NBA AM: The Reason Whiteside Was Available?

There Is Always A Reason:  If you missed it last night, Miami HEAT big man Hassan Whiteside blindsided a defenseless Boston Celtics big man Kelly Olynyk, drilling him in the back as he tried to get position under the basket. Whiteside was immediately ejected and charged with a Flagrant Two foul.

Last week, Whiteside got into a wrestling match with Phoenix Suns big man Alex Len after Len sort of tossed Whiteside to the floor after an in-your-face dunk. The two were also ejected.

In 35 games this season, Whiteside has been hit with seven technical fouls, one flagrant foul and two ejections.

HEAT head coach Erik Spoelstra said that there would be ramifications for Whiteside’s latest emotional breakdown.

“We’ll handle it, and it will be corrected,” Spoelstra said to Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. “Everybody is responsible to the team, and your actions, there are consequences that do affect the team.”

There is no doubting that Whiteside has been a find for the HEAT, especially considering the price point they are paying for him – $769,000 this year and a non-guaranteed $981,000 next season.

The immediate response from fans is ‘why didn’t my team sign him’ and now you are starting to see why.

It’s pretty rare that a super talented player is outside the NBA for no reason. In Whiteside’s case, teams looked at him a lot.

He was drafted in the second round in 2010 by the Sacramento Kings. He logged 65 games in the D-League, playing for four different D-League teams. He logged 11 summer league games, starting in 10 of them. He played for teams in China and in Lebanon before getting a chance with the HEAT.

Whiteside wasn’t overlooked. In fact, he was probably over-analyzed based on his play with the HEAT.

Which brings us back to the point – there is always a reason a player with talent is on the outside of the league looking in. For Whiteside, as much as he can impact a game on the floor, his inability to reign in his emotions is going to impact his future, not just because of the cheap shots, but because teams, especially NBA teams value predictability among their guys. No coach wants a loose cannon, especially not during a playoff push.

The HEAT find themselves in a precarious position – they are sitting a half a game out of the playoff picture with 19 games left to play.

Can they really afford to discipline Whiteside now? What message does that send if they don’t?

Whiteside is a nice enough guy. He’s not a mean spirited person, but he is often on the edge of out of control and that’s a problem in the NBA, especially when you get a reputation among officials. The HEAT need the physicality that Whiteside can bring defensively, especially around the rim, but he has to figure out a way to reign back the “outburst” factor of his game. Not only because he might hurt someone, but because he can and likely will hurt his team.

Despite a player’s physical gifts, you can’t help your team if you are not on the floor.

Saying All The Right Things:  The Philadelphia 76ers are saying all the right words. “It’s minor,” “A small set back” and “Nothing serious.” However, that doesn’t change the visual of rookie Joel Embiid walking around in a walking boot on his surgically repaired foot after months of rehab and work to return to the floor.

Word is Embiid was making solid progress and was doing drills and some higher intensity court work, all part of his rehabilitation plan. There were no plans for Embiid to play this season and the Sixers were said to have asked Embiid to dial it back a little to avoid issues, fearing he was trying to do too much.

Last week during the pre-game layup line, Embiid threw down a nasty between the legs dunk which got many people talking, however, this week he’s been seen in a protective boot.

In June, during the NBA Draft process, Embiid suffered a fracture in the navicular bone in his right foot, which required two screws to be inserted to stabilize the fracture. At the time it was said recovery could be anywhere from six-to-eight months, however, the Sixers pledged to be patient and disciplined with Embiid’s rehab.

According to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com, Embiid is expected to have a follow-up visit with his surgeon in Los Angeles later today.

Looking For The Right Canadian:  Toronto Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri was the keynote speaker at Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s Canadian Basketball Speakers forum last night and talked a lot about his team’s approach to finding talent, especially Canadian talent.

“We are an NBA team, it’s important we look for talent everywhere, but it is on our minds to get a Canadian player or Canadian players,” Ujiri said.

“We are studying it. I even considered last year hiring somebody to concentrate just on Canadian players and I think I’m going to go through with it because the growth of the game here is so big,” he said.

Ujiri cautioned that his team wouldn’t be signing someone just because they were Canadian, but he did want to find the next good player.

“It’s the fit,” said Ujiri. “We can maybe take our time and study it a little bit so it is the right fit and not do it just to do it. It’s going to come, there is no doubt in my mind. It’s an obligation that I think we have to fulfil. We are a Canadian team and I think to have Canadian players, I think will be phenomenal.”

Ujiri said he didn’t see a Canadian player in Toronto as a far off dream, rather something he envisions happening sooner rather than later.

“There’s no doubt during my time, even if my time is short, there will be a Canadian player on the Toronto Raptors. It’s important that players get inspired to play for their country, inspired to play for the Raptors. This continues to get bigger,” Ujiri said.

According to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, Ujiri baited the crowd a little with some Andrew Wiggins hints when asked outside of LeBron James, which players would Ujiri want on his roster.

“We all know who he is, but I won’t say his name. He might be Canadian.”

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