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Tweet of the Night: LeBron James Is Looking Out For Michael Beasley

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lebron-wade1We are less than 48 hours away from the NBA season opener between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls.

There is plenty to watch for on opening night:  The long anticipated return of Derrick Rose, Miami’s ring ceremony, Jimmy Butler’s improvement, Greg Oden’s return to the court after a four-year absence.

But, one player flying under the radar—which is probably a good thing for him—is Michael Beasley.

The pickup of Beasley by Miami scratched some heads this offseason. After all, they practically did everything they could do to give him away three summers ago, when the ‘Big Three’ came together. Since entering the NBA, and especially since leaving the Heat, Beasley has struggled to find his place. He’s been cited for numerous violations and been handed several suspensions.

So after basically conquering the basketball world, why would LeBron James feel the need to pay any attention to Beasley, a player who is one more screw up away from being released?

Upon entering the league Beasley’s offensive talent was unmistakable. His problem was all of the other stuff. But despite the distractions and limited playing time because of it, he’s still posted 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game of the course of his career. He’s definitely a viable bench player for the Heat, who could take some of the pressure off LeBron, Wade, Allen and Battier during the regular season.

But it will take some authority to keep him in line. What better place than the culture orchestrated in Miami over the last three years by Riley, LeBron, Wade, Spoelstra, Bosh, Battier, Allen, etc?

So far, it seems to be working, as Beasley has officially made the team:

Beasley and Mason survived Saturday’s cuts after several solid preseason efforts.

The Heat had stressed that Beasley would have to play his way onto the regular-season roster, after struggles in recent seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns. Like Mason, he signed for the veteran’s minimum, with a contract that does not become fully guaranteed until Jan. 10.

“I think I did pretty good, given my situation,” he said. “I think I got a whole lot better.

“I definitely got a lot better staying consistent with my motor, trying to play hard the whole game, the whole time I’m out there. As far as everything, offensively, getting shots or not getting shots or minutes or anything, it’s one of those things that are going to fall into place. I’m going to keep working hard and just let it happen.”

 

Previous Tweet Posts 

Tweet of the Day: Thomas Robinson Apologizes for Speeding Ticket

Ben Baroff is a basketball journalist who blogs for SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter here.

Comments

  1. His minutes will be up the way he has been playing. He plays well on both ends of the court and at 6’11” he can help the Heat.
    Excellent defender and rebounder also.

  3. You can’t teach talent. Beasley was born with a lot of it. If he can keep it together, he will have a good run in Miami. He is guarding LeBron in practice and it appears the King has taken him under his wing.

  4. B Easy has the potential to be the second best off the bench player in the Heat (behind Ray). I liked his style three years ago, although was rough and DWade didn’t seem to mentor hom or Beas didn’t respond to it.

    I am very intrigued at what he will develop into by playoffs. Just like Birdman was the X factor last year, Beas is this year. More so than Greg.

    It’s gonna be a hell of a year. Go H3AT!

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