Can I just laugh for a minute at Whiteside? What a joke that team will be now. Wade - gone Bosh - gone Deng - gone Oh, but they brought in Luke Babbitt and Dion Waiters!!!
He may well lead the league in rebounding with all the bricks his teammates will be tossing up, as well as blocks with all the rim-running opponents will be doing after blowing by Waiters and Dragic, and Hassan will be a primary scoring option there as well. I'm guessing those things are all more important to him than winning.
Here's what I wrote when Whiteside re-signed with MIA: "Interesting that Whiteside sites stability as the reason he's staying in MIA. There's probably more uncertainty in MIA than just about everywhere else. Will Bosh be able to play again? Wade is threatening to leave because MIA won't pay him. What is the status of Joe Johnson and Amar'e Stoudemire? Luol Deng is also a free agent. All those guys are well past 30. Hell, even Goran Dragic, is 30 (I'm surprised he's that old). Does Whiteside think these guys are going to play forever? Other than Whiteside, here are the ages of every Heat player that started more than 8 games: Goran Dragic: 72 ganes started, age = 30.056 Gerald Green: 14 games started, age = 30.157 Luol Deng: 73 games started, age = 31.076 Chris Bosh: 53 games started, age = 32.099 Amar'e Stoudemire, 36 games started, age = 33.228 Dwyane Wade, 73 games started, age = 34.166 Joe Johnson, 24 games started, age = 35.002 If that isn't a roster that's ripe for some turnover, I don't know what is. So much for stability (and winning). Florida really is where old people in the East go to retire. At least half those players will probably be gone within the next couple weeks and not a single one will be around for the duration of Whiteside's contract. He got paid the max and that seems to be his motivation. MIA is overdue for a major rebuild, and it won't be pretty. Because, they play in the East, they can limp into the playoffs with an over-the-hill roster, but have zero chance to contend for a title and no lottery picks (for another year, or two) to help restock the cupboard. Whiteside chose losing over winning. As long as he's in MIA, they will probably never go as far in the playoffs as they did this past season. He signed to stay with a roster in rapid decline that will take years to rebuild. Oh well, as the geriatrics around him retire and move on, at least he will get to be "the man", albeit, on a crappy team. But, that is the lot he has chosen. He could have had equal money and played for a winner, but he chose not to. We were the youngest team to make the playoffs and already better than MIA. He chose to stay on a team in decline, rather than join a team on the rise. Fuck him." So yeah, please laugh away. I'll join you. BNM
Im pretty sure your right, or he would have went elsewhere. With your breakdown though I could see him in contention as an MVP... If Miami is able to play .500 ball or better, but based on your layout (which I agree with) He has a decent chance to be in the running.
Nope, not even close. MIA lost Wade, Bosh, Deng, Joe Johnson and Amar'e Stoudemire. Yeah, those guys were really old, but the guys they replaced them with are really bad. Wayne Ellington, Derrick Williams, James Johnson, and Dion Waiters weren't good enough to start for their previous teams, but with the high turnover in MIA, three of them will likely be starting for the Heat. Winning 35 games will be overachieving for that roster, and guys who play on 35-win (or less) teams do not get serious consideration for the MVP. Whiteside isn't a great scorer. His scoring average will likely go up as someone has to score to fill the void, but he won't score 20 ppg. Here's a list of all the players who averaged less than 20 ppg and won the MVP in the last 35 years: Steve Nash That's it, and Nash's team won 62 and 54 games the two years he won it. Nash didn't just lead the league in assists back then, he was also a 50/40/90 shooter. The only other MVP since the 1960s who scored less than 20 ppg was Bill Walton in 1977-78, the year after they won the championship and started the season 50-10 before Walton got injured. Walton averaged 18.9 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 5.0 apg and 2.5 bpg. I doubt if Whiteside tops any of those first three numbers and even if he does, his team most certainly won't be starting 50-10. Whiteside might lead the league in both rebounding (possibly, but he'll have to pass both DeAndre Jordan and Andre Drummond) and blocked shots (likely), but he won't score enough and his team won't win enough for him to get serious MVP consideration. All Star in the East, very possible. 3rd team all NBA, possible. Finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting, no way. BNM
Man, I love your posts. I have a question, I just search your posts... Or get lazy and ask and know I will get a good answer. lol. Didn't think about the Nash thing, but you don't think Hassan will get 20ppg with all the rebound put backs he will get? Agreed on the win-loss record though. Was just thinking in the east they might still play .500 ball.
I don't. For the simple reason that he will now be "the man" in MIA. As such, he will be the primary focus of opposing defenses for the first time in his career. Last year, Wade, Bosh (when he played), Deng and even Joe Johnson all commanded much more defensive attention than Whiteside. As the 4th, or 5th option on offense, he had it easy. No one ever game planned around shutting down Hassan Whiteside. MIA wasn't going to run any plays for him. So, the only thing defenses had to worry about was boxing him out. This year, with all those other guys gone, he will be the primary focus of opposing defenses. He doesn't have the varied offensive game, or frankly, the mentality or emotional maturity, to handle that. He will likely score more than last year, just because he will get more opportunities, but he's going to have to work much harder for the points he gets. BNM
Guys like Whiteside look good when they have great teammates around them. He HAD that..... now he doesn't. I think he's going to look like shit this season with all the pressure on him. He's not a scorer.
Watch out folks! This Whiteside kid's gonna crack; this season... he's gonna go straight up Cage Rage!
