Why is Beasley so inconsistent?

[Flash]

I was listening to the radio all day today and all everyone spoke about was Beasley. Some people brought solid points from both sides of the argument about Michael.

 

Here's my problem with the Beasley situation. I think this staff hasn't allowed him to use his abilities the way they should. Let's face it, Michael Beasley is never going to be a great defender. Its proven. As much as he's improved on it, he's just not a defensive player. His ability is scoring and scoring well. He's playing so scared right now because he knows that if he messes up Udonis is trotting right down the scorer's table the next time down the floor. That doesn't work with a young player, or any player for that matter. You can't play basketball scared to make mistakes because then you're only hurting the team which is what's going on with Michael. I think they're trying to make him into a Udonis type player and that just isn't going to happen with him. I think the lack of consistent minutes is also killing the guys confidence to go out there and make plays and that goes back to my point at the top. Whenever he messes up, he looks over at the bench and figures that he's gonna come out because of it.

 

Anyways, that's my little gripe about the Beasley situation.

 

Any other ideas as to why he just can't seen to play well consistently?

[SRV]

He has no identity, when he gets the ball he always shoots, he rarely looks to pass or move without the ball. So basically he is very predictable and easy to defend.

[Poe]

He's young, and he's going through tough phases to start his career. He'll get better as he learns and develops. Eventually, all the pieces will fall in place for him, and he'll become a consistent 25 and 10 guy.

[AtTheDriveIn]

As I type this, Michael Beasley's mug is staring me down in the banner.

 

Eventually, all the pieces will fall in place for him, and he'll become a consistent 25 and 10 guy.

 

That just seems like a very, very unrealistic expectation of him.

 

I think Beasley's problem was that transition from always being the star player, the player with the ball in his hands all the time to the second or even third option. He doesn't know what to do with himself out there and it's evident; He doesn't slash back and forth along the baseline for easy feeds from the guards, he doesn't look to get open off of screens for a good look at the basket, he doesn't demand the ball and when he gets it he immidiately looks for a shot because it his natural instinct back from his Kansas State days, or even before that.

 

Of course, the flashes of a player filled with extraordinary potential are there on a game-to-game basis but at the moment, it's not enough for him to earn the right to call himself a definite second option offensively, even for the Heat. Beasley needs to accept his role-player status behind Wade and sometimes even behind Jermaine O'Neal at the moment and work off of it.

[Flash]

As I type this, Michael Beasley's mug is staring me down in the banner.

 

 

 

That just seems like a very, very unrealistic expectation of him.

 

I think Beasley's problem was that transition from always being the star player, the player with the ball in his hands all the time to the second or even third option. He doesn't know what to do with himself out there and it's evident; He doesn't slash back and forth along the baseline for easy feeds from the guards, he doesn't look to get open off of screens for a good look at the basket, he doesn't demand the ball and when he gets it he immidiately looks for a shot because it his natural instinct back from his Kansas State days, or even before that.

 

Of course, the flashes of a player filled with extraordinary potential are there on a game-to-game basis but at the moment, it's not enough for him to earn the right to call himself a definite second option offensively, even for the Heat. Beasley needs to accept his role-player status behind Wade and sometimes even behind Jermaine O'Neal at the moment and work off of it.

 

But see, what the Heat need of him is to score like he did at K-State. Also, I see no reason as to why he shouldn't be our second option on offense. Jermaine should never see more touches than Mike...ever. Beasley is way too talented offensively to be relegated to being a option behind Jermaine O'Neal.

[Clutch]

he has no consistent role on the team, no consistent plays set for him, he is brought in and out at random times and i agree he is scared of messing up so all of that plays a role

[Warren2ThaG]

He's a rare hybrid, that needs to start on a daily basis with consistent minutes. Players like him have a hard time to the NBA transition from college.

[Poe]

I think Beasley's problem was that transition from always being the star player, the player with the ball in his hands all the time to the second or even third option. He doesn't know what to do with himself out there and it's evident; He doesn't slash back and forth along the baseline for easy feeds from the guards, he doesn't look to get open off of screens for a good look at the basket, he doesn't demand the ball and when he gets it he immidiately looks for a shot because it his natural instinct back from his Kansas State days, or even before that.

All this is something Beasley is capable of learning.

 

 

25 and 10 is by no means an unrealistic expectation. Beasley averaged more points in his rookie year than Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Carlos Boozer in their rookie years. Also to add that he was the 2nd leading scorer for a 5th seeded playoff team, plus he was averaging just over 24 minutes per game coming off the bench.

