A Keeper For The Heat Or A One Night Stand? Hassan Whiteside
Psst – Our VP Lee Josephson is dropping in today on the blog! Lee’s got a lot to say, so we figured his voice would be a welcome addition to our blog. You’ll see him from time to time joining in with commentary on the blog. First up, the newest, hottest name in basketball, and a guy who’s likely on the phone negotiating a watch ambassadorship as you read this.
First of all, where did this youngin’ come from? Personally, I love the guy. Did this guy get off to a really hard start or what?
Originally drafted to the NBA in 2010, hardly did any playing, went to the back up squad of a few teams and then had to play overseas……GEEEEEZZZZZ. This guy was outside the U.S.A. ballin’ out of control, under the radar. At least the NBA’s radar. I’m not sure what exactly caused him to come home, especially being an MVP and a huge celebrity athlete in China. Guess it all boils down to money and the fact the NBA is the largest basketball stage in the world.
In any event, the Miami Heat gave him a shot. Nobody else was grabbing for him because historically he looked like a nobody in the NBA. Great pick up for the Heat. As far as his future is concerned, at this point there is no way to tell. In Whiteside’s first 20 plus minute attempt against the Bulls he got the first triple double in Heat history that included blocked shots. I have never seen such awful unsportsmanlike conduct from a team like the Bulls as a result of Whiteside’s blocked shots.
He blocked everything that everybody went to the basket with in that game. Not to mention he did it in such a delicate way to make sure he didn’t get a defensive foul. He got shoved a half a dozen times after plays were dead. And for what? Because he stopped an entire team from a win. Every Heat mistake during that bulls game was corrected by Hassan Whiteside. Awesome performance hands down.
In the following game I would have anticipated he came out as a starter. Lets see what this guys got right? They lost to the Trailblazers and Whiteside didn’t look that great but if you looked at his numbers after the game they were respectable. The Miami Heat better take a good hard look at this guys $700k a year salary. He got the entire league’s attention after that game against the Chicago Bulls. Not to mention gave Floridians some hope to clutch on to in this Post-LeBron era, even if it’s just a dream.
Meanwhile, Whiteside is making a big splash on the White Hot Heat. Will he help the team earn their next championship ring (and the usual limited edition Hublot that the whole organization gets every time they win?) Or do you think Audemars is eyeing another prospect on the team? Let me know what you think.
