Michael Beasley (Photo : Twitter)
Another player may have emerged as an option for teams looking for wing scorers: Chinese League MVP Michael Beasley.
The former 2nd overall pick had his breakthrough game since he was picked up by the Houston Rockets as he scored 30 points albeit in a losing effort to the Atlanta Hawks.
It was not a quick, smooth transition as Beasley seemed to struggle in his return from across the globe, but now Rockets GM Daryl Morey looks like a genius again with the late season pick-up.
The talent was never in question, as discussed in the Star Tribune, Beasley was once the main offensive option in Minnesota. His recent performances made them wonder "what if?"
"Beasley averaged 31.3 points over a six-game stretch early in his first season with the Wolves, then injured his ankle and never was as productive again," recounts Jerry Zgoda of ST.
Even Beasley himself had memories of that team-one of the rosters that Kevin Love played on that failed to reach the playoffs.
"For the first three quarters we were one of the best teams in the league and dead last in the fourth," Beasley said. "It was just us being young, just not being able to finish games. I think if we would have kept that team together, we could have been something special. We had a decent little group. It was our first year together. We were young, but it could have been."
That T-Wolves team had some "draft mistakes" on their team. Derrick Williams (2011, 2nd overall), Wes Johnson (2010, 4th overall) and of course, the Wolves infamously passed on Steph Curry. That team was broken up and the GM took the axe.
Beasley was given other chances in Phoenix and eventually back to Miami, but no team thought he could hold it together for an entire season.
Which is why winning the top individual plum in China was significant. Beasley was actually consistent for an entire season-never mind if it was a much shorter season with far inferior competition (although there were former NBA players there).
The Rockets have deep ties in China and probably scouted Beasley more than any other team. Now, the question is not whether B-Easy is a good pick-up but whether he is a good fit for the long term.
The website Red 94 analyzed Beasley's fit and they found that Beasley could play well with Harden.
The Rockets offense begins with James Harden in isolation and the other four guys stand around and watch or set-up a screen for him. Harden will shoot, drive or pass and this is where Beasley, as compared to his teammates, thrives.
"Beasley has worked so well here because, where those other guys have proven completely incapable to do anything in those Harden-induced spots, he's been able to do what he's done his whole life - create his own shot," Red 94 noted.
There are other teams that are keenly watching the Rockets' experiment and may seek to pull the rug from Houston in the off-season. Morey won't take that sitting down, but suffice to say, Beasley is now on the radar and if he keeps this up, a contract that keeps him on the Western Hemisphere is next.
