Beasley is no Tito Jackson

Michael Beasley isn’t worthy of being the starting power forward for the Miami Heat. People have always said that Beasley is going to be great in a few years drawing comparisons to players such as David West, Carlos Boozer, and even Chris Bosh, but I don’t see it.

Michael Beasley right now is not even worthy of being called a Tito Jackson. Tito was good; Tito was able to deliver night in and night out, Tito was able to be the go to guy; all characteristics that Michael Beasley lack. For a player that was suppose to bring a franchise back to the map, he has done more to the Heat as Adam Morrison has done to the Los Angeles Lakers. Yes, I just took a stab at Beasley. No, I don’t hate him, but the way he has been playing, it’s horrible. You guys might try and tell me that when we got Beasley we went to the playoffs, but if you honestly believe that you are a naïve Miami Heat fan. Last season wasn’t about Beasley; last year was the year of the MV3. Michael Beasley came into a situation much like that of Darko Milicic. He came into a team that wasn’t a bad team. Let’s face it, the only reason Miami only won 15 games was because all of our players the year before were injured. Sure Miami wasn’t going to win a championship last season, but they were bound to make the playoffs. Beasley was icing on the cake, he wasn’t the cake itself. We would have had a good team without him. Jermaine O’Neal, Jamario Moon, Udonis Haslem, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers are pretty good players.

You guys might say that I need to give Beasley a break because he just came back from an injury, but I will not. He needs to understand that in this level of the game, if you don’t produce you will be chewed up. Even Dwyane Wade gets chewed up when he doesn’t perform, so why would a player like Michael Beasley be any different? Honestly, I don’t see what people love about this kid anyways. I will admit, I was happy we drafted him (even got his jersey in my closet) but when I saw him play I noticed he was nothing that special. Yes, he has a beautiful shooting stroke, yes he can score at will (not that I have seen any of that since he left Kansas State) but that’s not the point of a power forward. He needs power, and lots of it. He needs to be able to finish in the hole more often and not be afraid to take the charge. Beasley needs to be more like…. Udonis Haslem. Yes, If Beasley was to play more like UD and less like Wade he would be a force to be reckoned with.

If I see Beasley making changes to his game I will praise him. For example, I salute him in being a better defender than last year. Last year he was irrelevant in the defensive end. This season is a different story, so kudos for you Michael. Please don’t take this as a “oh he hates Beasley” column. It’s the opposite, much like that annoying teacher you had/have in school that pushes you to your limit, I know Beasley can play and that’s why I’m frustrated with him. He needs to let go of his ego and be a team player that doesn’t mind not being the scorer but being the hustle guy, the guy that hits the ground for a loose ball, the guy that isn’t afraid of taking the charge, the guy that you look at and see he’s the heart and soul of the team much like Alonzo Mourning and Udonis Haslem.

So take this as a challenge, look at this and say, “yes, Beasley has been disappointing, we have a record of 33-33 with him in the starting lineup.

That’s the other thing, why is Beasley starting? He should be coming off the bench like he was last season. When Miami has the lineup of Rafer Alston, Dwyane Wade, Quentin Richardson, Udonis Haslem, and Jermaine O’Neal they were 12-9… So which begs the two questions, one, why did Miami suspend Alston? (That’s a whole different story that I’m working on) And two, what is Beasley doing in the starting lineup? I think if we took him out and put Haslem back in we would be doing better. Beasley is great player there is no question about it, but he is not doing well as a starter. He is only averaging 15 points and 6 Rebounds. Last season as a starter, Haslem averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds per game. So what’s the big difference? Why does Beasley have to start is it because he was the second pick in the draft? Whatever the reason behind it is, I strongly believe that Beasley should be in the bench.

Please, I’m very interested as to what you think about this subject. Please e-mail me with your comments or let me know below.