After struggling to make an impact with a bigger role in Minnesota and Phoenix, it was announced on Wednesday that forward Michael Beasley had come to terms with the team that drafted him with the 2nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft – the Miami Heat.
Although the forward never had trouble scoring (albeit inefficiently), it was the lack of doing anything else on the court and causing off-court issues that has deteriorated his reputation over the years. With the Heat, he will look to renew his image and change the perception that he can’t make positive contributions on a winning team. He will also be reunited with some of his old teammates, including Dwyane Wade, Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, James Jones and Mario Chalmers.
Chalmers, in particular, has close ties with Beasley. The two came out of the same draft and started their careers together in Miami as rookies. They even got into trouble together off the court. Upon hearing the news about his friend, the point guard had this to say:
Well well well the homie is back. I want every heat fan to welcome back my brotha @easyst0 aka mr buckets back to Miami. We focused
— Mario Chalmers (@mchalmers15) September 11, 2013
The days of hoping for Beasley to become a focal point of a team are all but over, but the chance for the troubled player to become relevant again is certainly there with the Heat, provided he makes it through training camp.
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.