Want to get Heat fans talking, arguing - even cursing one another out - over a true hot-button issue?
It only takes two words: Michael Beasley.
You love him. You despise him. You question him. You are confused by him. You want more from him. You want him to be given more freedom by the Heat.
No matter what you feel about Beasley, there's no doubt that you feel something. With the Heat heading into the most critical offseason in franchise history, team president Pat Riley is at a proverbial crossroads when it comes to The Beasley Decision.
Do you trade Beasley, the No. 2 pick in the 2008 draft, in a deal to acquire help at point guard or center? Do you deal him simply to carve out more cap space to be in position to add two additional marquee players after re-signing Wade? Or do you keep Beasley because it's just too soon to abandon the promising but at times problematic prospect?
We examined the issue in an expansive Sunday Focus story in today's Miami Herald. While patience has paid off for some teams that had major expectations for previous No. 2 picks, just as many teams have come up empty in this crap shoot.
After talking throughout his second season about finding the player that dominated the nation in his lone college season, Beasley recently returned to Kansas State to remember what that player was like as he heads into offseason workouts. The Heat insists it still believes in Beasley and is OK with his rate of progress, but uncertainty abounds.
The pressing question is this: Will this Beasley-Heat marriage work? Or is it best to cut bait now and allow both sides to move on to perhaps more productive options?
(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)
Comments