The Only Thing That Can Hold Hassan Whiteside Back

The Incident

If you haven’t been paying attention to Hassan Whiteside other than checking out his box scores every morning, those words probably come as a surprise to you. But rest assured, this slowly building reputation is based on more than his recent tussle with Alex Len and the Phoenix Suns, which led to an ejection and a $15,000 fine.

To be fair, it was Len that gave the first shove of that confrontation. But Whiteside escalated the situation into a full-on scrum when he made a tackle a Len’s knees that seemed more in place with the Miami Dolphins than the Heat. And that’s ignoring the fact that it was really Whiteside’s cocky post-dunk flourishes that spurred Len to stand up for himself in the first place.

In the first half, Whiteside’s impressive strength and athleticism was on display when he dunked right over Len. Whiteside made a point of landing on the Suns’ center, holding on to him on the way down as a way of getting in his face and letting him know he had just posterized him.

Len took issue with that, telling him to stop and getting Whiteside’s arm out of his jersey. In the second half, Whiteside did the exact same thing on the play in question. Len had had enough and shoved Whiteside — who was busy trying to feign innocence — out of the way. Whiteside immediately wheeled around a retaliated, taking Len to the ground.

The league may not have agreed that Whiteside initiated the wrestling match that followed (Len was fined $20,000, Whiteside only got $15,000), but you’d be kidding yourself if you think he wasn’t the instigator here.

Next: Troubling Signs