Hassan Whiteside on Rant Criticizing Playing Time: 'I Was Just Frustrated'

Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside addressed the comments he made Saturday after being relegated to the bench late in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Brooklyn Nets. 

"I was just frustrated, man," Whiteside told reporters Monday, per Shandel Richardson of the Sun-Sentinel. "I was frustrated that we lost. I really wanted to get that game ... I could have handled it different. But I got so caught up in wanting to get that win. I get real competitive. I really want to be out there. But I just trust coach’s decision."

After the loss Saturday, Whiteside didn't pull any punches.

"Man, it's annoying," he said. "Why we matching up? We got one of the best centers in the league. Why we matching up? A lot of teams don't have a good center. They’re going to use their strength."

"It's bulls--t. It’s bulls--t., man." he continued. "There's a lot of teams that could use a center. S--t. That's bulls--t."

Head coach Erik Spoelstra said the team has moved on from the incident, however.

"I talked to him," he said. "We're moving on. It's behind us. You can tell right now by the mood of the gym that's long gone. The only reason we're addressing out of obligation to all of you because it really is a team matter, a family matter. We're focused on getting the next one and securing our spot in this dance."

Whiteside, meanwhile, attributed some of his built-up anger to the fact that he's missed 28 games due to injuries this year.

"It's been frustrating because it’s the most time I’ve ever missed on the Heat," he said. "Last year, I played 70-plus games. The year before that, I played the whole season. This is like the first time, I think, in my NBA career outside of my rookie year that I had knee surgery that I actually missed 20-plus games. That was the frustrating part. But these guys have been playing good basketball."

Indeed, the Heat currently sit at 41-36, good for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference (the Milwaukee Bucks, at No. 8, hold the same record). The Heat are four games ahead of the Detroit Pistons with just five games remaining in the season so, barring a total meltdown, Miami is playoff bound.

As for Whiteside, he's third on the team in points (14.1 PPG), first in rebounds (11.6 RPG) and first in blocks (1.6 BPG). He remains a crucial member on the Heat, even as his minutes have gone from 32.6 MPG last year to just 25.6 MPG this season. 

Part of that is Miami's impressive depth on the block, as center Bam Adebayo was drafted this past offseason and Kelly Olynyk was added in free agency. That's meant Miami could rely less heavily on Whiteside, albeit to his ire this weekend.