Michael Beasley And The Memphis Grizzlies
Michael Beasley‘s NBA career lives on.
Report: Michael Beasley takes non-guaranteed free-agency deal with Grizzlies. http://t.co/VhytmpWxQ2
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 24, 2014
Less than a week after working out for the San Antonio Spurs, hoping to land his best NBA-home yet under Gregg Popovich’s management, the former 2008 second overall pick/infamous rabble-rouser has been picked up by the
Misfit
Memphis Grizzlies.
Beasley, a career 13.2 points, 4.9 rebounds per game forward who often finds himself going against the letter of the law, joins notorious NBA bad-boys Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, and James Johnson in Memphis.
During his latest one-year stint with the Miami Heat, Beasley played 831 minutes in 55 games (roughly 15.1 minutes per game) taking over James Jones‘, Rashard Lewis‘ and Shane Battier‘s minutes and averaged 7.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Not exactly what you’d expect out of the “second best player” in the 2008 Draft*.
Still, even if his numbers were, in some ways, better than his replacements’, the Heat displayed little to no interest in playing him.
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane Battier | 2013-14 | 35 | 73 | 56 | 20.1 | .382 | .348 | .492 | .652 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 4.1 |
| 2 | Michael Beasley | 2013-14 | 25 | 55 | 2 | 15.1 | .499 | .389 | .518 | .772 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 7.9 |
| 3 | James Jones | 2013-14 | 33 | 20 | 6 | 11.8 | .456 | .519 | .214 | .636 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 4.9 |
| 4 | Rashard Lewis | 2013-14 | 34 | 60 | 6 | 16.2 | .415 | .343 | .510 | .788 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 4.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/24/2014.
With the Grizzlies’ struggling to get help on the wing once Randolph goes to the bench, Beasley is bound to take on greater responsibilities (i.e. Tyshaun Prince’s minutes).
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Vince Carter‘s and Michael Beasley’s additions might come as a breath of fresh air for the 89.9 paced (good enough for dead-last in the league) Grizzlies, as they try to find that fast-paced small-ball basketball scheme they often lack as a result of their “grit-n-grind” defensive nature.
Beasley, however, during his troubled NBA career, has shown a lot of areas of opportunity and no signs of taking care of them, at all. Fortunately for him, once if he does make the Grizzlies’ final roster (his deal is a non-guaranteed training camp deal), he might be able to prove us wrong.
*Top five picks in the 2008 Draft: 1. Derrick Rose; 2. Michael Beasley; 3. O. J. Mayo; 4. Russell Westbrook; 5. Kevin Love.