In today’s news, the Heat added yet another weapon to their extremely deep bench. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, pessimism surrounds the Lakers’ inevitable pursuit of LeBron James.
Heat add Beasley
The Miami Heat announced today that they agreed to a contract with forward Michael Beasley. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Beasley, who was drafted by the Heat second overall in 2008 — one pick after Derrick Rose — has proven to be a lethal scorer on the court in five years in the league.
“Michael had the best years of his career with us,” said Pat Riley. “We feel that he can help us.”
Beasley played in 159 games with Miami from 2008-2010 and averaged 14.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in just 27.3 minutes per game. The Heat made the playoffs in both of Beasley’s years with the team.
In need of cap space to sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Heat traded Beasley to Minnesota in the summer of 2010.
While Beasley’s talent on the court is undeniable, his immaturity off of the court has kept him from becoming a star in the league.
Beasley was waived by the Phoenix Suns at the beginning of the month after he was arrested in August on suspicion of marijuana possession.
Beasley joins Greg Oden as another potential X-Factor to Miami’s already established championship roster. If Beasley can stay focused on the court, he could very well become the team’s sixth man by the end of the season. At only 24 years old, Beasley should just be entering the prime of his career.
Lakers’ source pessimistic about team’s chances with LeBron James
While the Lakers have long been considered the optimal destination for free agents to play, there is a growing pessimism in the team’s front office about their chances of luring stars to Los Angeles next summer. 
“Within the organization there isn’t a single person that believes we can bring LeBron aboard,” one source close to Lakers management said.
One reason why the team is increasingly pessimistic about the team’s chances of luring a star is that Kobe Bryant continues to develop a reputation of being a difficult teammate.
“Pau [Gasol] is a two-time champion and a five-time All-Star and he’s one of the most disrespected players ever,” notes one agent. “He gets bad press all the time.”
Another agent said the Bryant’s presence will weigh on the mind of any free agent looking to play for the Lakers “Uh, duh. Yes,” the agent said matter-of-factly.
Who needs LeBron? The Lakers would be a much better team next year if they were able to pick up DeMarcus Cousins from the Kings.
…and the Phoenix Suns get Andrew Wiggins!
Mick,
You’re too old. CD’s? Who’s putting out those when you can drop an MP3 on iTunes?
Lakers should just rebuild just like any other NBA team and stop looking for a quick fix. If they really wanted to rebuild, they would have amnestied Kobe.
Horrible article.
@ Mick so when Jordan , Magic,& Bird “especially Jordan” were making their commercial and Jordan shoe or clothing line that they wre distracted and hurt their team. What about Colby and LeBron. It all depends on the caricature of the individual them selves, you can’t say they a single thing distracts one & not another it’s what they choose to put fist. A big part is people don’t want to play with Colby and he’s definitely going to be there two more years and the rest of it is nobody wants to play the system of basketball they have under Mike
and that officially ends the lakers dynasty in LA……Clippers officially owns LA
look idiot,how in the hell is a Clipper team which hasn’t won shit in it’s entire existence and probably never will in any of our life times. They officially own one Western Conf. Crown, never been to finals Championship of any kind. So how the hell are the Clippers gonna own anything,they don’t even have a history in the building they play in which by the way,was built on the 16 NBA Championships the the Lakers have won over the years. The Clippers are a second class citizen when compare to the Lakers and that’s not gonna change any time in the near future,no matter how hard you try to formulate that dream in your little pea brain head. Case closed.
Damn.. I must agree… That is the hous the LAKERS built… Clippers havent done anything!!! LAKERS BABY!!!!
It was reported that melo said he isnt leaving NY
Melo will remain a Knick. Lebron will either go back to Cleveland or resign with MIA. Lakers don’t have a chance at either one of them.
Is this what reporting has come down to. A source with management said they wont get James and an unnamed agent. Does James go to Miami with Wade wasn’t there or Bosh didn’t come? No. James was never coming to the Lakers. He’ll either re-sign with Heat or go back to Cleveland. I think he is going back to Cleveland (legacy reasons). You have to want to be a Laker, like Kobe, like Shaq. The Lakers have a better chance with Carmelo. It is tough playing with Kobe. Look at all the attention he gets and all the criticism he receives on nightly basis. On Pau’s note, he get criticized because he doesn’t play the all star. So passive and worried about always getting others shot. Be aggressive and be the second best player on the court.
