Before rookie Bam Adebayo came off the bench and played vitally important minutes in Monday night’s win over the slumping Grizzlies at FedEx Forum, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he wasn’t sure if Hassan Whiteside would be ready to rejoin the team when it returns home to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.
Spoelstra said it’s all going to depend ultimately on how his starting center’s left knee feels, and if he’s able to play with the kind of mobility necessary to help the Heat (13-13). Whiteside has now missed six consecutive games because of a bone bruise in his left knee and 11 games overall.