to lower their value so we could re-sign.

If we portray Hassan as a low-impact problem-child to the rest of the league, such that no one will offer him the year years--and then we come in with an offer that gives him the most years and money, while still keeping some cap flexibility--well a lot of this will look kinda smart.

I don't buy it at all.

In basketball as in life - when facing 2 possible explanations to an issue - It's VERY rarely that the complex conspiracy is the right explanation. 99% of the time it's just the boring, logical, plain and simple answer.

In our case - the simple truth is We (as an organization - And I Include Spo AND our leading players) just don't value Hassan that highly. At least not as highly as the fan base. They see things we don't, on and off the court. They know what helps them win more then we do.

To me it looks like they're trying to make it work, but they just don't see him as a max money player. They see him as a unique piece with real issues that can help at times but also hurt us at other times or just be a non factor. They don't think he impacts winning like a great overall player would. That's why he's getting just 17 minutes against Jordan (played 35).

This would make sense to me, but then I think, washed up Amare Stoudamire getting mins over him, then I start thinking, there must be something going on, my theory, is not about Hassan talent or not, this is just a gut feeling, is that some players don't really like him, he also does not help his case as he just has this morose and glum look, when he gets benched.

I think we are playing with fire with how coach Spo is using him,he will probably not forget when free agency comes around.

[RexBoyWonder]

I wonder if we're trying to get Whiteside to implode so that we can lower his price for free agency? The constant negativity, largely led by the organization(they're the ones who were feeding the media the first negative stories about Whiteside's impact(remember Lebatard's first reporting on the subject, and then that just became the party line) could be designed to lower his value the same way that Riley has in the past stashed talented players on the bench to lower their value so we could re-sign.

If we portray Hassan as a low-impact problem-child to the rest of the league, such that no one will offer him the year years--and then we come in with an offer that gives him the most years and money, while still keeping some cap flexibility--well a lot of this will look kinda smart.

I don't buy it at all.

In basketball as in life - when facing 2 possible explanations to an issue - It's VERY rarely that the complex conspiracy is the right explanation. 99% of the time it's just the boring, logical, plain and simple answer.

In our case - the simple truth is We (as an organization - And I Include Spo AND our leading players) just don't value Hassan that highly. At least not as highly as the fan base. They see things we don't, on and off the court. They know what helps them win more then we do.

To me it looks like they're trying to make it work, but they just don't see him as a max money player. They see him as a unique piece with real issues that can help at times but also hurt us at other times or just be a non factor. They don't think he impacts winning like a great overall player would. That's why he's getting just 17 minutes against Jordan (played 35).

This would make sense to me, but then I think, washed up Amare Stoudamire getting mins over him, then I start thinking, there must be something going on, my theory, is not about Hassan talent or not, this is just a gut feeling, is that some players don't really like him, he also does not help his case as he just has this morose and glum look, when he gets benched.

I think we are playing with fire with how coach Spo is using him,he will probably not forget when free agency comes around.

But why wouldn't they like him?

We have proven winners, high character vets on this team. They seen it all, made the money, got the fame, they're smart, mature professionals. The only reason they might not "like him" is simple - they feel he's not a winning player despite his talent. They don't' think he's really making us a much stronger TEAM overall with him being here.

You give our guys a young stud (let's call him player X) that they think would help them win more and help carry the load, you don't think they would like player X? they would **** love X. They would be non stop praising him, urging the coach to play player X as much as possible.

[dolphinatik]

We are still in a fancier give it to wade and gtfo way mode with bosh mixed in. We managed to marginalize chalmers and Cole when they came out of the gate guns blazing and we somewhat marginalized Beasley with the he wouldn't fit idea. Doesn't fit what .... sharing? And who's not sharing? This is why it's the coaches fault. If you thought blatt was to passive with his superstars then what is spo. We sure love or role playing scrubs to be content with just playing d, waiting for 3's and taking the blame. I hated it when Kobe pushed out Shaq... Bad for basketball (although it brought us a championship). Now we get gifted a talent and we are ready to Kobe him out of town because we can't share? Can't work it out? Wade bosh spo Whiteside need to work it out because the grass ain't greener with another player and you never know what opportunity you may never get again.

