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The disarray between Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and star center Hassan Whiteside has been a recurring theme throughout the season, with the latter sustaining a myriad of injuries and forced to make the necessary adjustments to find himself back in the rotation.
Spoelstra had to tinker with his lineup constantly, as his team was forced to play without Whiteside. He pinpointed the time when his star's season took a turn for the worse.
Article Continues Below“That's probably what I'll look at as the most frustrating moment as much as anything,” said Spoelstra, according to Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. “What might have been if he didn't collide with [Nikola] Vucevic [on opening night]. That changed the course of his season.”
Whiteside had a bombastic start to the season, dropping a Herculean 26 points and 22 rebounds in his season debut against the Orlando Magic, making the most of his 36 minutes on the floor, making 11 of his 17 field goals, along with his lone 3-pointer and a crisp 3-of-3 from the foul line.
Unfortunately, Whiteside's first performance would be his best of the season, as he was unable to post another 20-20 game on the year, seeing fluctuating playing time after his five-game absence.
Most recently, the 7-footer has grown tired of his inconsistent playing time — a visible frustration during the latter part of the regular season and especially in the playoffs, only seeing over 20 minutes in one of his five postseason games.
The Heat now face the question whether it's time to part ways with their four-year, $98 million asset, potentially forced to sell him for “pennies on the dollar” due to the current strained big man market.
