A Word to The Cleveland Cavaliers and a Michael Beasley Evaluation

LeBron James has made his decision.

Finally, after two years of anticipation, the LeBron James saga in Cleveland has come to an end.

The best player in the NBA has left his hometown to win a championship in Miami, with new superteam teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

A word to the Cleveland Cavaliers fans:

Even though there are a thousand emotions going through your head right now, and much hatred and disgust to the one in which you all dubbed "The King," it is not the end of the world.

I can only imagine the pain for a diehard. When the Minnesota Timberwolves lost Kevin Garnett, we actually got something in return.  Al Jefferson was an all-star caliber player before his injury. But while it may feel like it, losing LeBron for absolutely nothing, again, is not the end of the world.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have to say goodbye to the past. LeBron has given up on Ohio, and it showed this past playoff season.

Learn from a Timberwolves fan, we are the laughingstock of the NBA. 

LeBron is loyal to the city of Akron, not Cleveland.

You will come to love LeBron once again, just as much as we Wolves fans loved that KG finally accomplished his dream and got his ring.

It's times like these, that can make your upbringing even more memorable. After all, now that LeBron is gone, all you can do is hope.

Now, onto Minnesota.

David Kahn has struck again.

He has traded a 2012 2nd round pick to the Miami Heat for power forward Michael Beasley.

This move only solidified the notion that any move David Kahn makes, in the eyes of the ignorant, is completely blown up out of proportion.  He's made to be the NBA's whipping boy, but I don't see how this deal is foolish.

Here are some negative opinions from around the web regarding this trade:

Another Power Forward?

This is true, but power forward Al Jefferson has been on the trading block this whole summer.  Also, with all of these stupid contracts being signed this summer, Al's trade value just rose ten fold. Not to mention, Beasley can play small forward.

Wolves Wasted Their Money

How so? They spend a little more that four million dollars on a stretch forward that still has upside. With the deals being signed, it makes sense because no one is coming cheap.

It's David Kahn!

It's getting really old.

Assuming Al Jefferson gets traded, look at the depth of this roster:

*- plays more than one position

**- can play up to 3 positions

PG: Jonny Flynn/ Ramon Sessions*

SG: Martell Webster*/ Corey Brewer*/ Wayne Ellington*

SF: Wesley Johnson*/ Lazar Hayward*/ Nemanja Bjelica**

PF: Kevin Love*/ Michael Beasley*

C: Darko Milicic/ Nikola Pekovic/ Ryan Hollins

The Wolves, on the offensive end, can really run with this roster.

Now, onto my Michael Beasley analysis.

Michael Beasley

6'9'', PF/SF, 235 lbs, 7'0'' wingspan, 35 inch vertical leap.

15 PPG, 6 RPG, 1 APG, 1 SPG in 30 MPG.

From the outside looking in, this looks like a steal.

However,  Michael Beasley does have off court issues.  There's no doubt that he should become a better samaritan off the court with the Minnesota Timberwolves.  In fact, I'm willing to bet that the Minnesota Timberwolves current roster has the cleanest record in the NBA.

This guy was the 2nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and has been labeled a bust from early on.  However, just because he hasn't been Wade's right-hand man doesn't mean he's a bust.

My question is, who could be Wade's right hand man on a championship roster? I remember it took a younger Shaq to do that. That is not to excuse Beasley's inconsistency, but I'm hoping Michael looks at Minnesota as a breath of fresh air.

Let's look at the positives from Beasley's game:

• Athleticism.
• Ambidextrous.
• Can create his own shot.
• Decent 3-point shooter, good mid range shooter, good post up game.
• Has tools to be a defensive stopper.
• Can play with or without the ball.

The negatives:

• Poor shot selection.
• Focus and attitude.

Overall, Beasley is a very solid pickup for the Wolves. I hope this move will make people realize that the Timberwolves have been building a run and jump team, with the ability to shoot the ball and defend.

That's the game of basketball, folks.