Thursday, June 26, 2008
Foil in the Oven: I Must Be Missing Something Here
I'm sure pat Riley knows what he's doing. I just wish that I knew what he was doing. I've heard a lot of speculation that he knows this Heat team has a chance to be good next year, and he wants to try and land a veteran, possibly Elton Brand. That would make sense. Maybe he's saying he doesn't want Michael Beasley because he wants somebody else (possibly the Clippers, as I've alluded to) to trade with him. That has to be it. Why else would he be passing on Michael Beasley? I just don't understand.
Now, I'm not an NBA scout, and I'm certainly not an expert on what makes a guy a sure thing in the NBA. But, am I crazy in thinking that Beasley is the surest thing in this draft? I wouldn't even pass on him for Derrick Rose. Sure, if I were the Chicago Bulls I MIGHT given his Chicago roots, but I don't think I would when the time came. Rose is a great player for sure, but I don't agree with a lot of the reasoning that I've heard. The arguments that I have heard in favor of Rose say that today's game revolves around great point guard play. People point to Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Well, we're certainly expecting a lot from Rose if we are expecting him to be as successful as Paul and Williams. These guys are two of the five best point guards in the league. What if Rose doesn't turn out to be of the same caliber?
Again, as I've said, I don't spend a whole lot of time analyzing these guys. I spend much more time analyzing NFL draft prospects. But, you don't need to analyze Michael Beasley, you just need to watch him. The guy is phenomenal. He had a better year in college than Kevin Durant did last season. He can score from anywhere. He has the inside game, the mid-range game, and he is an excellent outside shooter. This wasn't just him having a few strong performances, he looked like a man among boys for the entire season. The guy is going to be able to play at the next level.
I've heard the character knocks on Beasley. He coasts through games at times. He doesn't always work on the defensive end. He's not the most coachable player in the draft. First of all, that sounds like about 80 percent of the league. Secondly, I've heard many people say that the reason he appears to be coasting through games is that the game comes so easily to him. He is at an NBA talent level, so that should change. Plus, what better fit could there be than for him to play under the watchful eye of Riley, and to have a teammate like Dwayne Wade to set an example for him? Finally, I've heard that Riley might take OJ Mayo over Beasley if no trade comes along. There are just as many questions with Mayo in my mind. He seems like a bit of a head case.
I could end up being totally wrong about this, but I just don't see how. I've seen Beasley play and been blown away. I've seen the stats that resulted from this play and have been blown away. As I've said, he can score from anywhere. He does it consistently. He helped to take a bad college team in a bad situation (Huggins leaving) and turn them into a pretty good team (beating eventual national champion Kansas once this season). I was just as impressed with Beasley's game as I was with Kevin Durant's game last season. I think that he is the surest pick in this draft, I think that he will prove to be the best rookie next year, and I certainly believe that he should be the first pick this year. If the Bulls take Rose, as many believe they will, the Heat are getting a big-time NBA scorer in Beasley. I think they'd be crazy to pass on him.
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9 comments:
Stephen A Smith said "character issues" worry Pat Riley.
A guy with character issues becomes an overnight millionaire in South Beach. Trouble anyone?
But then again, the Heat want OJ Mayo so that doesn't make much sense.
Smith also said that OJ is friends with DWade and can play point. Beasley doesn't fit current needs of the Heat, too.
I hear all of that. But, I just am confused because I really think guy is unquestionably the best player in the draft. I understand that the Heat have a chance to be good this year, but in my mind you have to go with the best player.
- Marion is a free agent next summer. At that point, as it currently stands, the next best player on that team after D-Wade is who? Udonis Haslem? They need another guy that can score.
- If the Heat were picking first, then I could see going Rose over Beasley because a Rose-Wade backcourt is sick.
- I don't neccesarily see character issues from Beasley or Mayo, but if I had to pick someone that would concern me more in South Beach, I'd say Mayo. The guy has been networking since he was in high school, and especially in Southern California last year.
- At some point, talent has to trump character flaws. We're not talking about domestic violence or drugs or anything like that. The guy went to multiple high schools and "coasts" at times while being a first team all-american, big twelve player of the year as a freshman, freshman player of the year, and being in the final four for the Naismith trophy.
- I'm just saying that he's the best player out there. The Heat might trade out of the pick or draft Mayo and end up fine. But, if it were me, I'd be thrilled to land him.
Very interesting points. Not sure I agree with Stephen, as I was only recounting what I heard on SC last night.
Thing is: Mayo plays better defense than Beasley. It's fairly obvious. And Rose is pretty much a lock at one unless the Bulls do something crazy. So why would the Heat take the risk on a guy who plays lack-luster D, has issues with effort, and has never played in a major market with temptation? Remember, OJ played in LA and stayed trouble free.
You can also compare, as Smith did last night, the types of trouble Beasley and OJ got into. I won't go there, though. I am not a scout and I would be happy with either player.
I'm not sold on Mayo as a point guard. I see him as more of a scorer.
I agree Weeksy, I think that Mayo at point guard means an unhappy D-Wade. Mayo likes to shoot too much to facilitate the offense.
Another thing to remember here is that Beasley was receiving all of the defensive attention at K-State. Constant double teams and triple teams every night. And yet, he averaged 26 points and 12 and a half boards a night. I'm not questioning those that question his effort. I'm just saying that he had to work hard for all of those stats, and still they came in record amounts.
Imagine what kind of damage Beasley and D-Wade could do.
Again, I'm not a scout, and I think that these scouts do a good job. But, I can't help but wonder if people are overthinking on this one. Just fucking watch him play. How can you not want that?
The best comparison I can think of for Beasley is Chris Webber with lesser passing skills. He will be dominant at times on Offense, but will never be a clutch go-to guy and never give the defensive effort that you need to win championships. Riley understands this and that is why he desperately wants to trade down. You can hide a wing or even a PG on defense at times, but your bigs are the guys that anchor your defense. They are the last line of defense and it is very hard to win a title when you are getting 40 minutes of terrible D out of your 4 man, especially in this era of the NBA.
This might be the ugliest draft I have ever seen. I wouldn't be suprised if we look back on this draft in 5 years and there is not one perennial all-star in the bunch. If I am an NBA GM, I am looking to trade for futures, which doesn't really happen unless players are involved in the deal.
Other than this year, I don't understand why draft picks are not more coveted in the NBA. With all of the mistakes that happen in the lottery, mid first rounders can have some great value. The past 5 years have seen great value out of these picks (usually in the form of boring 4 year college grads), but GMs still devalue draft picks...
I'm obviously in the minority in Beasley. I just see a better Kevin Durant with bigger hands.
I agree with about the draft overall Casten. Some of the names after pick 5 are downright horrible.
And, I'll throw this question to you. Do you think this draft is worse than 2000?
Switch bigger and better in that last comment, although I guess it sort of works either way.
For the record, I'm just saying, Van Gundy just said that he thinks Beasley is a special talent and that he will be an all-star. I'm not saying it to cushion my argument. It just makes me feel better because I've felt like I'm crazy over the past couple days. HES NASTY! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE!
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