As I watch fatty’s brilliant new video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGV_wGpupbM, I begin to see more and more the kind of game that will translate to the NBA. It is a scrapbook of his time in Manhattan and could just as easily serve as the basis for a scout’s notebook. Fatty does an excellent job of putting Mike’s skills on display. The video has all the usual double and triple teams on the blocks, the scrapping in the lane, the rebounds, the dunks and the putbacks but as the video builds at the 3:15 mark the turnaround game begins to emerge. Picking up the ball on the wings and a simply indefensible fade away swishes through the net. Next we see Beasley facing up for guarded three-pointers and extending the D. At the 4 minute mark we start to see the athletic ability, intelligence and will to defend. At 4:40 Beasley starts taking people off the dribble and scooping in finger rolls with both hands. 6 minute mark he starts dribbling to create his own jump shot. Did I mention the man is 6’10”?
The video is a showcase of why Beasley is an absolutely unique player that has the kind of game that is on display from one of the most underrated and underappreciated players of this era: Rasheed Wallace.
Flip on a game during this Eastern Conference Finals and watch ‘Sheed turn around on the baseline one possession, then spot up his man behind the arc the next time down or work his shot in to a pump fake, in to a baseline drive for a dunk. Their D is similar too with ‘Sheed having the smarts and strength to KG off the block, but also the quicks and length to trap off a screen, poke away a ball or block a shot. On the boards, they both work with a combination of positioning and finesse as they tip balls, work put backs and use their size to frustrate smaller players. Sound familiar?
How fitting that they are compared in the year after Beasley was passed over for POY honors by a Tar Heel. The arguments for a Baby Blueblood were unsatisfactory for EMAW!ers and sentient humans everywhere, but the similarities between ‘Sheed and Beaz are much more relevant than Googles.com and his fellow ‘Heel.
One of the continuing reasons pundits have given for Beasley’s slip to the #2 spot in the Draft has been the meme that he is ‘immature’ or ‘has an attitude.’ This comparison to ‘Sheed is no knock on Mike because he has a track record at Kansas State both on and off the court that were peerless and to be applauded. However, the guilt by association that most K-State fans will react to is in large part unwarranted not because Beasley has misbehaved, but because ‘Sheed’s rep is far worse than he deserves. The stories about Beasley’s good-natured hi jinx in High School: signing his name to the principal’s car and his love of SpongeBob were twisted in to a scandal in the same way that Rasheed’s confrontations with referees were always given scrutiny while the rest of the league was out makin baby mammas and tuning on fans with fists.
In Portland, as part of the infamous JailBlazers, ‘Sheed showed a streak of not wanting to be the guy and not handling the pressures of fame well. Many feel like Beasley’s experience at Kansas State stands in stark contrast to Rose and the constant spotlight of #1 seed Memphis. People have implied that Beasley did not face the same pressures and scrutiny as Rose, but this ignores other profound differences that were also in play in the POY debacle. While Rose had a lineup full of NBA talent and former NBA coach, Beasley had Billy Walker and not much else. In the same way as Beasley is now being criticized, ‘Sheed was pounced on for never taking a leadership role in Portland, but the team was full of &@#%ups, dysfunction, turmoil and outside the glare of the hot lights. Sound familiar?
The talent of ‘Sheed and Beaz were misunderstood in the incredibly frustrating environments that they both played in early in their careers. With the benefit of hindsight for ‘Sheed, we’ve learned that placing him on a team full of responsible workers has allowed him to be their fire and their leader while diverting the enormous load that he carried in his earlier years. For Beasley, his accomplishments at Kansas State were not made at the expense of the team, but rather for the benefit of it. The “stains” on both of their résumés are in reality, indictments of the team at large that were misappropriated to the best player. Beasley should bear no more responsibility for the second round “collapse” of Kansas State to a superior Wisconsin team than ‘Sheed should bear the cross of Damon Stoudamire.
