Pat Riley Says There Has to Be An Intervention Between Hassan Whiteside and Erik Spoelstra

Pat Riley says he'll be the "intervener" if there has to be an intervention with Hassan Whiteside and coach Erik Spoelstra.

This is a picture of Hassan Whiteside.
Getty

Michelle Farsi/NBAE via Getty Images

This is a picture of Hassan Whiteside.

Despite signing a $98 million deal back in the 2016 offseason, Miami center Hassan Whiteside didn't get a whole lot of playing time during the Heat's first-round series (which saw them eliminated in five games against the 76ers). And after the team was bumped, he voiced his displeasure about his minor postseason role.

Because of this tension (which came up at points during the regular season too) team president Pat Riley is looking to stage an intervention between his unhappy big-man, and coach Erik Spoelstra. Riley announced as much during Monday's end-of-season news conference with the media, while also saying Whiteside will have to alter his playing style:

According to team beat writer Ira Winderman, Riley also said Whiteside didn't have great conditioning during the playoffs:

Those comments would make it appear that he's siding with his coach, at the moment.

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