One knock on Hassan Whiteside has been a perceived lack of maturity. On Monday, the Heat big man let his emotions get the best of him and it caused him to get ejected during the third quarter of Miami’s game against the Celtics.
After swiping Kelly Olynyk’s arm away, Whiteside charged at the Celtics center, throwing his body into Olynyk’s back. Whiteside was assessed a flagrant 2 foul and subsequently ejected from the game for what can only be described as a blatant cheap shot.
Whiteside has burst onto the scene with the Heat this season, racking up rebounds and blocks at an impressive rate. However, he’s had a rough go of it in his last handful of games. This marks the second time in the last five games the 25-year-old has been ejected. Whiteside was involved in a scuffle with Alex Len of the Suns last week that resulted in both players getting sent to the locker room early. He was also benched by head coach Erik Spoelstra during Friday’s loss to the Wizards.
For the altercation with Len, Whiteside was fined $15,000, but escaped a suspension. That probably won’t be the case this time.