[heat4life]

I think the answer to some of your questions are in Barry's Blog (excellent way to break it down)..

On-court issue which can be corrected with extended practice work an of course an open mind to the team's system...

### On-court basketball issues. A person in contact with the Heat’s front-office says even though the Heat clearly values Whiteside’s shot-blocking and rim deterrence, a Heat executive also privately has expressed concern about the times he compromises the Heat’s defense by being out of position.

Wednesday, he gambled for a steal, leaving the Heat vulnerable, and Dallas scored. But generally, this wasn't an issue the past two games, with Chris Bosh and Erik Spoelstra noting that Whiteside did a good job defending even when Charlotte spread the floor Friday.

Earlier this season, Boston's Jared Sullinger said Whiteside simply would not go to the perimeter to defend jump-shooting bigs. That has clearly changed.

There are times Heat players wish he would be more receptive to their direction or pay more attention to detail in setting screens --- a skill that Udonis Haslem and Amar’e Stoudemire are more proficient at.

“I’ve always been on Hassan about his screen setting, especially when it comes to me,” Dwyane Wade told The Palm Beach Post last week. “He needs to put his body on them… be more consistent.” He did that more effectively the past two games.

### On-court mental/effort issues. Here’s one view we heard from inside the locker room recently: He has so much talent; if only he played with the same effort and motor every possession. He clearly did that during his off-the-bench stints in Dallas and Charlotte.

One concern, as explained by a Heat official, is that the organization wishes his concentration wasn’t adversely affected by minor setbacks, whether it’s not being credited with a block, or not getting a referee’s call.

The mental, which seems to be the more concerning since Hassan has yet to prove he is willing to grow beyond the individual glory he seeks....

### Maturity issues. Whiteside is not a bad guy, not a chemistry-killer in the locker-room. But the Heat wishes he made better decisions, wishes he didn’t engage as much in social media.

It wasn’t merely arguing with a fan on Instagram who said on Monday that the Heat is better without him, citing a Miami New Times piece.

According to a team official, the Heat prefers he did not participate in Snapchat at all, though he has not been banned from that. But the Heat will not allow him to do it inside the locker-room --- something that was made very clear earlier this season.

There was the game early this season when Whiteside appeared to be pouting on the bench, upset he wasn’t on the floor, after a big late basket from Wade, who later made clear that he expected Whiteside to be engaged and cheering for teammates. Whiteside has been much improved in that regard since then.

Though he figures to return to the starting lineup at some point soon, the Heat will be very curious to see how Whiteside responds to this bench role. So far, he has said all the right things.

Whiteside also must dispel any perception that his own stats are of primary importance to him. He can go a long way toward doing that by never again motioning to the scorer's table, during a game, and asking them to credit him with a block or assist. Whiteside has done that a couple of times this season and it's not a good look.

Overall, I think his teammates like Hassan, love his potential and can envision a dominant player BUT just plain can't trust him during games to sustain the effort, focus etc. This might seem meaningless during a 82 regular season but in the playoffs? Players that have been there at the highest of levels know what it requires. You can't have effort issues, you can't have focus problems or mental lapses. Those can be the difference between wining and losing a series. Again, this is why Hassan didn't play - right or wrong - in the 4th qtr against the Clippers. The trust is not there and he doesn't make it easier to earn it.

Listen to Wade speak of DeAndre Jordan...

“DeAndre Jordan is a helluva defender,” said Wade, who along with Bosh and point guard Goran Dragic each scored 17 points to lead the Heat, but did it on a combined 19 of 50 shooting.

“He doesn’t get enough credit. He messes a lot of things up and he keeps you off balance. He did a great job of communicating. As a guard, you hear him talking and yelling and it kind of makes you think for a second. So, a lot of credit goes to him in the way they defended us.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article59013303.html#storylink=cpy

Is Hassan there? I think so but can he go about his business like Jordan has? DJ seems to understand his place on a team with Paul, Griffin and even Redick and Pierce... instead we get this..

Whiteside said afterward he felt healthy enough to continue playing and was surprised Spoelstra didn’t go back to him in the final period. Spoelstra said he simply wanted to stick with the group on the floor that had rallied the Heat from 12 points down to within a three-pointer.

