Be Easy

Before they let up 60 points to the Knicks in the first half, we caught up with Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers in the Heat locker room before the game. Both guys looked like they’d been eating weights, as they were legitimately bigger than when we saw them at the Rookie Photo Shoot over the summer.

Dime: What have you guys been doing to get ready for this moment?
Chalmers: I’ve been in the weight room three or four times a week, just trying to get stronger. That’s my main goal. It’s been a lot of bench press, a lot of stuff to get my legs stronger like squats and other little things. Our strength and training coach has really been working with me on my basketball game too, so I think it’s made a difference. I think everybody’s trying to get stronger and better.

Beasley: I worked hard – Mario did too. Coach acknowledged it by giving us a start. But I mean, I’m fine coming off the bench too. I get up at 7:30 and I’m at the gym at 7:45, and I don’t leave until 4, or 5 o’clock. I could use some of that time. I think I realized that this is a job. As fun as it might be, it’s still work. I’m still going to do what I gotta do.

Dime: What’s your goal for this season personally?
Chalmers: First, I just want to get my name out there and show that I can play in this League. I want to show that I’m one of the better rookies who came into the League this year. And for the team, I want to just win more than fifteen games. Hopefully we can do much more than that though and get to the playoffs.

Dime: Now that you’ve officially arrived in the League, what have you bought?
Chalmers: Since coming into the League I haven’t bought too much – just a truck. That’s basically it. It’s not like what he got.

Beasley: Come on, man, you know that you bought every pair of Louis Vuitton shoe that ever came out.

Chalmers: Tell ‘em about that 2010 Ferrari you got.

Beasley: Yea, I got it on lay away.