NBA Insider: Miami's Whiteside has finally arrived

Hassan Whiteside's convoluted journey to Miami and NBA relevancy took him from Sacramento, Reno and Rio Grande Valley all the way to Lebanon, China and, not too long ago, a rec league at the Charlotte YMCA.

His quest included a free-agent workout with the Timberwolves at Target Center in September 2012 that was none too memorable.

"Yeah," Whiteside said in the Target Center visitors' locker room last week, when asked if he remembers that day. "They made this locker room bigger. They've redone it, done a good job. That's all I remember, really."

That and his workout buddy that day.

"I went against Chris Johnson," Whiteside said, referring to another D-League center who played 30 games for the Wolves in 2012-13. "That's all I remember."

There's more to remember about his career these days, much more.

Whiteside is now the big man's version of what little guy Jeremy Lin was to the NBA with his "Linsanity" three years ago this month. Like Lin, Whiteside has come out of nowhere — if the Charlotte YMCA qualifies as such — to put up franchise player-like statistics on a rookie's minimum guaranteed salary.

Signed by the Heat four days after Memphis cut him in November, Whiteside had five double-double games — including a 14-point, 13-rebound, 12-block triple-double against the Bulls on Jan. 25 — in his past six games before an ankle injury sidelined him Friday against San Antonio. He's one of only three players in NBA history to reach a triple-double with double-digit blocked shots while coming off the bench in a game.

His 24-point, 20-rebound game against the Wolves on Wednesday at Target Center was the first 20-20 game by a Heat player since Shaquille O'Neal did it in November 2004. He shot 67 percent from the field in January.

Once considered a potential lottery pick, Whiteside fell into the 2010 draft's second round before Sacramento selected him 33rd overall. He played 19 games there the next two seasons before the Kings waived him. He spent two more years playing overseas, in the D League, at the YMCA and auditioning with NBA teams before he found a home this season in Miami. He's putting up All-Star numbers on a Heat team that recently went 1-4 with Dwyane Wade out injured.

"I mean, I'm not a fortuneteller," Whiteside said when asked if all this would have happened without such a long journey. "I can't tell you what would or wouldn't happen."

The Heat had followed his career for years but, like every other NBA team, wondered about his maturity and commitment until the time finally was right for both sides. The Heat seemingly has found the big center it lacked even during the LeBron James title seasons, and Whiteside — signed cheap through next season — finally has a home.

"We didn't try to imagine what it could be necessarily," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "What we were was open-minded. We were open-minded to him, and he was open-minded to us and our culture. It was good timing for both sides: We needed a big body and he needed a place that values what he does."

At age 25, perhaps the timing is finally right for a raw prospect who has matured and now does what he does — block shots at one end, dunk at the other — with dizzying proficiency.

"I haven't been to a ton of organizations," said Whiteside, whose father played receiver for the Vikings for one season in 1984. "I can't really give you a rundown or list of why it didn't work here or didn't work there. I want to learn, and they've been there before. They've won championships and they're a team that really cares about winning."

NBA short takes

Pistons don't miss Smith

It doesn't often work well in the world of high finance, but the concept of addition through subtraction has its place sometimes in pro sports. Just look at the Detroit Pistons, the Wolves' Sunday night opponent in Auburn Hills, Mich.

They were only 5-23 when they waived Josh Smith and paid him more than $30 million to go away right before Christmas. Without him, they displayed a different spirit by winning 14 of the next 22 games, including seven in a row immediately after new coach/GM Stan Van Gundy finally sent Smith packing.

Smith's departure — gone to Houston via free-agent signing — isn't the only reason. Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond are bookend terrors in the frontcourt. Brandon Jennings played like a new man after Smith left, until he tore his Achilles' tendon last week and was replaced by backup D.J. Augustin. Guard Jodie Meeks, back to good health, gives them a scoring presence off the bench.

West Virginia connection

Miami sensation Hassan Whiteside and Wolves center Gorgui Dieng saw each other Wednesday at Target Center, years after the two players first met in West Virginia. Whiteside gave Dieng a recruiting tour of Marshall University when Whiteside played there and Dieng was a prized prep school recruit nearby.

"He was just down the street and he was a shot blocker, so when he came to Marshall, they wanted me to show him around and talk to him a little," Whiteside said. "I've seen how his career developed. He's a good kid. I'm happy for him."

Parting words

TNT analyst Chris Webber on Golden State's Klay Thompson, a player Flip Saunders coveted in a Kevin Love trade and a shooter who visits Target Center on Wednesday: "Maybe the prettiest jump shot in the game. When you look at him, when he gets his feet set, his style may be the prettiest we've ever seen."

Wolves' Week Ahead

Sunday: 5 p.m. at Detroit (no TV)

Monday: 7 p.m. vs. Atlanta (FSN Plus)

Wednesday: 7 p.m. vs. Golden State (FSN)

Player to watch: Klay Thompson, Warriors

An All-Star season punctuated by that 37-point third quarter against Sacramento … now you know why Flip Saunders wanted him as the centerpiece of a Kevin Love trade last summer.

Voices

« God does things, works in mysterious ways. I think I've grown a lot more here than I would have there. »

– Wolves rookie Andrew Wiggins on never getting the chance to play with LeBron James in Cleveland.