The biggest thrill as sports fans is when we get to witness triumph. There are few moments as exhilarating as watching the moment where victory is captured, where odds are overcame. But oftentimes we are sadly reminded about the other side of sports–where high expectations and a grown-up world for still very young men can lead to their downfall. I do not mean losing a game or having a rough season, I mean losing one’s job and perhaps their career altogether. This very well could be the reality Michael Beasley will now be facing.
As of Tuesday, Sept. 3, the former 2nd-overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft is a free agent after being cut by the Phoenix Suns. Whether or not the troubled neophyte will get yet another chance with an NBA squad remains in the air.
It was not long ago when fans, experts and even NBA scouts debated–Beasley or Derrick Rose? With the Chicago Bulls surprisingly coming away with the first overall pick in the highly-anticipated 2008 NBA Draft, their eventual selection was no certainty. Where other Drafts had a clear-cut first overall pick, in 2008 the choice was not so simple.
Beasley’s one-year college career was nothing short of historic. Averaging 26 points, 12 rebounds, a block and steal per game as a freshman at Kansas State University on 53 percent shooting, Beasley drew comparisons to a bigger and stronger Kevin Durant or a more impactful rebounding Carmelo Anthony. His 26-12-53 percent stat line actually made him the only player in college basketball to do so since 1998 at the very least. He was looked at as a model tweener, a player that would transcend prototypical basketball positions and dominate all–similar to what LeBron James has done recently. At 6’10” and 235 pounds with a 38 percent stroke from downtown and the ability to attack the rim like a guard while subsequently battling down low like a big–Beasley seemed destined to excel.
Chicago saw things differently and chose point guard Derrick Rose over Beasley with their pick. Beasley fell into the Miami Heat’s lap, where soon after he faced another bump in the road. Beasley was reportedly in the same room as Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur when the two were excused from the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program after police responded to their hotel room’s fire alarm going off. The room smelled strongly of marijuana, which was not found, and Beasley admitted over two weeks later with some pushing from Heat owner Pat Riley that he slipped out of the hotel room as the police arrived and was fined $50,000. Beasley had not stepped foot on the court as an NBA player yet and he has already had an incident that would foreshadow the unraveling of his promising NBA career.
Basketball-wise, Beasley’s rookie season was a glimpse into what he could become. Playing less than 25 minutes a game, “Be Easy” spent his playing time at the power forward spot–something to make a mental note of as we journey through his career. Beasley averaged 13 points and 5 boards a night, shooting few threes and 47 percent from the field. Bloating up his statistics to per-36 minute averages, Beasley would have been putting up 20 points and just under 8 boards a night. Although his defense still needed serious work, Beasley’s impressiveness on offense both off the bench and in 19 starts was enough to get many excited.
The following August, as Beasley’s sophomore year was nearing, Yahoo! Sports reported that Beasley had checked into a Houston rehabilitation center. The reason he arrived at the facility was unclear, with one source briefed on the situation saying the treatment was concerning “stress-related issues” while many questioned the involvement of substance-abuse related rehabilitation. Much like his first year, Beasley’s second season has stumbled out of the gates and into the dirt.
Beasley ascertained five more minutes a night and a secure starting role in his second year–with no games played off the bench from the second-overall pick. Although well deserved, Beasley’s large role took a toll on his efficiency, with his shooting numbers dropping across the board. This can also coincide with the fact Beasley spent more time at the small forward position than in his rookie year, but it was not a heavy enough swing to explain or justify the lack of stability from the sophomore. With the heralded summer of 2010 approaching and a crop of deliriously valued free agents set to hit the open market, Miami was looking to clean house and Beasley was not in their future plans. The once highly-regarded second overall pick was traded after his second season to the Minnesota Timberwolves in return for a couple of future second round picks.
At this point, the expectations that once circled Beasley have fallen off by quite a bit. He was once looked upon to reach the levels of former second-overall picks in NBA history such as Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton or Isiah Thomas. However, his once sky-high ceiling had diminished to the point of hoping for him to develop into a solid contributor, such as second overall picks LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyson Chandler or Mike Bibby.
Beasley’s move to the lowly T-Wolves meant another increase in minutes, but yet again Beasley failed to step up to the challenge. His shooting numbers remained relatively the same, however his drop off in rebounding and spike in turnovers made for another disappointing season from “Be Easy.” Starting every game he played in yet again, for the first time Beasley spent the majority of his minutes at the wing, giving him more ball handling duties which likely led to his upswing in giveaways.
Following his first year in Minnesota, Beasley was pulled over for speeding and ticketed for possession of marijuana after the officer smelled and identified marijuana in his vehicle. Beasley was demoted in his second year with the Timberwolves, starting in only 7 of the 47 games he competed in and once again struggled to score efficiently. His 44 percent clip from the field and 64 percent clip from the charity stripe both were career lows at the time, and Beasley yet again was a turnover machine who was not a positive impact whatsoever on the defensive end. Beasley’s rookie deal had run out, and his name tainted across the league as an immature, shaky and unreliable basketball player.
The Phoenix Suns were not daunted and decided to give the young athlete a second chance to reboot his career–something that is not normally needed for second overall picks at the age of 23. In his introductory press conference, Beasley said this of his marijuana debacles of the past: “I realize 10 minutes of feeling good is not really worth putting my life and my career and my legacy in jeopardy, so I’m confident to say that part of my career, that part of my life, is over and won’t be coming back.” As good of a sign as this was at the time, Beasley failed to produce anything more than what can be described as an absolute atrocity on the basketball court in the 2012-2013 NBA season.
Beasley’s campaign last season was one of the worst you will ever see from a player garnering over 20 minutes of game time a contest. Just under 15 percent of Beasley’s offensive possessions ended in a turnover, with the shots he put up doing anything but finding the bottom of the net. Beasley shot just 40 percent from the field, 31 percent from downtown and attempted his fewest amount of free throws a night in his career. Looking at Basketball-Reference’s Win Shares statistic–which is an all-encompassing statistic for conveying a player’s impact on his team–just 16 other players since the dawn of the NBA had equal or worse seasons in accordance to this measurement. Beasley played the third-most minutes of any player on this list, yet somehow his awful play was not the worst we would see of Beasley.
On Aug. 6, 2013, Beasley was pulled over for a traffic violation and marijuana was seized after officers smelled the odor of the substance emanating from the car. A month later, this past Tuesday, The Phoenix Suns bought out Beasley’s contract. The college phenom and scorer extraordinaire is now without an NBA contract–and there may not be one coming.
Whatever your stance on second chances, Phoenix was it for Beasley. Both in basketball and professional terms, Michael Beasley blew it–and it could cost him his career.
If it were only his basketball, there could have been a glimmer a hope. Perhaps if a team returned him to his most successful position on the floor–closer to the basket as a power forward–he could bounce back. Beasley was sentenced to the small forward spot in his lone year as a Sun, but the marijuana abuse in all likelihood is the nail in the coffin for Beasley, and it could have very well been the cause of his basketball failures.
Beasley faces a harsh reality in which he may not have the chance to turn his NBA career around. One would imagine overseas basketball or the D-League could be options, but to expect Beasley to dawn an NBA uniform this upcoming season would be to expect the unrealistic. His talent is undeniably still there, but that alone will not solve Beasley’s problems. A once shining star has caused it is own descent, and as we await what comes of Michael Beasley’s career as a professional basketball player, we can only hope his path veers upwards.
