The Stretch 4: Hassan Whiteside's Career-High and Three Losses
As we say goodbye to Thanksgiving and get ready for another round of holidays, the latest edition of The Stretch 4 is here to discuss the best and worst of the Miami Heat this week.
The last of my leftovers have been all gobbled up, so it’s safe to say Thanksgiving is officially behind us.
Another week of Miami Heat basketball is too, and I think I can speak for the entirety of Heat Nation when I say that was a stretch of games no one will particularly look back fondly on.
The Heat are now a cringe-worthy 5-11. They have only won two, yes two, games at home. And they currently sit thirteenth in the Eastern Conference. Miami gave up an 101-94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, followed by an 107-84 defeat by the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, a 90-81 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, and lastly an 110-107 shortcoming versus the Grizzlies round two on Saturday.
Sigh.
However, the show must go on.
I still have to highlight three positive aspects of last week.
So here’s what I have for you this time around…
Nov 21, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside (21) grabs a rebound against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Philadelphia 76ers won 101-94. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Hassan Whiteside’s career-high 32-point game.
The big man was cooking on Monday, against the 76ers. Whiteside finished with a career-high 32 points in 32 minutes, going 13-for-19 from the floor. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and swatted 2 blocks.
Major key alert.
And although Whiteside certainly gave Joel Embiid some trouble, both guys loved the competition, stating that it’s about time centers stopped being overlooked.
“…one thing I told him is, ‘Keep killing it,'” said Embiid. “As big men, we all want each other to do good. I’ve always studied him in the past. It’s always been a big-man league, so I want it to stay like that.”
As for Whiteside? Well, he doesn’t understand how people can even insinuate that centers don’t matter in the first place.
“…‘they’ must not watch basketball because every night I’ve got Dwight [Howard] to [Andre] Drummond to [DeMarcus] Cousins. I’ve got a really good center every night so I don’t know when these nights off are happening.”
You tell ’em, boy.
The 27-year-old has thirteen double-doubles so far this season, and has finished with double-digit boards 15 times.
So win or lose, at least Miami can be confident in regards to getting their money’s worth out of Whiteside.
Nov 25, 2016; Memphis, TN, USA; Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson (0) looks to pass in the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Miami defeated Memphis 90-81. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Then, there’s the fact that the youth movement is going strong.
I may continue to be in the minority about this, but despite the Heat’s atrocious record, I still find them fun to watch. Between Whiteside’s monster dunks on one end and monster blocks on the other, Josh Richardson’s stroke from downtown and Tyler Johnson’s quick feet… I could watch these guys ball all day.
Sure, the team has a lot of work to do. Particularly when it comes to the youngins and staying consistent night-in and night-out. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of visible potential there.
While Justise Winslow has not played since November 11 and has been ruled out for Monday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics, the other members of Miami’s youth movement have been holding things down.
Despite only averaging 10.8 points and 3.0 rebounds a game on 28.0 minutes of play so far this year, Richardson has definitely stepped up recently. For example, on November 15 against the Atlanta Hawks, the guard scored 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He also finished with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks. On Saturday versus Memphis, Richardson also made a mark with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.
As for Johnson, we can talk about his 22-point game against the Grizzlies on Friday night. He also pulled down 5 rebounds and picked 2 steals. He had an almost identical stat-line too, on November 1 when the team took on the Sacramento Kings.
Youth may breed inexperience but it also comes with the possibility of growth… a possibility that in the case of these young men, is basically a promise.
Nov 26, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters (11) drives the ball around Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley (11) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Miami Heat 110-107. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Dion Waiters is also only 24, but is already making an impact on the team.
Waiters is sort of like Mario Chalmers reincarnated. Everyone, especially the fans, love to yell at him and blame him for every mistake made.
The difference being that well… he’s actually pretty darn good.
(Sorry Rio, I still believe in you though.)
Look, I’m not saying he should be taking every circus shot that comes to mind. Nor should he necessarily be trusted in clutch moments.
But he certainly puts in the work. And carries a large part of the Heat’s offensive load. The guard is currently averaging 14.2 points on 31.8 minutes of play.
Yes, he may put up 26 shot attempts in one game, like he did versus the San Antonio Spurs on November 14. But he still finished with 27 points, including going 3-for-6 from the three-point line. Just Saturday, he came in hot with 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting (4-of-5 from downtown).
Get it!
So while you may still have the urge to scream “not again Dion!” as Waiters gets ready to launch it from a seemingly impossible angle, remember that he gets results. He just does it in his own way.
Nov 26, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward James Johnson (16) reacts after being fouled by Memphis Grizzlies forward JaMychal Green (0) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Miami Heat 110-107. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Speaking of results however… Miami’s have been unacceptable as of late.
We all keep saying the Heat are better than their record. And I definitely believe that to be true. But regardless, 5-11?
And the worst part is how terrible they’ve been playing at home.
“It felt good to get back to the Miami weather, can’t lie,” Waiters said of returning home after the road trip. “But you’ve got to take care of business. You’ve got to take care of business. Especially at home. At home you should feel as though teams don’t want to come here and play on our home floor.”
Uh, you think?
Instead, Miami has only won twice at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Something that has to stop. Now.
The team is hosting the Celtics on Monday night, after which they head back on the road until December 6 when the New York Knicks come into town. And while it’s great that the Heat have proven they can win away, South Beach should automatically already be theirs for the taking too.
Whether the vibe is off due to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh no longer being around, or the arena still doesn’t feel home to guys like Waiters, Derrick Williams, Luke Babbitt and the handful of other newbies… it’s unclear. But the organization should figure that out, and fast.
Fingers crossed for a better week ahead?
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