With Eastern Conference All-Star bids up for grabs, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside believes he can compete for a spot at the All-Star Game in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. There is a severe imbalance in the NBA with the Western Conference containing most of the All-Star-caliber players. That leaves open the possibility for Whiteside to make a strong case. Tom Haberstroh of Bleacher Report writes:

“‘Back home,' Whiteside says. ‘It would mean the world to me. Just working out at the Dowd down the street. Being an All-Star…'

“Whiteside trails off and looks up.

“‘It would be like a movie.'”

It would be a great story for Whiteside to make the All-Star Game, and he believes he's capable of accomplishing this feat. But it should be tough for the Heat center in a league that is moving away from the classic big man.

Whiteside averaged a double-double in each of the last three seasons, but his role appeared to diminish in the Heat's first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Sixers last year. Whiteside played 26 minutes in Game 4, but he never appeared in another game for more than 15 minutes.

The slow, plodding big man is out of fashion in today's game. Teams generally want fast, athletic, rim-running bigs, but Whiteside could buck that trend with his elite rebounding and ability to protect the rim.

But the mercurial Heat big has been known to beat the odds before, and a first All-Star appearance in Charlotte would certainly be a dream come true for Whiteside.