Heat president Pat Riley blasted center Hassan Whiteside for being out of shape during their first-round playoff beatdown at the hands of Philadelphia, an excuse Sixers center Joel Embiid wasn’t buying.
Embiid was quick to remind everyone that he balled out against Miami despite a late-season facial injury.
Joel Embiid’s pregame routine: dunking on Hassan Whiteside pic.twitter.com/9Q6c1SmpOs
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) April 30, 2018
Riley says Whiteside and head coach Erik Spoelstra may need an “intervention” of some kind this summer.
Per the Palm Beach Post:
“There has to be an intervention and I’m going to be the intervener,” Riley said Monday, the day he met with the media to discuss the state of the Heat. “The disconnect between he and Spo that’s going to take a discussion between them and it’s going to take thought on the part of coach and also Hassan.”
Riley referenced Whiteside’s injuries – as did Spoelstra – that forced him to miss 28 games, 18 because of two different bone bruises and nine in March because of a hip injury.
“By the time we got to the playoffs I don’t think he was ready,” Riley said. “He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t in great shape. He wasn’t fully conditioned for a playoff battle mentally. He and we got our heads handed to us.”