“I’m not talking to coach about it,” said Whiteside, who was held without a block for only the third time this season. “We’ve talked about it so many times. Ain’t no reason to keep going to talk to him about it. I’m gonna just play.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article59013303.html#storylink=cpy

I mean, it is clear to see that there are trust issue on one end and someone who is just not getting it on the other.
Something's gotta give!

[CoolD]

I don't buy it at all.

In basketball as in life - when facing 2 possible explanations to an issue - It's VERY rarely that the complex conspiracy is the right explanation. 99% of the time it's just the boring, logical, plain and simple answer.

In our case - the simple truth is We (as an organization - And I Include Spo AND our leading players) just don't value Hassan that highly. At least not as highly as the fan base. They see things we don't, on and off the court. They know what helps them win more then we do.

To me it looks like they're trying to make it work, but they just don't see him as a max money player. They see him as a unique piece with real issues that can help at times but also hurt us at other times or just be a non factor. They don't think he impacts winning like a great overall player would. That's why he's getting just 17 minutes against Jordan (played 35).

This would make sense to me, but then I think, washed up Amare Stoudamire getting mins over him, then I start thinking, there must be something going on, my theory, is not about Hassan talent or not, this is just a gut feeling, is that some players don't really like him, he also does not help his case as he just has this morose and glum look, when he gets benched.

I think we are playing with fire with how coach Spo is using him,he will probably not forget when free agency comes around.

But why wouldn't they like him?

We have proven winners, high character vets on this team. They seen it all, made the money, got the fame, they're smart, mature professionals. The only reason they might not "like him" is simple - they feel he's not a winning player despite his talent. They don't' think he's really making us a much stronger TEAM overall with him being here.

You give our guys a young stud (let's call him player X) that they think would help them win more and help carry the load, you don't think they would like player X? they would **** love X. They would be non stop praising him, urging the coach to play player X as much as possible.

Maybe he is a difficult player.
Look at Kobe, he had problems with Shaq. Dwight didn't resign with the Lakers when he had the chance, and they haven't landed anything in free agency. Kobe was one of the most talented players ever, but he didn't seem to get along, and probably wasn't well liked by some of his teammates.
Now the problem Whiteside is no where near as talented as Kobe, that the organization will take Kobe over anyone, like they did Kobe over Shaq.
Don't get me wrong, if Whiteside is a player that other players don't like, that takes away from his value.
But to me when you play Amare over Whiteside, Amare doesn't have a future with the Heat, he is not as impactful at the moment as Whiteside. And even if people want to argue Amare for some odd reason is a better fit with the starters, why is Whiteside the sacrificial lamb? When Spo wants to experiment. It just seems there has to be something going on.

And the thing is, I just don't trust Spo's judgment.

[QUIZ]

Spoiler:

I think the answer to some of your questions are in Barry's Blog (excellent way to break it down)..

On-court issue which can be corrected with extended practice work an of course an open mind to the team's system...

### On-court basketball issues. A person in contact with the Heat’s front-office says even though the Heat clearly values Whiteside’s shot-blocking and rim deterrence, a Heat executive also privately has expressed concern about the times he compromises the Heat’s defense by being out of position.

Wednesday, he gambled for a steal, leaving the Heat vulnerable, and Dallas scored. But generally, this wasn't an issue the past two games, with Chris Bosh and Erik Spoelstra noting that Whiteside did a good job defending even when Charlotte spread the floor Friday.

Earlier this season, Boston's Jared Sullinger said Whiteside simply would not go to the perimeter to defend jump-shooting bigs. That has clearly changed.

There are times Heat players wish he would be more receptive to their direction or pay more attention to detail in setting screens --- a skill that Udonis Haslem and Amar’e Stoudemire are more proficient at.

“I’ve always been on Hassan about his screen setting, especially when it comes to me,” Dwyane Wade told The Palm Beach Post last week. “He needs to put his body on them… be more consistent.” He did that more effectively the past two games.

### On-court mental/effort issues. Here’s one view we heard from inside the locker room recently: He has so much talent; if only he played with the same effort and motor every possession. He clearly did that during his off-the-bench stints in Dallas and Charlotte.

