After signing a max contract to remain with the Miami Heat last summer, Hassan Whiteside appeared to be the team's franchise player especially with the departure of Dwyane Wade and the health issues of Chris Bosh.
However, following their double overtime loss on Tuesday night against the Orlando Magic, the 7-foot center was left frustrated with the lack of plays made for him.
With three stitches near his right eye, Whiteside vented out his frustrations during a post-game interview citing his few touches in the two extra five-minute sessions that led to the Heat's loss.
“They say I'm the franchise player. I would think I should get more, but I don't know, man. I don't think so, to be honest. But coach's gonna coach.”
Even after matching his career-high of 32 points, on 22 shots, while adding 15 rebounds and five blocks in 47 minutes of play, the 27-year-old Marshall product saw his efforts go to waste as his team was not able to capitalize on the opportunities they had to get the win on the night.
“No disrespect to the Magic or anything, but that was the most disappointing loss of the season in my opinion because we had so many chances to win that game.”
“We needed a couple key stops at the end, a couple key rebounds at the end. Sometimes the cookie crumbles like that. It was a heartbreaker, man. I'm not even going to lie to you on that. That really hurt.”
If there's any silver lining following the Heat's third consecutive loss, it's that Whiteside has gotten his groove back after two subpar performances earlier this month. He has been averaging 21.5 points to go along with 15.8 rebounds in their last six games and the South Beach faithful are hoping he can sustain his strong play of late to snap out of the slump and get back to their winning ways soon.