The Heat have signed Michael Beasley to a 10-day contract, the team announced. The former No. 2 overall pick had recently been working out at the Heat’s American AirlinesArena, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel noted. The 26-year-old had spent most of the season playing for Shanghai Dongfang in China after asking the Grizzlies to cut him loose from training camp to accommodate the deal. He becomes the 15th player on the Heat’s roster, joining fellow 10-day signee Henry Walker.
Beasley spent last season with the Heat after making the team on a non-guaranteed invitation to camp. The team didn’t offer him a chance to return this summer amid reported concerns about his defense and maturity. The Jared Karnes client instead went through a pair of workouts with the Lakers and auditioned for the Spurs before inking his camp deal with Memphis.
It’s the third stint with the Heat for Beasley, who first joined Miami when the team drafted him in 2008. Miami traded him in part to clear the way for LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010, but off-the-court trouble dogged him in subsequent NBA stops with the Timberwolves and the Suns before the Heat gave him a second chance last season. Defensive concerns aside, the 6’9″ combo forward performed capably in 15.1 minutes per game during the regular season, averaging 7.9 points and shooting 38.9% from behind the three-point line. He made it into only four playoff games last spring before bouncing back once more in China, winning the league’s All-Star Game MVP award and averaging 28.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game across 37 appearances. Shanghai’s season is already over, allowing Beasley to return stateside.
Definitely could use “Free Points” and could have used him all year. That being said, it remains to be seen what he can bring us on the defensive end. He certainly wont be able to come close to filling Bosh’s versatility on that end, especially his elite ability guarding pick&rolls, which has always been kind of an issue for “Free Points”. I expect him to be in the rotation though, and we should probably see him against New Orleans tomorrow. He made some great strides last year in my opinion, so hopefully, we can see some more of that. All in all, its kind of nice to have him back
Maybe China change him. I get that he won’t be like bosh on defense, but he could replace the scoring that bosh gave
and the floor spacing. He says that he feels like he can slow the game down a little more now, and is better at getting teammates more involved. he averaged 5 assists in China, so maybe he can play a little more freely in the offense and move the ball more, as opposed to isolation scoring. As I said, we could have really used that help on that end all year
WHITESIDE BIRDMAN ARE THE TWO ERASER THE HEAT NEEDS MORE OFFENCE LOVE THE MOVE
This dude has all the talent in the world