What to do with Michael Beasley
Michael Beasley (photo. Chad Griffith)
It became pretty obvious during the Heat’s brief playoff run that they need to find more playing time for Michael Beasley. In the last three games of the first round, the rookie averaged 19 points and nine boards in 30 minutes off the bench, and was often the only other viable scoring option behind Dwyane Wade.
Beasley was Miami’s sixth man all season (24 mpg), a role he couldn’t really break out of since veteran leader Udonis Haslem is too important to the team as its starting power forward. Beasley’s best shot at getting more PT would be to move to small forward, where he could easily start over Jamario Moon and James Jones. And that seems to be the plan once offseason workouts start, according to the Miami Herald:
Offensively, Beasley has the outside shooting touch, moves and versatility to play small forward. But his defense was suspect even at power forward. He will have to improve drastically to keep up.
“It’s going to be one of the major areas of focus,” Spoelstra said of working with Beasley at small forward this summer. “We have four or five months to give him a look at the 3. We’re definitely going to spend a lot of time with him at both positions.”
Aside from the defense, the only other concern for me would be if running Beasley at the three significantly cuts down on his post-up opportunities. At 6-9, 235, the left-hander can score off the dribble and from the outside, but also has a chance to be a beast of a low-post scorer in the League.
Hopefully Spoelstra keeps that in mind and gives Beasley variety of ways to score from the small forward spot, ’cause I’d hate to see him turn into a Rashard Lewis-type who spends too much time on the perimeter when he could be so much better splitting his time between the arc and the paint.
Source: Miami Herald
May 5th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Yoooo says:
That nigga is NOT 6′9
May 5th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
that_dude says:
he is 6′7 1/2 in pre-draft meausrements, make him more of a ron-artest and bonzi wells type, and they are knuckleheads too,
May 5th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
loganlight says:
Posting up? No way. Even when he played PF this year for the Heat he rarely put his back to the basket. It’s all jumpshots or drives out of that really annoying triple threat stance he gets in every time.
I love the Heat, but I am not in love with B Easy. Sure he is a great scorer, but the dude really needs to mature (of course he does, he was a rookie and barely 21).
I am hoping to see more development from Joel Anthony this summer. He showed some flashes during the post season that got me excited.
We’ll see…
LL
May 5th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
karizmatic says:
Yeah Beasley isn’t any 6′9, he should have been playing small forward all along but he’s too slow. I don’t know if anything can be done to fix that. He can still post up from the 3 like a Tayshaun Prince. Or maybe they should just trade him to Detroit for Tayshaun Prince. lol. I doubt he’ll ever be a spectacular defensive player and maybe Miami can just take that chance if they play him at the 3.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Diego says:
Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson, II.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
shake&bake says:
Moving to small forward would help out his post game. He’d have a mismatch in the post against the majority of 3’s in the league. However, as a 4, he is undersized.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
jester says:
NBA pre-draft measurements are done in bare feet. NBA players height are recorded in basketball shoes. So Beasley is 6′9″ in his shoes.
May 5th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
smoove chips says:
you can’t teach intensity and heart.Boy has all the tools but he needs to want to be the baddest maflucka on the court period.
Dudes got a semi legit j.add a coupla post moves,solidify that J like Dwest,add a killer attitude and you are looking at a bona fide star.
without that last ingredient you are looking at a tmac,vince carter, or even JR smith dowm the line in five years.potential aint shyt if it’s not capitalized on.Period !!
May 5th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Scott says:
Why wouldn’t they start him at the 3 for a full season? Give him the year, let him grow in that starting spot, and go from there. Its not going to hurt the Heat THAT much to let him start at the 3 and see what happens.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
hahns says:
yeah- eff the defense, just hope that his pluses outweigh his minuses on the court.
instead of worrying about stopping the other sf, make teams worry about stopping him.
May 5th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
ianodelaleza says:
tell that bitch to get rid of those corn rows or get fired!
May 5th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
rell says:
What they need to do is give Beasley time to develop. Beasley is just a rookie. Don’t everyone remeber how inconsistent Durant was last year. He made leap and bound in just one year boosting his scoring average to 25+ and shooting over 47%. Beasley is already shooting a good percentage just give him time to develop and he will become a beast.
May 5th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
Working on his Defense is right. That boy got abused by Josh Smith in the first round.
May 5th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Steve Gomez 10a-2p on Hot 104.7 Modesto, CA says:
He’s not a 3. And in a few seasons he’s going to replace Haslem at the 4 because he is a flat out more talented player.
May 6th, 2009 at 6:03 am
QQ says:
Cat can score and rebound, but right now, that’s just about it. He has that intensity, so hopefully, he will work hard to be a better all around player. Cause he can be great if wants to be.
Dude is a beast in college, and I can honestly think he can translate that to being a beast in the L.
May 6th, 2009 at 8:59 am
doc says:
I wouldnt move him to the 3.Haslem gotta get the fuck outta town or hit the bench.He aint better than Beasly and if he so important all of a sudden why they was calling his team a 1 man show all year.Then in the playoffs u said yourself how B-Easy was the only other option.Dont sound like importance more than Wades butt buddy to me.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Jei says:
I’d still take Derrick Rose over him any fucking day.
May 6th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Derik says:
I’d take Anthony Randolph over him any fucking day
May 6th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
haslem says:
I agree completely. Not everyone can play in the post, don’t squander that skill.
May 7th, 2009 at 5:53 am
AusBall says:
The guy needs to learn shot selection. He bites every time he sees daylight and jacks up a shot. Moving him out is likely just to make that happen more.