Michael Beasley Prepared To Carry The Wolves To Greatness
Minnesota Timberwolves President David Kahn finally introduced the player involved in the most important move of his extremely active offseason, Michael Beasley .
"Hi, I'm Michael Beasley."
Those were the first of many words spoken by the young man, now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves organization.
The day was billed as Michael Beasley's introduction to the team, but in a lot of ways, it's probably his introduction to the NBA, if such a thing could be applied to a second-year player.
By being rescued by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Michael Beasley is finally free of the pressures that came with playing alongside Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade.
Beasley was supposed to come into the NBA and dominate right away, but the Heat never gave him a chance to fully display his offensive gifts. This was partly because of the offense being run through their All-Star, Wade, and partly because Beasley was being held to a higher standard of defense than his draft class peers. Plus, there's the Udonis Haslem factor.
In most folks' eyes, Beasley never felt comfortable playing alongside the six-time All-Star Wade, and Beasley admitted that yesterday.
"I feel like I did good my last two years in the NBA playing for Miami," Beasley confidently said on Thursday. "But I feel like there's a lot that the world don't know about me. A lot of my game hasn't been shown. A lot of my personality hasn't been shown. I feel like it's a new beginning and a fresh start and I'm ready to start my life."
One can take the Beasley statement one of two ways.
The first is that Beasley is eager to just be out of Miami and is happy to be relieved of the pressure that came from being there. The second is that he's mad as hell for not being allowed to be who he is and is eager to show his vast array of skills to all his doubters.
Team President Kahn is banking on the latter.
The general public mostly regards Beasley as a bust and believes that the Miami Heat organization was happy that Minnesota took him off its hands. However, that is far from the case.
Miami balked at the Timberwolves' initial attempt to acquire Beasley. It was set to build its franchise around him had Wade decided to take his show elsewhere. Pat Riley actually spoke on why he let Beasley go and why he didn't want to part ways with the 21-year-old.
"Michael—it's a personnel thing—he was the No. 2 pick in the draft," Riley said. "He came in very young. He came in a situation where he didn't start the first year and averaged 15 points and seven rebounds last year. People fail to realize he was our second-leading scorer both his seasons."
When asked if the Heat could have found a place for Beasley with LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Wade, Riley gave his reasoning on why he thought that wasn't logical.
"We didn't want to do that," Riley said. "We don't want to do that. We feel like he's a young talented kid who has a long career ahead of him. This particular move, we felt like, to bring in other complementary players, we had to go in that direction."
Then Riley was asked if the Heat organization would regret the move. His reply was shocking to most.
"Whatever happens, I would hate, two or three years from now—and Micky (Arison) and I talked about this—I know I'm going to probably regret it when he gets 29 (points) and 19 (rebounds) on us one night. He's really a gifted kid."
I'm positive Timberwolves fans would settle for a consistent 20 and 10 effort. Hell, I'm sure Beasley would settle for that kind of production come next season.
When listening to Kahn speak about what he expects of Beasley, currently the team's highest-paid player, one can tell that much will be expected of the soon-to-be third-year forward.
Kahn wants and expects Beasley to take on a leadership role for his young club. Apparently he is hoping that some of the characteristics of Dwyane Wade have rubbed off on Michael Beasley. This makes sense, since Beasley will be the only Timberwolves player who has been a part of playoff runs in each of the past two seasons.
Beasley appears ready for the task, and as things stand, he's currently the most gifted and versatile scorer on the Timberwolves' young club. He also averaged more points per game last season than anyone else currently on the team.
When asked what he thought of the Minnesota franchise acquiring him, Beasley simply replied with this statement.
"Do I think the Wolves took a gamble on me? Definitely," Beasley stated bluntly. "But I believe in myself and I trust in myself to take care of business like I’m supposed to."
Apparently the young man has regained his once-lost confidence, which is good for him and even better for the Timberwolves' franchise.
What Will Beasley Bring To The Table Next Season?
Beasley will, for the first time in his NBA career, be the unquestioned first option of "his" team. Kahn is banking on the young man unleashing the "Beast," a chant Beasley fans have ushered in over his previous two seasons in the NBA.
Beasley has been diligently working to add strength to his ever-growing frame. He's currently bragging to friends about his new physique. Currently, he has turned his 6'9" frame into 245 pounds of solid muscle. He's also working on getting his conditioning up to better deal with the rigors of being a primary option for a club.
I doubt Beasley will average double figures in rebounds, but I won't be shocked if he does. Being out West, he will mostly be facing teams that play at a quicker pace than the ones in the East do. I'd say nine a game is a fair estimate if he's given 35 or more minutes per game.
Timberwolves fans will be shocked at his defense—a work in progress still, but not as bad as advertised. He averaged well over a steal and a block per game after the NBA All-Star break. He was third on the Heat in total steals for the season (behind Wade and Mario Chalmers) and fourth in total blocks (behind Jermaine O'Neal, Joel Anthony, and Wade). Fans should not be surprised if he finishes amongst the team leaders in these categories.
Beasley is also a very skilled passer, which will shock many fans. It wouldn't shock me to see Beasley average four assists per game next season.
But where Beasley will help the Timberwolves most is with his scoring. The kid can score in bunches and do it in as quick a fashion as anyone not considered as a top-five scorer in the NBA (Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Wade, James) does.
The kid will dazzle and display offensive skills not seen in Minnesota since Isaiah Rider, only Beasley won't bring the drama and antics. He's left that chapter of his life in Miami.
Beasley has a chance to become one of the greatest players in the Minnesota Timberwolves' franchise history. Kahn believes so and stated why.
"There are not many Michael Beasleys with his kind of skill, athleticism and the drive to become one of the best players in our league," Kahn said. “He wants everything and then some, and I think he can achieve that here with us at the Minnesota Timberwolves, provided that he is professional and works hard and is our first guy to practice and our last guy to leave and he accepts the challenge of becoming a team leader, which I think he can also become."
Now, finally home in Minnesota, the young pup appears ready to show his teeth.
Minnesota fans will be showing theirs too, as they marvel at the gift that has been presented before them.
