Hassan Whiteside has no interest in riding coattails.
“I wanted to go somewhere where I could be a big difference maker and do something special instead of just riding on coattails and trying to jump along with other people.”
Whiteside was drafted 33rd overall in the 2010 draft by Sacramento, eventually making a name for himself in Miami and then Portland.
In addition to returning to Sactown, Whiteside elaborated on facing the Kings in recent years.
“My first stint here I didn’t really get to show that. I think it’s a great opportunity for me. I always wanted to come back and rewrite that,” Whiteside said Thursday. “They are a very fast-paced team. I think that inside presence was what they were missing, that dominance in the paint. I know when we played against Sacramento, we just tried to slow them down and beat them up in the paint basically. That’s how we always played them, but I don’t think you are going to be able to do that too much longer.”