NBA Late Bloomer: Will Michael Beasley Have a Chris Mullin-Type of Career?
Following a monstrous freshman season at Kansas State, Michael Beasley was selected by the Miami Heat with the second overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Pat Riley and the Heat expected Beasley to instantly become the league's "Next Big Thing" and form a devastating one-two punch with 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade.
However, Beasley has failed to live up to expectations so far as he owns a career scoring average of just 14.3 points per game after two seasons. That's probably about eight or nine points shy of what people assumed he would be averaging by now.
Beasley has shown flashes of brilliance on the court, but has dealt with issues off it.
In order to free up space to sign free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Miami traded Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves this past July in exchange for two future second-round draft picks.
Sure, he hasn't quite proven to be the next Kevin Durant and yes, he has dealt with drug-related issues, but Beasley has to be worth more than just two measly second-round picks.
Beasley could definitely have a break out year this coming season and maybe develop into an All-Star sometime down the road.
It's quite possible that he could end up having a career similar to that of former Golden State Warriors star Chris Mullin. Like Beasley, Mullin battled off the court issues early in his career as he checked into rehab for substance abuse (alcoholism).
Also like Beasley, Mullin didn't exactly put up earth-shattering numbers during his first two seasons either. He averaged 14.5 ppg, basically the same as Beasley.
Mullin went on to average 20.2 ppg in his third year, 1987-88, and later turned in five consecutive seasons in which he averaged at least 25 ppg, including a career-high 26.5 in 1988-89.
Mullin was an All-Star from 1989-1993 and earned a spot on perhaps the greatest team ever assembled: the "Original Dream Team" which won Olympic Gold in 1992.
At the young age of 21, Beasley has an ample amount of time to develop into the special player that everyone expected him to become when he entered the league.
Maybe the main thing Beasley needs to fulfill his enormous potential is a change of scenery. In Miami, he was stuck playing alongside Wade, who is continuously a threat to win the league's scoring title.
In Minnesota, no player on the current roster has ever averaged over 14 ppg in a season, meaning Beasley has a strong chance to become the team's No. 1 scoring option in 2010-11.
With Beasley playing with an extremely low-scoring Timberwolves sqaud, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that he could match Mullin's 20.2 ppg in his third season.
Beasley could very well turn his career around like Mullin and have a Hall of Fame type of career. He definitely possesses the tools to do so. But of course, he could turn out to be just another over-hyped bust.
The NBA World will stay tuned.