One concern, as explained by a Heat official, is that the organization wishes his concentration wasn’t adversely affected by minor setbacks, whether it’s not being credited with a block, or not getting a referee’s call.

The mental, which seems to be the more concerning since Hassan has yet to prove he is willing to grow beyond the individual glory he seeks....

### Maturity issues. Whiteside is not a bad guy, not a chemistry-killer in the locker-room. But the Heat wishes he made better decisions, wishes he didn’t engage as much in social media.

It wasn’t merely arguing with a fan on Instagram who said on Monday that the Heat is better without him, citing a Miami New Times piece.

According to a team official, the Heat prefers he did not participate in Snapchat at all, though he has not been banned from that. But the Heat will not allow him to do it inside the locker-room --- something that was made very clear earlier this season.

There was the game early this season when Whiteside appeared to be pouting on the bench, upset he wasn’t on the floor, after a big late basket from Wade, who later made clear that he expected Whiteside to be engaged and cheering for teammates. Whiteside has been much improved in that regard since then.

Though he figures to return to the starting lineup at some point soon, the Heat will be very curious to see how Whiteside responds to this bench role. So far, he has said all the right things.

Whiteside also must dispel any perception that his own stats are of primary importance to him. He can go a long way toward doing that by never again motioning to the scorer's table, during a game, and asking them to credit him with a block or assist. Whiteside has done that a couple of times this season and it's not a good look.

Overall, I think his teammates like Hassan, love his potential and can envision a dominant player BUT just plain can't trust him during games to sustain the effort, focus etc. This might seem meaningless during a 82 regular season but in the playoffs? Players that have been there at the highest of levels know what it requires. You can't have effort issues, you can't have focus problems or mental lapses. Those can be the difference between wining and losing a series. Again, this is why Hassan didn't play - right or wrong - in the 4th qtr against the Clippers. The trust is not there and he doesn't make it easier to earn it.

Listen to Wade speak of DeAndre Jordan...

“DeAndre Jordan is a helluva defender,” said Wade, who along with Bosh and point guard Goran Dragic each scored 17 points to lead the Heat, but did it on a combined 19 of 50 shooting.

“He doesn’t get enough credit. He messes a lot of things up and he keeps you off balance. He did a great job of communicating. As a guard, you hear him talking and yelling and it kind of makes you think for a second. So, a lot of credit goes to him in the way they defended us.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article59013303.html#storylink=cpy

Is Hassan there? I think so but can he go about his business like Jordan has? DJ seems to understand his place on a team with Paul, Griffin and even Redick and Pierce... instead we get this..

Whiteside said afterward he felt healthy enough to continue playing and was surprised Spoelstra didn’t go back to him in the final period. Spoelstra said he simply wanted to stick with the group on the floor that had rallied the Heat from 12 points down to within a three-pointer.

“I’m not talking to coach about it,” said Whiteside, who was held without a block for only the third time this season. “We’ve talked about it so many times. Ain’t no reason to keep going to talk to him about it. I’m gonna just play.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/miami-heat/article59013303.html#storylink=cpy

I mean, it is clear to see that there are trust issue on one end and someone who is just not getting it on the other.
Something's gotta give!

There's a lot of good stuff there. I think at the end of the day what you have to accept as a Heat fan is that because of the way we run things as a player you're either in or you're out. There really is no life in between. Whether you think thats right or wrong it doesn't matter. When the Heat talk about their one voice policy they really mean it, from the security guy whose refusing entry to Tyler Johnson because he doesn't look like an NBA player all the way up to Micky and Nick Arison. No one goes against the grain.

So at the end of the day either Hassan is going to conform to what we want him to be or he's gone. There really isn't anything else to say. Regardless of how impactful he can be no one stays on the Heat unless they buy into our style of basketball.

[heat4life]

This would make sense to me, but then I think, washed up Amare Stoudamire getting mins over him, then I start thinking, there must be something going on, my theory, is not about Hassan talent or not, this is just a gut feeling, is that some players don't really like him, he also does not help his case as he just has this morose and glum look, when he gets benched.

I think we are playing with fire with how coach Spo is using him,he will probably not forget when free agency comes around.

But why wouldn't they like him?

