Michael Beasley Feels The Timberwolves, Not The Heat, Are "the Team to Beat"

Imagine, just for a minute, that you’re Minnesota Timberwolves new signing, Michael Beasley.

Coming off a promising college career, you were the second pick in the 2008 draft behind current All-Star, and gold medal winning point guard Derrick Rose. Good things were anticipated for your career, but after playing for two years as a  Miami Heat with one of the best players in the league in Dwyane Wade, you’re treat like a villain because you’re young, like a little weed, and aren’t able to match his numbers.

Then, the Heat are involved in of the most exciting and unprecedented free agency signings ever, picking up Chris Bosh and Lebron James... but you’re traded away to the second worst team in the league for almost nothing because the Heat’s three pronged project that doesn’t involve you.

Michael Beasley has a right to be mad. But taking sly digs at his old team while building his new team up to be something they’re not is not the right response. Interviewed here on the Timberwolves official website, when asked if the Miami Heat were the team to beat, B-Easy told Jonah Fallow that: “Honestly, and I know a lot of people are not going to like that fact that I’m going to say this but I think we are the team to beat. You know, that’s just me and my ego speaking.”

If that is the case, then he should not let his ego speak. It’s positive that he still has plenty of self belief in the team after their chances of winning the title were rubbished by David Kahn, but to publicly say that is nonsensical. Hold that belief inside, and explode onto the basketball court come the start of the season. Don’t give the critics of the Timberwolves (I am not one of those) more fodder for their sarcastic articles.

Let’s hope that Michael Beasley is feeling just as optimistic, twenty games into the season.