Why Are the Miami Heat So Cold on Michael Beasley?

The Heat must know a dirty little secret no one else does. What else could explain their less than lukewarm reception to their mega-talented No. 2 pick, Michael Beasley?

Oden/Durant vs. Rose/Beasley

If you want proof of this, just compare this year's draft to last year's.   In 2007, Portland and Seattle ended up with the first two picks of the draft.  Greg Oden and Kevin Durant were up for grabs. 

Seattle, with the No. 2 pick, looked just as ecstatic on draft day as they did when they were first awarded their pick.  The then-Sonics' brass knew they were in a win-win situation—no matter who Portland picked, they would still get a stud who could immediately contribute. 

Seattle then proceeded to (go figure) welcome Durant as enthusiastically as if he had been the No. 1 pick.  That's because they knew he was that talented.

Enter Beasley in 2008.  According to his college stats (26.2 ppg and 12.4 rpg), he's even more talented than Durant.  He won't have to bulk up in the weight room like Durant will for the next five years.  He will be able to rebound on the pro level.  And scorers always find a way to score.

Despite these tangible stats—and the intangible fact that big men get you further into the postseason than perimeter players—the Heat did everything they could to convince themselves that a) the Bulls might pick Beasley, leaving Rose for them to scoop up or b) Mayo might be talented enough to simply pick outright at No. 2.

Since neither scenario happened, the Heat almost forced themselves to select Beasley.  It was almost like hearing Heat brass saying, "Well, we'll pick you since we have to, and we'll be ridiculed if we don't.  But that doesn't mean we have to like it."

The point is, what's not to like?  Heck, ESPN is now on the ninth episode of a video series titled The Rookie, which features Beasley's life—not Rose's or Mayo's.  That's marketability, people.

Numbers, in this case, tell the tale

Some are concerned he's not tall enough.  NBA.com lists him as 6'10".  So what if he's really 6'8" as some people suspect?  In the 2007-08 regular season, eight of the league's top ten rebounding forwards were as tall or shorter than Beasley's listed height.  Five were actually shorter.

Why were the Heat itching to get their hands on Derrick Rose or O.J. Mayo instead of Beasley?  Beasley's scoring average was third in the nation.  Mayo's was second in his conference, and Rose's fourth on his team. 

Beasley shot 53 percent from the field, compared to Mayo's 44 percent.  Beasley was good for 37 percent from three-point range to Rose's paltry 33 percent.  Rose and Mayo, perimeter guards, and therefore defenders, combined for only 15 more steals than Beasley had in one NCAA season.

Attitude?

Leading up to the draft, word got out that Beasley had an "attitude problem."  That's a great phrase in sports.  There's nothing that leads up to it.  It's just something that pops up in one article on any day about one player. Suddenly, any reference to that player for the rest of career contains the phrase "attitude problem."

In pre-draft interviews, it was impossible not to notice how much more amiable and, well, funny Beasley was compared to his main competition, Derrick Rose.

Here's a slice from an interview he did with ESPN's Chris Boussard:

Broussard: Can you rap better than Shaq?

Beasley: Oh, I can rap better than Shaq. This is like the sixth time (this summer) I said something about Shaq. I really don't want to get beat up, but I can rap better than Shaq.

Broussard: What did you think of his freestyle (about Kobe)?

Beasley: I think it was funny. I mean, him and Kobe played together so I don't know what they did on their free time … but it was a great rap (laughs). No, it wasn't -- because he was talking about Kobe. Kobe, don't be mad at me. It was a good rap, I guess.

Attitude problem?  Please.  In many instances, it's an attribute given to players who:

• don't have celebrity-level good looks. 
• wear a headband.
• don't play as a " traditional position" player.
• exhibit any combination of the above.

Because of all these misguided, cloudy factors surrounding Beasley, a lot of pundits are saying the Heat may not make the playoffs this season.  A trio of Beasley, Dwyane Wade, and Shawn Marion not make the playoffs in the East?

That right there may be the biggest proof that Beasley is not accepted as the talent that he is.