We have proven winners, high character vets on this team. They seen it all, made the money, got the fame, they're smart, mature professionals. The only reason they might not "like him" is simple - they feel he's not a winning player despite his talent. They don't' think he's really making us a much stronger TEAM overall with him being here.

You give our guys a young stud (let's call him player X) that they think would help them win more and help carry the load, you don't think they would like player X? they would **** love X. They would be non stop praising him, urging the coach to play player X as much as possible.

Maybe he is a difficult player.
Look at Kobe, he had problems with Shaq. Dwight didn't resign with the Lakers when he had the chance, and they haven't landed anything in free agency. Kobe was one of the most talented players ever, but he didn't seem to get along, and probably wasn't well liked by some of his teammates.
Now the problem Whiteside is no where near as talented as Kobe, that the organization will take Kobe over anyone, like they did Kobe over Shaq.
Don't get me wrong, if Whiteside is a player that other players don't like, that takes away from his value.
But to me when you play Amare over Whiteside, Amare doesn't have a future with the Heat, he is not as impactful at the moment as Whiteside. And even if people want to argue Amare for some odd reason is a better fit with the starters, why is Whiteside the sacrificial lamb? When Spo wants to experiment. It just seems there has to be something going on.

And the thing is, I just don't trust Spo's judgment.

But when did Miami play Amare over Whiteside? I believe you are taking things out of context. Whiteside is coming off the bench only because the coach did not want to disrupt what was working during the winning streak. Whiteside played more minutes than Amare each game he's been back. Against the Clippers? He hurt his ankle and didn't play the 4th qtr because Bosh replaced him - and he still played a minute more than Amare.

[CoolD]

But why wouldn't they like him?

We have proven winners, high character vets on this team. They seen it all, made the money, got the fame, they're smart, mature professionals. The only reason they might not "like him" is simple - they feel he's not a winning player despite his talent. They don't' think he's really making us a much stronger TEAM overall with him being here.

You give our guys a young stud (let's call him player X) that they think would help them win more and help carry the load, you don't think they would like player X? they would **** love X. They would be non stop praising him, urging the coach to play player X as much as possible.

Maybe he is a difficult player.
Look at Kobe, he had problems with Shaq. Dwight didn't resign with the Lakers when he had the chance, and they haven't landed anything in free agency. Kobe was one of the most talented players ever, but he didn't seem to get along, and probably wasn't well liked by some of his teammates.
Now the problem Whiteside is no where near as talented as Kobe, that the organization will take Kobe over anyone, like they did Kobe over Shaq.
Don't get me wrong, if Whiteside is a player that other players don't like, that takes away from his value.
But to me when you play Amare over Whiteside, Amare doesn't have a future with the Heat, he is not as impactful at the moment as Whiteside. And even if people want to argue Amare for some odd reason is a better fit with the starters, why is Whiteside the sacrificial lamb? When Spo wants to experiment. It just seems there has to be something going on.

And the thing is, I just don't trust Spo's judgment.

But when did Miami play Amare over Whiteside? I believe you are taking things out of context. Whiteside is coming off the bench only because the coach did not want to disrupt what was working during the winning streak. Whiteside played more minutes than Amare each game he's been back. Against the Clippers? He hurt his ankle and didn't play the 4th qtr because Bosh replaced him - and he still played a minute more than Amare.

Whiteside came back when we played Dallas from the bench, the so called streak had been snapped at Houston the previous game.
There wasn't no streak when Whiteside came back.

Doesn't seem Coach Spo even made that assertion, look how he responds to Jason Lieser, a reporter

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JasonLieser/status/695653566145556482[/tweet]

Really open ended response, you could take it whichever way you want to take it.

This next tweet was of last game vs Clippers, Whiteside responds to Jason Lieser not playing the fourth(the tweet below)...

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JasonLieser/status/696459767464726529[/tweet]

to me it appears Spo always finds an excuse to somehow to not use Whiteside. Don't get me wrong, I am not a those player fans, that no matter what a player does, the coach should play him, but to me it happens too frequently with Whiteside, to just be, "It just happen because",, it seems that Spo always find a sneaky way to not use Whiteside for me to believe every flimsy pretext from Spo and the Organization and take it at face value.

