Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside missed the first five games of this season with a left knee bone bruise. In his two games since returning, he’s averaged just 25 minutes per game. It seems like Whiteside is on minutes restriction, but Whiteside isn’t really sure what’s going on, he tells Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel:
“I don’t know, man,” Whiteside said after playing 23:59, with four teammates getting longer minutes. “I think I’m on a minutes restriction or something. I don’t really know what’s going on right now.”
It certainly sounds like the communication was lacking; a player should know if he’s on minutes restriction.
In each of his first two games, Whiteside scored 13 points. In game one, he snared 14 rebounds, but in game two he finished with just three.
The Heat have struggled out of the gate, no doubt disappointing team president Pat Riley. They’re just 3-5, giving them the 12th-best record in the East and the 25th-best record in the NBA.
Whiteside being back on the floor should help the Heat out a lot; while he certainly has his flaws, Whiteside is a strong interior presence on both ends and is an integral part of the Heat’s team.
