The Miami Heat have won their last three games to get their record up to 21-13 which has them in the third spot in the Eastern Conference. Miami's win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday was an impressive win by itself but it was made even more impressive by the fact that they did it without starting center Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside is dealing with a sore knee and that knee might cause him to miss more than just the one game, according to Manny Navarro of the Miami Herald.
Whiteside played in Miami's blowout win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday but it was during that game when he banged his knee although he was unsure of exactly when that happened. Whiteside didn't have to miss any time in that game but on the plane ride home he really started to notice the pain and when he woke up on Monday he struggled to walk to the bathroom.
Whiteside was listed as a game-time decision for Monday's game but afterwards he admitted he wasn't close to playing at all but as of right now the Heat are just calling it a sore knee. It is highly unlikely that Whiteside will be able to play on Wednesday against the New York Knicks unless there is a big unforeseen improvement and a return date is a question mark.
"It's just a lot of soreness right now, I really feel like I can't really do anything as far as running or jumping or anything," said Whiteside.
Whiteside did add that he doesn't see this knee issue being long-term but he was unsure what the actual injury was and didn't know whether he would need an MRI or not. Whiteside did tear a tendon in one of his knees back in 2011 but that was his left knee while this injury is to his right knee. Whiteside thinks it may be a bone bruise as he says the issue is "under the kneecap, around the patella tendon."
Whiteside's loss, if it is for a long period of time, is a big one for Miami as he leads the team with his 23.9 PER, his 11.3 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. Whiteside is one of the best defensive anchors in the NBA and his offensive game has improved so the Heat are hoping to get him back as soon as possible but they also won't rush it. The fact that Whiteside can't run or jump as of now likely isn't a good sign for a swift return but he also doesn't think it's anything too serious. Chris Andersen started in Whiteside's place on Monday night.
