Hassan Whiteside fined for 'comments detrimental to the team'
The Miami Heat fined center Hassan Whiteside an undisclosed amount Sunday for "comments detrimental to the team" in response to his remarks Saturday night expressing frustration with his role.
He went on an expletive-laden tirade after Miami's 110-109 overtime loss Saturday to the Brooklyn Nets, when the Heat missed a chance to clinch a playoff spot, saying he should play more and might be better elsewhere.
The team had no additional comment Sunday.
Whiteside didn't play in the final 21 minutes on Saturday -- the last four of the third quarter, then all of the fourth quarter and overtime. The Nets went small, so the Heat went small.
The Heat's highest-paid player questioned why the team is matching up when "we've got one of the best centers in the league."
"A lot of teams don't have a good center," Whiteside said. "They are going to use their strengths. It's bulls---. It's really bulls---, man. There are a lot of teams that can use a center."
Playing in his second game back after a nine-game absence because of what was described as left hip pain, Whiteside finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Whiteside, who has missed 29 games this season because of injury, has seen his playing time average decrease to 25 minutes in 2017-18, down from 29.1 minutes in 2016-17, when he finished as the league's leading rebounder. The previous two seasons, he averaged 32.6 minutes.
Asked if the situation has caused him to contemplate his future in Miami, Whiteside replied, "I don't know. Maybe."
Whiteside, 28, has two years remaining on a four-year, $98 million deal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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