Lesson From Indiana: Wolves Fans Must Manage Expectations With Michael Beasley

Minnesota Timberwolves fans must feel great right now, and with good reason.  Obtaining Michael Beasley while giving up just a second round draft pick seems almost too good to be true. 

Unfortunately, it may still be.

As a lifelong Indiana Pacers fan, I experienced a similar level of jubilation in early 2002. The Pacers, who were then full of talent but unable to push their record much higher than .500, dealt Jalen Rose and Travis Best to the Chicago Bulls for Brad Miller, Ron Mercer, Kevin Ollie, and Ron Artest.

I still remember reading the terms of the deal over and over again in the Indianapolis Star, trying to figure out what exactly the catch was here. Rose had been arguably the key ingredient that enabled the Pacers to win the Eastern Conference championship for the first time in their history during the 1999-2000 season.

But many Indiana fans, in their always intensely observant manner, had since labeled him as selfish on the offensive end and a sometimes lazy defender. Best was an adequate back up point guard, but was never going to be a good starter anywhere. And Best often drove fans crazy with his propensity to bring the ball up the court, where he proceeded to beat the air out of it for the next 15 seconds.  

On the other hand, Miller, Artest, and Mercer (at least when healthy) all seemed to be more than capable starters at the time, and Ollie was arguably a more reliable backup than Best. 

How exactly had Donnie Walsh pulled this deal off for the Pacers?

Pacer fans later found out the hard way in 2004, after Ron Artest charged into the stands in a jawdropping moment that later became known as the "Malice in the Palace." 

Despite Artest's unprecedented actions at Detroit in 2004, and prior cases of misbehavior for the Pacers (he had previously destroyed a television camera in Madison Square Garden and almost come to blows during a game with then Miami Heat coach Pat Riley), Indiana brought him back for the 2005 season, only for him to promptly request a trade. 

A player many Pacers fans had thought we had simply pilfered from the Bulls three years before had ruined what was arguably the Pacers best shot at an NBA title in the 2004-2005 season. Artest also ended any reasonable chance of Pacers legend Reggie Miller winning a title in Indiana, and changed the public perception of a franchise long-reveled in Indiana for the worse. 

The Pacers franchise still suffers from the latter issue.  

It was only years later, in late 2009, that Indiana fans found out the true nature of the player they obtained from Chicago. In a December interview, Artest admitted to living a self-described "wild" lifestyle while playing for the Chicago Bulls, a lifestyle that even extended to the locker room, where he said he often partook in drinking Hennesey cognac during halftime. 

Had Pacers fans, who have a reputation of being no nonsense when it comes to our basketball, known of these indiscretions, we would have never wanted to trade for Ron Artest, regardless of his talent.

The full extent of indiscretions committed by NBA players rarely come into the public view. And why should they in most cases? If players do not end up in situations involving the police, they have the right to have the actions they commit kept under the vest. 

Yet, this state of affairs often prevents fans from knowing the true nature of some of the players with which the entrust their basketball hopes and dreams.

At this stage in his career, Michael Beasley has exhibited warning signs of a classic headcase. He's been known to party quite hard and has already done one stint in rehab. At this point, however, it is still somewhat unclear as to why the Miami Heat, who need all the complementary players they can get, would ditch the immensely talented Beasley so easily. 

Something has to be missing. Is he chronically late for practice? Is he smoking pot in the locker room, or occasionally playing drunk? Is his behavior something that can be fixed? Or is he a hopeless headache like Ron Artest, whose behavior can only be managed as opposed to alleviated?

My advice for Timberwolves fans is to enjoy the talent you have in Beasley. But don't expect someone who you acquired so easily to be a key, consistent part of your lineup who you can depend on for years to come. 

You never know when Beasley's expansive personal issues, if they even exist at all, will  manifest on the court and he'll begin to completely break down. 

Pacer fans saw Ron Artest as part of the foundation that could finally deliver Reggie Miller and NBA title. We've since learned such title hopes cannot be placed on such a shaky grounds.