NBA Draft Prospects: A look at Kansas State's Michael Beasley

With the second half of the NBA season getting underway, why not look ahead to the upcoming NBA Draft in June ?

All signs point to Kansas State's Michael Beasley being the No. 1 overall pick, if he decides to leave school. 

An interesting thing to remember about this year's draft, is that the Suns get Atlanta's first round pick from the Joe Johnson trade in 2005. 

Michael Beasley is making his case to be the second consecutive Freshmen to win the National Player of the Year award.  Currently, he averages 25.7 PPG, 12.6 RPG while shooting 55 percent from the field, and 74% from the free throw line for the 18-6 Wildcats.  

Beasley has posted 21 double-doubles this season in just 24 games. 

He has range to shoot the ball from the outside and plays very physical inside.  Beasley is a scoring machine and would be a great addition to whomever wins the NBA draft lottery. 

The top three candidates to win the lottery are Miami, Minnesota, and Seattle.

We'll start with Miami.  

Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion, and Michael Beasley.  Sounds like a potential "big three" for the Heat.  After getting rid of Shaquille O'Neal earlier this month, they could use a post player capable to score down low. 

The Heat could also look to draft a point guard such as Derrick Rose out of Memphis.  I have to believe they would go with Beasley with the number one overall pick, however.

On to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves have an established big man in Al Jefferson, but no one to really complement him. 

Craig Smith has played well for Minnesota this year—but isn't as dynamic of a player as Beasley. 

Minnesota should draft Beasley if they receive the number one pick, and if not look to trade the pick. 

They could also trade Randy Foye or Sebastian Telfair in favor of taking Derrick Rose if available.  

Finally, the Seattle Supersonics.

Seattle has their scorer of the future in Kevin Durant, and is in more need of a center then the 6'9 Beasley. 

Beasley and Durant could turn into a great duo. Beasley is comparable to someone like Carmelo Anthony for his NBA transition. 

He will probably play small foward in the NBA and look to abuse the smaller forwards in the paint. 

Durant could play shooting guard in Seattle if Beasley winds up there.  Seattle also could look to strengthen the point guard or center position if they don't land Beasley.

I plan to take a more in depth look at the other potential prospects of this years NBA draft in the near future.  Guys such as Eric Gordon, Derrick Rose, and O.J. Mayo.