The Miami Heat turned back the clock a bit when they signed former No. 2 overall pick Michael Beasley on Wednesday.
Beasley, the Heat’s first-round pick back in 2008, recently became a free agent after the Phoenix Suns bought out his contract and released him. That came on the heels of the news that Beasley was arrested on marijuana charges over the summer.
If nothing else, the Heat get a little bigger with the 6’10” forward back with the franchise. Beasley’s career has been up and down but the Heat were in need of some frontcourt help – particularly to continue to have the upper hand on the Indiana Pacers, sporting one of the league’s best roster of big men.
As for Beasley, what Miami gets is anybody’s guess. His career peaked when he averaged career-highs in minutes (32.3) and points (19.2) per game in his first year in Minnesota in 2010-11, but he’s been in a steady decline since then. Beasley started all 73 games in which he appeared during that season but was bounced back to the bench the following year. Last season, he averaged a career-low 20.7 minutes per contests and that also resulted in career lows in points (10.1) and rebounds (3.8).
The encouraging thing, however, is that the forward is still only 24. Some hard work and cleaning up some of his off-court issues can still mean a long career for him. His new team, the Miami Heat, could also be a good fit. Not only has he played there previously, but with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, he really won’t be asked to carry the load. He’s not a great rebounder (and that’s really what the Heat need) but providing solid minutes and some scoring off the bench will be beneficial, too.