Though of course I don't know all the things that go behind scenes, but if I trusted Spo and his judgment, I might buy into the company line, but I just don’t trust Spo. So I worry, Spo is really going to hurt us in landing Whiteside in free agency, or we might trade him soon for scraps, and go to regret it later in the near future.(Because we let Spo and Organization sell us on the fact that Whiteside does more harm than good)

Also Wade and Bosh are getting older every year, we have to look at our interest for this organization, not just the present(Wade and Bosh and Dragic), but the future too (Whiteside and Winslow)

I just dont’ want us to just worry of the present and only please the present(Wade and Bosh), to make us not take into account our future(Whiteside and Winslow).

I hope it all works out.

[Rich2Hassan]

When Dragic returned from injury, he was gifted his starting spot back pronto, when Wade missed a game, he was gifted his starting spot back pronto, when Deng missed games, he came off the bench in 1 game and then was gifted his starting back pronto, While Whiteside is playing the bench game. I didn't want to get into this, because most on here thinks that i'm a Whiteside fan first, which isn't exactly true. Spo obviously has an issue with Hassan, and for whatever reasons it is showing. We don't know what is happening in practice and behind the scenes so its all just speculation, but Spo obviously along with Wade, Bosh treats Whiteside differently and i don't think it's fair. Riley has to do something soon, because this isn't good for chemistry long term. Spo obviously doesn't want to play him, so Riley needs to test the trade market and get dumb Spo the players that fits his "system".. I for one is tired of hearing about this Whiteside crap, we either going to involve him in the teams plans, or move him. Simple.

[heat4life]

[

But when did Miami play Amare over Whiteside? I believe you are taking things out of context. Whiteside is coming off the bench only because the coach did not want to disrupt what was working during the winning streak. Whiteside played more minutes than Amare each game he's been back. Against the Clippers? He hurt his ankle and didn't play the 4th qtr because Bosh replaced him - and he still played a minute more than Amare.

Whiteside came back when we played Dallas from the bench, the so called streak had been snapped at Houston the previous game.
There wasn't no streak when Whiteside came back.

Doesn't seem Coach Spo even made that assertion, look how he responds to Jason Lieser, a reporter

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JasonLieser/status/695653566145556482[/tweet]

Really open ended response, you could take it whichever way you want to take it.

This next tweet was of last game vs Clippers, Whiteside responds to Jason Lieser not playing the fourth(the tweet below)...

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JasonLieser/status/696459767464726529[/tweet]

to me it appears Spo always finds an excuse to somehow to not use Whiteside. Don't get me wrong, I am not a those player fans, that no matter what a player does, the coach should play him, but to me it happens too frequently with Whiteside, to just be, "It just happen because",, it seems that Spo always find a sneaky way to not use Whiteside for me to believe every flimsy pretext from Spo and the Organization and take it at face value.

Though of course I don't know all the things that go behind scenes, but if I trusted Spo and his judgment, I might buy into the company line, but I just don’t trust Spo. So I worry, Spo is really going to hurt us in landing Whiteside in free agency, or we might trade him soon for scraps, and go to regret it later in the near future.(Because we let Spo and Organization sell us on the fact that Whiteside does more harm than good)

Also Wade and Bosh are getting older every year, we have to look at our interest for this organization, not just the present(Wade and Bosh and Dragic), but the future too (Whiteside and Winslow)

I just dont’ want us to just worry of the present and only please the present(Wade and Bosh), to make us not take into account our future(Whiteside and Winslow).

I hope it all works out.

I guess I could've been more specific instead of just using the word "streak". What I meant was that Miami was on a roll where the starting lineup and bench rotations were finally clicking after a long road-heavy schedule when Hassan came back. Regardless of the lost game at Houston, there was no need to break that rhythm considering there were a couple more games left before the all star game break. Miami will be able to get a couple of practices with Hassan as the starting center after the break and hit the road in a groove after that.

Also, you can agree or disagree about a lot of things with Spoelstra but making excuses is not up for debate. The man never says anything close to an excuse. If anything, he always owns up to whatever is happening to the team. Your example of an "open answer" is exactly what he does. Unfortunately for him, it's "open" enough for anyone to make of it what they want but really, what did he really say there that sounded like an excuse?