 

By now he is on pace to average more than 20 points per game next year, and the rebounds will come naturally as well as he gains strength and physicality.

 

IMO, to not expect Beasley to become a 25 and 10 guy at least by his prime is a very, very unrealistic expectation. He clearly has the talent to get there, and his numbers each year are at the right pace. He's very young with a long NBA career ahead of him. He WILL get there.

Edited March 6, 2010 by Poe

[Flash]

I agree Poe that his numbers in terms of scoring don't lie and are a testament to just how good he can be on offense. My problem is that I think this staff is trying TOO hard to make him into a defensive player like Udonis rather than let Mike use his talents like he knows how. He's playing way too timid right now and I know it because whenever he even somewhat messes up, he looks over at the bench to see what's going to happen.

[Poe]

I agree Poe that his numbers in terms of scoring don't lie and are a testament to just how good he can be on offense. My problem is that I think this staff is trying TOO hard to make him into a defensive player like Udonis rather than let Mike use his talents like he knows how. He's playing way too timid right now and I know it because whenever he even somewhat messes up, he looks over at the bench to see what's going to happen.

Regardless of the difficulties Beasley is dealing with now, he's still going to become a great player. Sure, Spoelstra could just give Bease the green light and give him ultimate freedom, that will surely inflate his numbers now whether that helps or hurts the team. Thinking about the future, though, no matter if Beasley gets more freedom or less today, he still has the same abilities, and he will develop and improve over time. It's best to take advantage of his youth and turn him into the best all around player than he can be, which includes taking him out of his comfort zone... his defense.

 

Big men in the NBA almost always take time to develop. I'd rather Beasley struggle now while the Heat aren't contenders, and become a better overall player later. To make the most out of him, he needs to become a player that gives up the least amount of points possible defensively, while still contributing the most possible offensively. He'll figure it out over time.

[Built Ford Tough]

25 and 10 is by no means an unrealistic expectation. Beasley averaged more points in his rookie year than Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Carlos Boozer in their rookie years. Also to add that he was the 2nd leading scorer for a 5th seeded playoff team, plus he was averaging just over 24 minutes per game coming off the bench.

 

Beasley also took 12 shots a game during his rookie season which is more than any of those players that you listed by a fairly considerable amount. Bosh took 9.5, Garnett took 9, Dirk took 7, Stoudemire took 10 and Boozer took 7.5.

 

Beasley was given a more promminent role on offense than any of these players during his first year in the league, which has to be taken into consideration as well. I know that he only played 25 minutes a game (24.8 to be exact) while somebody like Chris Bosh played 33.5 a game, but Bosh was the 4th or 5th option on offense with guys like Vince Carter (took 20 shots a game), Jalen Rose (15 shots a game), Donyell Marshall (13.4 shots a game) and Alvin Williams on the team.

 

I'm not sure what your opinion on the statistic Usage Percentage is, but it does a pretty good job of showing just how much more Beasley was used offensively than the rest of the players that you mentioned.

 

Beasley has a USG% of 27.7

Bosh had a USG% of 18.3

Garnett had a USG% of 17.6

Dirk had a USG% of 22.3

Stoudemire had a USG% of 21.5

Boozer had a USG% of 17.1

 

I'm not a huge fan of advanced statistics by any means, but when there is such a significant gap between Beasley and the rest of the players that you mentioned, it just goes to show that despite the fact that Beasley only played 25 minutes a game (only Dirk played less at 20 mpg), he was a more promminent fixture for his teams offense when he was on the floor than the rest of the players that you mentioned. Just simply stating that he played 25 minutes a game doesn't really tell the whole story when you take into consideration his more advanced role in his teams offense, at least in my opinion.

 

What Beasley did offensively in only 25 minutes a game as a rookie is very impressive, I'm not trying to deny that, but simply throwing out scoring numbers and saying that he scored more than so and so doesn't really mean much to me unless you state the whole story, which, in my opinion, you did not do.

 

Now if it were a Raptor player that we were dsicussing I would probably leave out points that would weaken my argument as well, so I know where you are coming from.

 

PS: Since Beasley's 2nd year numbers aren't really going to change all that much from now until the end of the season (at least in my opinion) I figured that I would compare them to the other players that you mentioned just for the hell of it.