There’s no way Melo goes to the Lakers. Theres no way he turns down 39million dollars and the chance to build his own team in New York. What FA wants to go to LA? No one did this year and yet everyone thinks FA will want to next year. Josh Smith went to Detroit. He didnt go to a team with the 3rd best player of all time, he went to Detroit. The Lakers need to get their noses out of the air and realize that their team is beyond undesireable to FA’s compared to the other big market teams out there. They bring someone in, shower them in praise and expectation, force them to play a system customized for someone else, blame them for every loss before they even glance at Kobe, their career stats go down, and they will probably have to take a pay cut in order for Kobe to get his $$ and to build a decent enough supporting cast. Who wants that?
Wow get your facts straight. Josh couldn’t come to the lakers because lakers had no cap space. However they will have tons of cap space next year which is why melo will entertain the possibility if playing there. And yes he just might turn down 39 mil from a team that has no chance to win a championship. Couple that with the fact he’s good friends with Kobe, odds are looking better he bolts NY. Not saying he will, but a good chance.
The NY fans are in complete denial. They don’t have nor will have a championship team as long as they have to play Miami and Indiana. Carmelo would be a great fit in L.A. and with all the cap space L.A. has next year they could also add another star.
The world does not revolve around NY as those who live there think. It get’s really old listening to their delusional comments about championship aspirations.
Wait so the Knicks have no shot, so melo will go to a team that has even less of a chance with a star who doesn’t have many years left. Not to mention the lakers have the thunder, spurs, clippers, rockets, nuggets, hell even the warriors are better than the lakers. Maybe you should realize that the lakers aren’t the center of the world and Superstar FAs don’t want to play there.
Nobody went to LA because they didn’t have cap room bro
Yo clueless,if superstars don’t want to play in LA,then how the hell did they win a total of 10 NBA Titles in LA alone. What hell do you classify Magic, Kareem, Worthy,West,
Baylor& Chamberlain. I might add for the benefit of you Kobe hating misfits out there,that two of those 10 title were won with Kobe as the leader. All you cluless morons out there kill be with all of your lack of knowledge about a damn thing,but so quick to say that this or that star player won’t come play in LA. If any of you moron’s actually possessed any brain cell with which to form an intelligent thought,then you’d understand that star players have numerous reasons for choosing a particular team for which to play,some for the money,some for a chance at a Title and some in the case of D12 who was actually to stupid to figure out how to play the a simple pick and roll game,aside from the fact that he was afraid of hard work and to actually work at your trade as does Kobe,MJ,Magic,Kareem,Bird and other great stars in the past had done. When you think about it,it was another of the reasons why Kobe & Shaq had difficulties getting along and why Shaq was all the damn time out of shape and always injured.So before you start flapping your lips about why anyone won’t play in LA,try acquiring some knowledge,some facts and/or some brain cells with which to make an intelligent conclusion about why certain players choose a place and/or team with whom to play.
Let’s see they have no cap space this year so FA didn’t want to play in LA wow your a genius. Would you take minimum or 40-60 million elsewhere? Let’s not make stuff up there was s good reason they didn’t. If same thing happens next summer then your statement will be true.
What you fail to understand is the Lakers are the most storied NBA team ever. They have sixteen titles!!! True Howard was forced to play in a system that wasnt designed for him… But hey he did it, it didnt work out and he goes to Houston because he couldn’t handle the pressure of playing for the Lakers. We will bounce back!!!! LAKERS BABY!!!!
I agree, you have to want to be a Laker and garner all the same scrutiny that Kobe does as a superstar player. It’s a mindset you have to have. Very few people posses the wherewithal to be a true Laker! Especially in today’s NBA where stars are looking to be served and pampered instead of seeking to deliver the goods to the fans and the franchise. To be a Laker basketball can’t just be a fun habit that you have. It can’t just be a a good way to exercise and make good money. To be a Laker basketball has to be your life. This is a lost concept with the NBA players of today. They’re more into making movies, commercials, drugs, CDs and clothing lines rather than winning. The distracted player is the nemesis of any franchise.
Even dwight howard didnt wanna stay in la lebron and melo will also look at that
Dude,D12 is a complete idiot and one who couldn’t hit a damn FT if his damn life depended on it. Superstars get the ball in crunch time with the ability to carry their team to victory,but if u can’t hit a damn FT how are you gonna call yourself a franchise player. The reason why Shaq and even Chamberlain were able to do it was because they had superstar players around them. Now imagine D12 the leader of a Lakers team alone with no other superstar player whom the Lakers would turn to when his no shooting FT ass couldn’t make one in winning time. Hell team would just foul him at will,just as they did with Shaq. So D12 leaving LA don’t really mean shit when you look at the future of the Lakers,hell to be truthful,we’re better of with Pau at center,he may not be the defensive stopper that D12 is,but he can at least hit a damn FT when needed.