Center
Starter: Hassan Whiteside
Reserve: Amar’e Stoudemire
Odd Man Out: Chris Andersen
Whiteside was signed as a street free agent last November with zero fanfare.
He ended the 2014-15 season as the team’s starting center and finished fourth in voting for the Most Improved Player of the Year award. It’s worth noting he made just 48 appearances; had he played the entire season, he likely would have won the award.
With Whiteside as the returning starter, Stoudemire will do what he does best at this point of his career, and that’s provide scoring as a reserve big man. Stoudemire is capable of playing either center or power forward, so his versatility will help as he’ll average around 20-to-24 minutes per game.
The odd man out here is Chris Andersen. While Andersen was a valuable commodity during the Heat’s championship years, he is 37 years old with a $5.3 million cap figure. That is simply too much money for a reserve center who can’t give you any more than 19 minutes and six points per game.
With the Heat needing to cut down its roster, Andersen will be one of the three veterans on his way out.
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