Michael "Beast"ley....the man-child

"No one's quite sure how harmless any of this is. Still, it's been enough to turn off Bulls GM John Paxson, and Pat Riley was appalled by Beasley's light-hearted attitude during workouts. If Chicago and Miami stand pat, there's a chance Beasley will slip out of the top two.

What has this talented youngster done to repair the situation, to make up for the millions of dollars he might be losing? Absolutely nothing. In fact, he's been unrepentant, insisting that kids will be kids, and he's being punished for acting his age:

"I just turned 19 years old in January," Beasley said. "How mature do you want me to be? I'm still a kid. I'm not 20 yet. I'm not legal. I can vote, but that's about it. On the basketball side of things, I'm 30 years old. Off the court, I don't know how old y'all want me to be. Do you want me to act 25? 30? 40?. I'm 19. I'm a kid. I'm going to live my life. I'm going to mess up. I don't know as much as you do or him. I'm learning day by day. I hear a lot about character issues. But I've yet to hear what those character issues are. Until I hear somebody tell me, I don't feel the need to change."

And to a certain extent he's right -- Michael Beasley, no matter how much maturing he did at college, is still a big kid. Him and most other teenage lottery picks.

It's refreshing to see a player finally be honest about this, even if he's shooting himself in the foot. Especially as Derrick Rose -- who, in the words of teammate Chris Douglas-Roberts, "eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner" -- is drawing rave reviews for his seriousness and poise."

Link: http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=420419
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In a warped way I sort of agree with Beasley saying this....he just turned 19 people!!! How do you expect a teenager to act...granted I don't say he should act up, but why should it be such a surprise? At least he's honest and had the balls to say that he shouldn't have to "act" like an adult when he's still a kid.

I hope and pray Chicago and Miami are stupid enough to let him fall out of the top two. Minnesota would take him with open arms and opportunity and laugh when he's posting 20-10 games as a Rookie!

 

These four paragraphs summarize the article and make a very good point -

"It's refreshing to see a player finally be honest about this, even if he's shooting himself in the foot. Especially as Derrick Rose -- who, in the words of teammate Chris Douglas-Roberts, "eats Gummy Bears and Starburst for breakfast, and Twizzlers and Honey Buns for dinner" -- is drawing rave reviews for his seriousness and poise.

At this point, it's a given that teen NBAers will have their parents, or a trusted older cousin, live with them for their first year in the league. Teams are investing outlandish sums of money in them, and want proof of responsibility and good judgment. This is really no different than making a child the head of the British Empire. No matter how much their position might demand certain qualities, only a truly exceptional human being is that worldly and wise beyond their years.

Players are trained how to interact with coaches and the media so as to give the impression of adulthood, but there's no way around it: These aren't adults. Expecting them to be involves them faking it and teams fooling themselves.

Beasley, while he may yet turn out to be a headcase, cancer, or natural disaster, is simply stating the obvious. What's perverse is that the entire basketball-industrial complex looks at him like a renegade for it.

Of course, he's not spending another year in college so he can continue to celebrate the joys of youth. He wants to get paid, and it's highly unlikely that, when it's all said and done, he won't be a top two pick."

I couldn't agree with the author more. What exactly are these "character" issues? Letting his youth show? Why is that so taboo?

It's almost like GM's would rather be fooled by a facade of seriousness by players like Derrick Rose than take an honest player like Michael Beasley. I'm sure Beasley and Rose have very similar mindsets off the court (although you probably won't see Beasley getting his ass kicked for sleeping with a UM football player's girlfriend ), and like Beasley said, on the court, where it matters, he plays way beyond his years.

I strongly disagree with the author's notion that this means the NBA should expand the age limit though. From what I've seen, the age limit is ruining the collegiate game. It's ruining the notion of NCAA legacies and making the NCAA more of a farm league for the NBA. Just a few years ago, very few players left before three or four years of college, and that made the NCAA interesting to watch, and it brought more passion and intensity to the game. It's hard to watch teams like USC or Kansas State knowing that the players have little or no school pride, no loyalty, and no devotion to their team. They're merely in a waiting room trying to showcase their individual game while they stand in line for the pro's. I would have rather that guys like Mayo, Beasley, Rose, Gordon, Love, and Bayless had just gone pro out of high school.

 

They probably feel it will ruin the competition and the richer schools would be stacked? then would they have to have a salary cap to make a more even playing field?

How much do you think teams would pay to recruit a player?

 

I would definitely think that it would give rich schools a greater advantage, if they offered twice as much money than other schools, they are more likely to get the guys they want.