Spoelstra calls out Whiteside: 'This league is for competitors only'
Center Hassan Whiteside is the crown jewel of a Miami Heat roster not long removed from having three of the top players on the planet, yet that doesn't mean he's immune to heavy criticism from a head coach with a championship resume.
Just minutes into the second half of Friday's road meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers, coach Erik Spoelstra yanked the 7-footer from the game with his team down 18 on the scoreboard, not reinserting him until the start of the fourth quarter.
"Just to change the energy," Spoelstra said of his decision following Miami's 114-84 loss at Quicken Loans Arena, according to the PalmBeachPost.com's Anthony Chiang. "Just wanted some more energy, some more life on the glass, defending pick-and-rolls. That was a coaching decision.
"It happens in this league. This league is for competitors only. It's great competitive matchups every single night. We have a lot of guys out, so that's a big responsibility for him. He's starting to understand what that actually means."
Spoelstra was limited to just eight players, missing Udonis Haslem (personal), James Johnson (rotator cuff), Justise Winslow (wrist), Josh Richardson (ankle), and Luke Babbitt. If there was ever an outing for Whiteside - who finished with just eight points on 4-of-10 shooting - to elevate his game for the betterment of his horribly depleted team, taking on the reigning titleholders would have been it.
"Ya, you know, Kyrie (Irving) shot a jumper, got to the basket on me, laid it up, and shot a 3. He's tough to defend, so that's why he took me off," Whiteside said in an attempt to explain why he was sent off at the 9:18 mark of the third quarter.
Miami has now dropped four games in a row, leaving the 27-year-old wondering whether or not he should establish himself more offensively ... or anything that will help end the Heat's ongoing slump.
"I really don't know what I've got to do man," Whiteside added. "I really don't know. I'm not going to lie to y'all. I'm coming out here playing as hard as I can, putting up what I can. I don't know. I really don't know."
He's averaging a double-double of 17.2 points and 14.2 rebounds on 54.4 percent shooting for the 7-16 Heat, which sit 13th in the Eastern Conference.