MIAMI _ It appears that Hassan Whiteside's chances of returning before the Miami Heat hit the road for their longest trip of the season could come down to Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls.
Whiteside, who has been sidelined with a bone bruise on his left knee since the Heat's Oct. 18 season-opening loss against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center, not only was ruled out in advance of Saturday's game against the Boston Celtics at AmericanAirlines Arena, but coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged that Monday's game against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves also appears unlikely.
"He's doing more. I'm encouraged by his activity level. He's not ready for a practice yet," Spoelstra said after Saturday morning's shootaround. "So we'll check that box when he gets to that. But in terms of pain, that's gotten a lot better. And he's been doing more."
The Heat prefer a player go through a contact practice before returning from an extended injury absence.
Whiteside was on the court after Friday's practice, going through drill work with assistant coach Juwan Howard.
Should Whiteside miss Monday's game, the five-game absence would match the time he missed all of last season, when he was out four games in January with an eye injury and then one game later that month with an ankle sprain. The Heat went 2-3 in Whiteside's absence last season.
The current six-game homestand is the Heat's longest of the season. It will be followed by a six-game trip that opens Friday against the Denver Nuggets.
The reality of Whiteside's absence has hit home for teammates.
"I think we're spectating a lot, watching other guys go get it," forward Josh Richardson said of struggles with rebounding. "We're probably too used to watching Hassan go get every rebound. So we've got to figure out a way to be more physical on the court."
Forward James Johnson agreed.
"We've got to have more effort," he said. "You can't rely on the big fella to be there all the time and rebound for us. I know he can rebound balls when he's playing. When he's out, we've got to do a better job of pursuing."