 

Beasley: 15.3 ppg / 6.6 rpg / 45.4 FG% / 13.5 FGA / 30.5 mpg / 25.4 USG%

Bosh: 16.8 ppg / 8.9 rpg / 47.1 FG% / 12.6 FGA / 37.2 mpg / 21.7 USG%

Garnett: 17.0 ppg / 8.0 rpg / 49.9 FG% / 14.3 FGA / 38.9 mpg / 21.3 USG%

Nowtizki: 17.5 ppg / 6.5 rpg / 46.1 FG% / 13.6 FGA / 35.8 mpg / 21.2 USG%

Stoudemire: 20.6 ppg / 9.0 rpg / 47.5 FG% / 15.7 FGA / 36.8 mpg / 27.5 USG%

Boozer: 15.5 ppg / 11.4 rpg / 52.3 FG% / 13.6 FGA / 34.6 mpg / 20.0 USG%

 

So while Beasley did put up better numbers as a rookie than Bosh, Garnett, Dirk, Amare and Boozer, his numbers as a sophomore aren't better (again though, the numbers are circumstantial and can be interpeted in different ways).

 

Age really isn't a factor either because there was at most a 1 year age difference between the players (Bosh and Garnett were 20 as 2nd year players while Beasley, Dirk and Amare were/are 21).

 

I'm not insinuating anything with this part of my post, or at least I am not trying to, I was just curious as to how they stacked up in their 2nd years after reading what you said in regards to their rookie seasons.

 

By now he is on pace to average more than 20 points per game next year, and the rebounds will come naturally as well as he gains strength and physicality.

 

To be fair, 3 out of the 5 players that you mentioned averaged more than 20 ppg in their third seasons in the league as Bosh averaged 22, Amare averaged 26 and Dirk averaged 22. Only Boozer (17.8) and Garnett (18.5) didn't average more then 20. They (Garnett and Boozer) were both at or above 9 rpg though, which I think [hope] that both of us can agree on isn't likely for Beasley. It is possible, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

Also, if you want to get really technical there really isn't a real indicator that Beasley is on pace to average more than 20 ppg next season because the only thing that we really have to go on is his ppg increase from his rookie season to his sophomore season which is 1.4. That would only put him at 16.7.

 

This is obviously a terrible indicator and I acknowledge that, but there really isn't anything to factually show that Beasley is on pace to average more than 20 ppg next season either. It is nothing more than an opinion, which is a valid one considering his scoring prowess, especially if Wade were to leave via free agency and Beasley became the number one option. Conversely, if Wade stays and the Heat manage to land a big name free agent as well it would take touches away from Beasley and make it very difficult to score more than 20 ppg. It is all very circumstantial if you ask me.

 

IMO, to not expect Beasley to become a 25 and 10 guy at least by his prime is a very, very unrealistic expectation. He clearly has the talent to get there, and his numbers each year are at the right pace. He's very young with a long NBA career ahead of him. He WILL get there.

 

Everything that I have responded to so far I can certainly see where you are coming from, but to say that it is a very, very unrealistic expectation for Beasley not to be a 25 and 10 guy in his prime is something that I disagree with whole heartidly. If you ask me, 25/10 for Beasley is an absolute best case scenario, but I would even say that is unrealsitic.

 

I'm not sure if you realize just how difficult it is to average 25/10 in the NBA. Kevin Garnett has never done it and he is one of the best power forwards to ever play. Tim Duncan has never even come close to doing it and he is arguably the best power forward to ever play.

 

Off of the top of my head some of the only players that have ever averaged 25/10 in a single season since 1980 are Karl and Moses Malone, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and Charles Barkley. All of these players are first ballot HOF'ers and make up the elite of their position. I find it very unrealistic to expect Beasley to be able to consistently (I assume that since you say in prime you don't mean a one time occasion) put up similiar numbers to these NBA Hall of Famer calibre players.

 

Beasley is a hell of a basketball player and is very talented, but to say it is very, very unrealistic not to expect him to put up 25 and 10 in his prime is straight up laughable if you ask me.

 

Whew, didn't mean to type so much. Sorry about that, Poe.

[Poe]

Whew, didn't mean to type so much. Sorry about that, Poe.

Don't be. I enjoy reading your posts.

 

 

Anyway, I should probably restate what I said about Beasley's expectations before I sound too blind and arrogant. I shouldn't have said that it's unrealistic to expect nothing less than 25 and 10, because that was putting opinion way too far higher than fact, since his numbers really haven't suggested it quite yet.

