Whiteside and Green debate the place of small ball and traditional big men
Hassan Whiteside's incredible 2014-15 renaissance accomplished at least one goal, earning the Miami Heat center an 81 rating in "NBA 2K16." His own reputation now firmly established, Whiteside is taking aim at changing the discourse around big men in the modern NBA.
The 7-footer took to Twitter late Tuesday to open up a debate about the emerging prevalence of small ball. While the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship thanks in large part to their ability to more or less abandon positions and play 6-foot-7 forward Draymond Green as their center, Whiteside thinks that strategy is only viable against a certain opponent type.
Namely, going small wouldn't work against Whiteside - as he'd put up career highs.
Small ball only works on centers that can't score #factsonly I wish you would put Someone that 6'6 on me #careerhigh #highschooldays
— Hassan Whiteside (@youngwhiteside) August 26, 2015
Whiteside's criticism of the strategy, on its face, has merit. It's much tougher to go small against an opponent who can do damage in the post, and while Timofey Mozgov of the Cleveland Cavaliers is a quality center - the Cavs tilted things in their favor by hammering the glass when they had two traditional bigs on the floor - Whiteside clearly believes he's a superior threat.
Green, who is on record as believing he'd be Anthony Davis if he were 6-foot-11, responded, wondering aloud if Whiteside is the type of player he suggests could beat the small-ball approach.
Can you score doe? ??? Bigs becoming dinosaurs ?????
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) August 26, 2015
Green also responded to a fan pointing out Whiteside's superior scoring average, noting he isn't a scorer and Whiteside only played 48 games.
It seemed that was it for the brief debate, but Whiteside was up late, getting another shot in at Green, or any other would-be undersized center.
2 dribbles in the post they going to cry for a double team FOH just watch go small ball #lightdoubledouble #getyourweightup #dontflop ???
— Hassan Whiteside (@youngwhiteside) August 26, 2015
Not willing to let sleeping dogs lie, Green was back at it Wednesday, taking a shot at Whiteside for his circuitous path to NBA relevance.
82 million reasons to flop and the d league ain't never been 1!!!! But keep wearing shirts chasing that 2k rating #thefinerthings ?????
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) August 26, 2015
Whiteside and Green squared off on Jan. 15 last season, with Whiteside posting 10 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks in a 104-89 loss. In 17 minutes with Green on the floor, Whiteside shot 3-of-6 but the Heat were outscored by three points. It's a tiny head-to-head sample, so circle Jan. 11 and Feb. 24 on your calendar for the next installments, and to see if the always irascible Whiteside keeps this exchange in mind.
The 26-year-old Whiteside, by the way, shot 62.8 percent from the floor last season, averaging a robust 11.8 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in 23.8 minutes. Green, meanwhile, averaged 11.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks, narrowly missing both the Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards.