What Hassan Whiteside means to where Miami Heat stand now

Hassan Whiteside’s polarizing return to Miami perfectly symbolized where the Heat stand since they dealt him last summer. 

 

Try and remember Fall 2014. A few months after LeBron James’ sudden departure. The Miami Heat are off to a shaky start to the post-LeBron era, and early in November end up cutting former high-flyer Shannon Brown in order to sign Hassan Whiteside, a relative unknown. Heat fans and NBA fans alike had no idea what was coming thereafter.

 

Whiteside, after putting together a few positive games, including multiple triple doubles with blocks as well as a few national TV moments, to then a few positive weeks, to, eventually, three-fourths of a positive season, became a per-36 darling and was playing like a seriously impactful big man. 

 

After being out of the league and playing on multiple different continents as well as multiple different D-League teams, he had Heat fans extremely excited about the prospects of unearthing yet another project big man after Whiteside finished off the 2014-2015 campaign with a 14/12/3 (points/rebounds/blocks) statline post All-Star break.

 

A couple more seasons of playing like a giant Defensive Player of the Year candidate passed by, and Hassan Whiteside was considered to be in the crop of the top unrestricted, max-contract free agents.

 

A 5-team bidding war proceeded, and Whiteside remained loyal to the team that gave him a real shot at redemption, re-signing with the Heat in the infamous Summer 2016 to a near-$100 million deal that would keep him as the highest paid player on the roster after the Chris Bosh debacle went down, and after having traded (and re-signed) Goran Dragic that year. 

 

No one could’ve known then that he’d be getting consistently booed in his return to the Miami Heat in his last season of the four-year contract he inked.

Heat fans boo Hassan Whiteside in his return to Miami

(🎥 @NBCSNorthwest) pic.twitter.com/WBkNu0Wn5J

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) January 5, 2020

 

The reality was, after a gradual athletic and subsequent performance decline, as well as a couple of public spats regarding his role and playing time, Hassan’s time in Miami was dwindling, and came to a climax last summer when they dealt him to Portland in return for Meyers Leonard, in order to help facilitate the Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade.

 

Now, in the early days of 2020, the Miami Heat have gotten off to a strong 25-10 start, playing at about the level of a top 10 team on both ends since the season tipped off, coming into this game. In the summer, Hassan Whiteside subtly went at the Heat with his now-infamous “We got shooters” line. 

 

Then, a perceived shot at Hassan came around after the Heat’s last game before Whiteside’s return to Miami, when Head Coach Erik Spoelstra was talking up all the things Jimmy does on the floor, even while not shooting well.

 

Spo, after being asked about Jimmy’s weird shooting and them winning despite it, cites Jimmy as the model for young players coming in who want to be stars. Not about the “2k stats.” @5ReasonsSports pic.twitter.com/ciCZohbdWb

— alex toledo (@tropicalblanket) January 3, 2020

 

During the introduction and throughout the game, Whiteside was getting booed in every second he was involved in. There were also plenty of “We got shooters” chants meant to mock Whiteside going on as well. He made it known post-game that he never meant to send shots at the Miami Heat, reiterating his intended message.

 

Hassan looking back fondly on his time with the Heat, says that his “we got shooters” comment was never meant as a diss.

“Could’ve went somewhere without shooters.” @5ReasonsSports pic.twitter.com/uQ1CKUaXgg

— alex toledo (@tropicalblanket) January 6, 2020

 

Although I’m getting serious walk-back vibes there, (Hassan forgot to mention the part where he said something to the effect of “We got shooters that can actually dribble”), Hassan Whiteside doesn’t deserve the amount of ire he continues to receive from Heat fans. 

 

He deserved every bit of the boos. He disrespected the Heat organization and quit on his teammates multiple times.

— jpip81 (@jpip81) January 6, 2020

 

At the same time, his post-game comments had some Heat fans re-evaluating their feelings on Whiteside.

 

Mature, respectful response. They have to leave the man alone now. I’m glad what moving him has allowed Bam to become, but we don’t need to boo him.

— BalgoBub (@BalgoBUB) January 6, 2020

 

 

While myself and many others were chirping for the team to trade him since the start of his decline, he was still a very productive player all throughout his tenure in Miami, finishing with just about a 15/14/3 statline in that span.

 

We shouldn’t forget just how much of a fan favorite he was those first few years, with many expecting him to be a perennial All-Star and DPOY candidate for years to come. 

 

It just…. Went the opposite direction when we least expected it to, something that happened more than a few times throughout the post-LeBron era.

 

It’s fitting then that, in the same game, his former partner-in-crime Goran Dragic went off for 29 points and 13 assists off the bench, (11/17 from the field, 7/10 from three), while the man who ended up taking his place, the younger Bam Adebayo, put up a 20/8/6/1/1 statline, with his sole block in the game coming on Whiteside and the player he was traded for, sunk three threes, further emphasizing what Whiteside never brought to the table.

 

The Heat were up double digits and in the twenties for a good chunk of the game, and ending up with a relatively easy win, despite playing without Jimmy Butler. In a game where CJ McCollum did not play due to [South Beach] sickness, despite Damian Lillard shooting 50% from both the field and from three, as well as Whiteside going 9-of-12 from the field, putting up a gaudy 21/18/2 statline, the Blazers never really put up a fight in this game. 

 

Maybe that’s all we really need to know about who ended up being on the right side of winning. 

 

We saw more indicators of where the 26-10 Miami Heat stand: a relevant, playoff-level team that is showing the signs of being a team that could go on a prolonged run in the Playoffs. 

 

Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers, after reaching the Western Conference Finals last spring, now stand at 15-22 for the season, after dealing some longtime wings and acquiring Whiteside as the fill-in for the injured Jusuf Nurkic. 

 

Things don’t always turn out the way we want them to, check: ‘Dwyane Wade, Chicago Bulls. So, to properly contextualize this timeline, Wade’s departure led to Jimmy’s arrival and subsequently, the return to national relevance, just like the Whiteside trade did. 

 

In that case, was Hassan Whiteside just the purgatory, or rather, the symbol for the transitional period the Heat were in post-LeBron and, eventually, post-Bosh, to lead us directly into this newfound Jimmy-Bam era? Life can be funny that way, huh?

 

Alex Toledo (@TropicalBlanket) appears regularly on the Five on the Floor podcast on Five Reasons Sports Network.