 

Still, though. Comparing his averages to the other elite PFs in this league, he's not necessarily better than them, and I wasn't trying to suggest that in the first place, though you can't deny that his numbers are comparable to them. I think I can at least claim him to become nothing less than a 22 and 8 guy without being laughed at. However, I do still personally believe that one day Beasley's numbers can realistically become somewhat around 25 and 10. Maybe by his prime it will be 29 and 8, or 24 and 11... just somewhere in the vicinity of 25 and 10. Yes, I do understand the names surrounding those numbers. IMO Beasley, the #2 overall pick in '08, has that potential.

 

 

 

Looking at all the elements of his game, I think it's just about putting the pieces together. He has a great package of athleticism, shooting touch, driving ability, and size to create mismatches and potentially dominate ballgames.

 

He's already shown some flashes of greatness last year, and even more so this year, even if his averages don't quite prove it as much as I'd like it to. He's been a bit inconsistent, like this topic originally suggested. He'll have one great game of 30 and 8, and the very next game he'll have just 12 and 3. He'll have a stretch averaging around 20 and 7 for about 6 or 7 games, and another stretch of games averaging around 10 and 4. That's been this season's story for him.

 

Beasley's problems this year has started with his defense. He got drafted into an organization that demands defense ahead of offense, and thankfully, Beasley is buying into the system. However, his transition from an offensive player to being solid on both ends haven't run smoothly, though he has made some large improvements between this and last year, with Zo claiming that he is "light years ahead of his schedule" (in terms of development). With Spoelstra coaching him, his minutes have relied more towards how well he plays on the defensive end rather than the offensive end. Even if Beasley is shooting 100% from the field, if he isn't playing defense to the level the coaches are stressing from him, he's not getting minutes.

 

I think his struggles defensively has inadvertently hurt his offense so far as well, and most Heat fans who have watched all of the Heat games this year would probably agree with me on that. The utmost important thing in his and the coaches mind is how well he plays on the defensive end, so in doing that, he is taken out of his comfort zone to how he is used to playing his whole life, and in turn his production on offense decreases. As he starts to "get it" on defense and has to worry less and less about getting "pulled" for each mistake that he would have made before getting experience, I think his offensive game will fly.

 

 

On a last note to what I've just said about Beasley's upside and the growing pains he's going through before he'll finally reach it, Pat Riley has said recently that Beasley has the kind of ability to someday lead the league in scoring, or come close to it. Looking at Riley's history of the players he has coached throughout his career, I wouldn't doubt his opinion.

Edited March 7, 2010 by Poe

[AtTheDriveIn]

I don't like it when Built Ford Tough posts a lot. It gives me absolutely nothing to post about anymore.. lol.

 

Anyway, I should probably restate what I said about Beasley's expectations before I sound too blind and arrogant. I shouldn't have said that it's unrealistic to expect nothing less than 25 and 10, because that was putting opinion way too far higher than fact, since his numbers really haven't suggested it quite yet.

 

Still, though. Comparing his averages to the other elite PFs in this league, he's not necessarily better than them, and I wasn't trying to suggest that in the first place, though you can't deny that his numbers are comparable to them. I think I can at least claim him to become nothing less than a 22 and 8 guy without being laughed at. However, I do still personally believe that one day Beasley's numbers can realistically become somewhat around 25 and 10. Maybe by his prime it will be 29 and 8, or 24 and 11... just somewhere in the vicinity of 25 and 10. Yes, I do understand the names surrounding those numbers. IMO Beasley, the #2 overall pick in '08, has that potential.

 

22 and 8 seems a bit more reasonable than 25 and 10, but I still think it's unrealistic for him. I don't want to sound like I'm looking for an argument, but I see little to no difference between Beasley's first year and his second year as far as he as a player and not as a statistic is concerned. He's still erratic with the ball; he still struggles to create good opportunities and his defense is just mediocre due to what looks like his apparent laziness and unenthusiastic approach to actually playing defense.

 

Conversly, his usage percentages are down from last season (surprsingly, Haslem, who plays the same position as Beasley is posting all time highs in player usage), his offensive rating for the second straight season is straight up mediocre as he's failing to oust Jermaine O'Neal and even Joel Anthony among others in this category, his rebounding percentages are down with no real explination for it and his eFG% is down as well due to him taking more threes than before.

 

If you want a comparison, Garnett's second season, aside from his rebounding and usage percentages, Garnett's numbers are better in Garnett's second season compared to Beasley's second season. Similarly, Dirk's offensive and rebounding statistics were much better than Beasley's in Dirk's second season.

