Riley aims to salvage Whiteside-Spoelstra relationship
After being eliminated in five games by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Miami Heat enter the offseason with several things to re-evaluate. Atop the list is how to move forward with center Hassan Whiteside and his $52.5-million contract over the next two seasons.
A season marred by injury and butting heads with coach Erik Spoelstra hasn't helped the 7-footer's value, as his averages dipped all across the board. But Heat president Pat Riley isn't prepared to give up on the center after four years of development in Miami.
"There has to be an intervention and I'm going to be the intervener. That's real," Riley said, according to the Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman.
Whiteside wasn't his usual dominant self this term, averaging seven minutes less time on the court than last season, and struggled with hip and knee injuries that forced him to miss 28 games and seemed to continue to affect him throughout the postseason.
Despite those setbacks, Whiteside is a key man on the Heat roster, and Riley knows the key to resolving any locker-room tension between the center and Spoelstra is bringing the two together to hash out their differences.
"The disconnect between he and Spo, that's going to take a discussion between them and it's going to take thought on the part of coach and also Hassan. How will Hassan transform his thinking - 99 percent of it - to get the kind of improvement that Spo wants so he can be effective?"
Whiteside, 28, averaged a measly 15.4 minutes in the postseason and opened up about not having the "chance to fight" thanks to his reduced role.
Riley didn't pull any punches when assessing Whiteside's playoff performance.
"By the time we got to the playoffs, I don't think he was ready," Riley said, according to ESPN. "He wasn't in great shape. He wasn't fully conditioned for a playoff battle mentally. He and we got our heads handed to us."
Whiteside finished the disappointing season averaging 14 points and 11.4 rebounds. Those numbers dropped significantly in the playoffs, to 5.2 points and six boards per game.