Michael Beasley is back with the Miami Heat… at least for training camp.
The Miami Heat have signed Beasley to a training camp contract, something first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports and confirmed by the team. The deal is for one year at the veteran minimum ($1 million for him) and this is not guaranteed. He can be cut.
“Michael had the best years of his career with us. We feel that he can help us,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a released statement.
This summer the Heat have now added Beasley and Greg Oden, the two biggest draft busts of the past decade. Remember it was the Heat who drafted Beasley No. 2 (just after Derrick Rose) and he was coached by Erik Spoelstra and was teammates with Dwyane Wade. Both signings are not a bad roll of the dice by Miami.
Beasley was waived by the Suns after another arrest for marijuana possession. Beasley has an ability to score the basketball and some things he does well that would fit nicely within the Heat system — he’s a strong corner three shooter (nearly 40 percent for his career) and his ability to put the ball on the floor and drive when a defender closes out too hard would be welcome.
But Beasley hasn’t made good decisions anywhere on his stops through the NBA — his game has regressed every year since he was in Miami (in terms of efficiency). He hasn’t played within the system anywhere, so we should’t expect it here. His biggest statistical success in points per game came in Minnesota, when a team that needed offense let him go off in isolation a lot. It didn’t work out well if you’re into winning games. Aside that Beasley has just not fit in systems, not played defense.
If you want to believe that will be different in Miami, go ahead. The Heat have only 13 players on their roster, so there is room. Just don’t bet the rent money on it working out.
The Heat didn’t, they made a small bet and that is not a bad play to see if things are different.