 

I understand that you might have some biases toward Beasley, but I don't think it's exactly fair to put him in with names like Dirk or Garnett or Bosh quite yet. I see Beasley at the moment to be a player who has Jamison like potential - ie. a player that everyone really does want on their team who'll put up stats, albeit shallow stats and will look good on the court, but wont affect the game as well as you might think by looking at his numbers. I don't think it's a bad thing to be compared to Jamison as Jamison as Jamison is a career 20 point per game scorer, but like Beasley, Jamison never shows the x-factor which makes superstar or even consistent all-star players (Jamison only has 2 all-star selections and 8 seasons above 19.5 points per game) what they are.

 

 

 

I'm sorry I didn't reply to any of the rest you typed. It's quite late here by my standards, and I've had a crazy weekend. Sorry once more.

[Poe]

I don't like it when Built Ford Tough posts a lot. It gives me absolutely nothing to post about anymore.. lol.

 

Yea, he does a great job of approaching every angle.

 

 

 

22 and 8 seems a bit more reasonable than 25 and 10, but I still think it's unrealistic for him. I don't want to sound like I'm looking for an argument, but I see little to no difference between Beasley's first year and his second year as far as he as a player and not as a statistic is concerned. He's still erratic with the ball; he still struggles to create good opportunities and his defense is just mediocre due to what looks like his apparent laziness and unenthusiastic approach to actually playing defense.

 

Yikes... are you actually serious???

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Iyq_oQmkQ

 

 

That was the second charge he ever took, the first this year of two (and I hope he'll be able to snag one or two more before the end of the year). I wish someone posted the video of the first charge he ever took, cause to me, that was the biggest highlight in Beasley's rookie year. Seeing the pure joy in his and the team's reaction, you can see all the hard work that was put through with him to improve his defense right there.

 

So really, this whole "laziness" and "unenthusiastic approach" surrounded around Beasley and his defense is a load of bull[expletive]. No, he's not a great defender, but boy does he [expletive]ing try.

 

 

 

Conversly, his usage percentages are down from last season (surprsingly, Haslem, who plays the same position as Beasley is posting all time highs in player usage), his offensive rating for the second straight season is straight up mediocre as he's failing to oust Jermaine O'Neal and even Joel Anthony among others in this category, his rebounding percentages are down with no real explination for it and his eFG% is down as well due to him taking more threes than before.

 

If you want a comparison, Garnett's second season, aside from his rebounding and usage percentages, Garnett's numbers are better in Garnett's second season compared to Beasley's second season. Similarly, Dirk's offensive and rebounding statistics were much better than Beasley's in Dirk's second season.

 

I understand that you might have some biases toward Beasley, but I don't think it's exactly fair to put him in with names like Dirk or Garnett or Bosh quite yet. I see Beasley at the moment to be a player who has Jamison like potential - ie. a player that everyone really does want on their team who'll put up stats, albeit shallow stats and will look good on the court, but wont affect the game as well as you might think by looking at his numbers. I don't think it's a bad thing to be compared to Jamison as Jamison as Jamison is a career 20 point per game scorer, but like Beasley, Jamison never shows the x-factor which makes superstar or even consistent all-star players (Jamison only has 2 all-star selections and 8 seasons above 19.5 points per game) what they are.

 

 

 

I'm sorry I didn't reply to any of the rest you typed. It's quite late here by my standards, and I've had a crazy weekend. Sorry once more.

 

I think Beasley's circumstance is a bit different in comparison to Dirk, Garnett, and Bosh due to the struggles he's going through in his second year, which I've already explained in my other post. I think his improvements will show up in his numbers by his third year.

 

Jamison is a good player, but I still believe Beasley will eventually reach elite status. I don't have a world of advanced stats in front of me to support my opinion. I can simply tell from his skillset, upside, and what he's proven from watching him play in each game. I think we'll just have to wait and see on what he becomes.

[Flash]

Beasley is never going to be a great defender. He's not lazy though, he's been working his [expletive] off and he showed it in the 4th quarter against Atlanta.

[Flash]

Interesting tidbit I heard today listening to the Sports Brothers on the radio today while they were interviewing Jason Jackson(GOAT sideline reporter)...While everyone was off on monday, Beasley was with the coaches at the AAA for 2 hours working with them and fixing his issues. He seems to have a great work ethic and that's a great sign for a young player with expectations like him.