Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside let his frustrations boil over on Saturday after an overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets, 110-109.
After Whiteside put up 14 points and six rebounds in just 20 minutes, the highest-paid player on the Heat roster vented on his minutes restriction and specifically pointed out that he knows “a lot of teams that could use a center” of his caliber.
The Heat fined Whiteside an undisclosed amount of money for his post-game outburst, and he has since apologized for venting to the media.
Via Manny Navarro and Andre C. Fernandez of The Miami Herald:
“I was just frustrated, man. I was frustrated that we lost. I really wanted to get that game,” Whiteside said on Monday.
“I could have handled it different, but I got so caught up in wanting to get that win. I get real competitive. I really want to be out there. But I just trust coach’s decision.”
Spoelstra, for his part, didn’t seem too frustrated with Whiteside’s comments, via the report.
“We’ve already handled it within the team,” Spoelstra said. “Hassan has been fined. It’s poor timing, poor judgment on his part.
“But, we’re here to help Hassan. He’s going to be just fine. We’re going to help him continue to learn how to be a better professional, how to be a better leader in this locker room, how to be a better teammate and ultimately how to be a better winner.”
Whiteside didn’t play in the fourth quarter or overtime on Saturday. He’s averaging 25.6 minutes per game over 49 appearances this season, down from 29.1 and 32.6 minutes a night, respectively, over the last two seasons. He’s also averaging 14.1 points and 11.6 rebounds a night for the Heat.
The 28-year-old center has been in and out of the Heat lineup with injuries this season, which hasn’t exactly been the worst thing for Miami:
https://twitter.com/RohanNadkarni/status/980285824624418816
While he’s under contract next season, Whiteside has a $27 million player option in 2019-20. Whiteside’s ongoing qualms regarding his playing time is certainly worth watching as Miami continues its playoff push.
The Heat currently hold the No. 7 seed, with a four-game cushion the Detroit Pistons.
