[Are you kidding me?] Beasly believes anything short of MVP is failure

mrm32 · Oct 2, 2008

At the Start of His Career, Beasley Isn't Joking Around

MIAMI -- Miami Heat rookie Michael Beasley, just 18 months removed from high school, became so concerned about the temptations inherent in his transition to the NBA this season that he persuaded a trusted mentor to leave his university job and move into Beasley's new home, acting as something of a life adviser.

Beasley, 19, also brought his mother when he arrived in Miami after the Heat selected him with the second overall pick in the June draft, outfitting her and his four siblings with a six-bedroom, nearly $1.5 million home, far more extravagant than his own place near the Heat's arena. He said he spends a few hours there most days.

Having earned a reputation as an overzealous prankster during high school, when he bounced around four programs in Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts, Beasley has reason to doubt his ability to make all the right moves on his own. Two weeks ago, he was hit with a $50,000 fine for breaking NBA rules -- and initially attempting to cover up his involvement -- at this summer's NBA rookie transition program.

"My life is in a blender," Beasley said. "The game don't change . . . but this life thing is an uphill battle."

But having led Kansas State to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 12 years in his only season there, Beasley has reason to trust his ability to make great leaps on the court. And he does. He said he doesn't merely intend to be rookie of the year; he also aspires to win this season's most valuable player award.

"I want to be MVP, no disrespect to nobody," Beasley said Monday after the Heat's practice at American Airlines Arena. "I don't ever want to be second best. I feel I can walk down those steps to the locker room and be better than everybody else . . . I think going for rookie of the year is selling myself short."

With such big plans never far from his mind, the Frederick, Md.-born Beasley hired a financial adviser, housekeeper and interior decorator, and is looking for a personal chef, all part of the grand plan to shore up the aspects of his life most in need of strengthening, without -- and this, he says, is important -- stamping out his youthful and often goofball personality.

Beasley calls "fast food" his favorite type of cuisine; displays in his master bath a SpongeBob SquarePants shower curtain, bath mat and toothbrush; and recently got his 25th tattoo. He figures if he can manage the off-court challenges brought on by becoming a multimillionaire before he has outgrown Nickelodeon and reached the legal drinking age, life will be very good.

"One goal is to mature, but still stay me," Beasley said. "I could mature and watch SpongeBob every day. I think that's very possible."

That's where Bruce Shingler Jr., a former administrative assistant at Kansas State who coached Beasley as a young teenager on DC Assault AAU teams, comes in. Shingler put his dream of coaching on the college level on hold to become Beasley's roommate, confidant and adviser for at least the upcoming season. Shingler, 27, said he did not want to give up his job when Beasley approached him months ago, but eventually agreed because he thought he could make a difference.

"Failure is not an option," Shingler said. "Not on my watch."

Said Beasley: "I just wanted somebody I know, somebody I can grow with, somebody I trust and somebody who knows my best interests, but at the same time is young enough to have fun, and not be too strict. It just came to me. I knew I didn't want to live by myself in my first year in the NBA."

Beasley's more veteran Heat teammates -- and there aren't many of them on this rebuilding team that finished with the worst record (15-67) in the league last season -- say they, too, plan to supervise Beasley, particularly after the episode in Rye Brook, N.Y., that Shingler described as the most significant "hitch" in Beasley's whirlwind summer.

The Heat's Mario Chalmers and the Memphis Grizzlies' Darrell Arthur were found entertaining two women in a hotel room during the rookie transition program, a violation of the NBA's rules that earned both an embarrassing early exit and fines of $20,000 apiece. When Beasley confirmed widespread rumors that he had been hiding in the room when the incident occurred, he landed an even larger fine: $50,000.

Heat officials have tried to bury the episode, asking media members to drop the issue after Chalmers and Beasley apologized publicly last week, but questions could not be avoided internally. Teammates said Chalmers and Beasley reclaimed their respect when they, as Heat star Dwyane Wade described it, "owned up" to their mistakes during a preseason team meeting.

Beasley "is a big kid right now," Heat forward Shawn Marion said. "We're going to help him get a lot of things under control. He's just a young kid. Nobody's perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. That's what we're here for."

Said Wade: "We're behind them 100 percent . . . [but this type of behavior] will not be accepted, and they understand that, too."

Neither Beasley nor Chalmers seems to have been cowed by the incident. Both cracked smiles and jokes as they went from interview to interview last week, full of life and laughs. Beasley, who complained about being hungry during the lengthy session, gobbled a bag of Skittles at the start of one television interview -- offering a surely unwanted monologue on the various varieties of the multicolored candy as the cameras rolled -- then was ushered to a photo shoot by a Heat official who said pleadingly, "Work with me, and I'll get you a cookie."

Beasley's role in the misconduct was originally unclear, but with rumors flying, Heat President Pat Riley sought an explanation, Shingler recalled. Asked if it was difficult to fess up to the legendary coach who this summer was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Beasley grew serious.

"For a kid, maybe," he said. But "we're all grown. I came to realize that in the last couple months. I'm not a kid anymore. I got to face every situation like a man."

Besides handling marketing and promotional requests for Beasley, Shingler said, he has talked with him daily about managing his new life. Beasley, who will earn $11.6 million over the next three years, splurged on a $170,000 black Bentley Continental Flying Spur and dropped $2,000 during a recent shopping spree at Saks Fifth Avenue for True Religion jeans and shirts, but he fashioned himself a safety net: His financial adviser is investing one-third of his income.

Of course, if Beasley lives up to his promise on the court, he can supply the entire Heat squad with plenty of jeans, even at $300 a pair.

"Guys who've been in the league 10, 11 years can't score like him around the basket with each hand," Heat forward Udonis Haslem said. "For him to be 19 years old, he's definitely ahead of the game."

Frank Martin, Beasley's coach at Kansas State, said his top freshman's reputation as a jokester and prankster -- as a junior at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., Beasley painted his name on items all over campus, including a school administrator's car -- has been overblown. Beasley, Martin said, appreciates structure and discipline. When he began his short career with the Wildcats, Beasley could bench-press 185 pounds four times. By the time he left, Martin said, he could do it 27 times. And, Martin added, in one year, Beasley grew from 218 pounds to 243 pounds.

"Michael is by far the best teammate I've ever been around," he said by phone from Manhattan, Kan. "People migrate to him because of his personality. He's so optimistic about life, so enthusiastic.

"But when it's time to work, he's not joking. He's working."
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093003190.html

TMac640 · Oct 2, 2008

Beasley needs to layoff whatever he's buying from Chalmers

Scientific1 · Oct 2, 2008

That kid is so full of himself. He has this pompous character and a smirk that just irritates me. He's nothing like Wade, somehow I see them clashing. If they win Wade will be the one getting credit, and I can already imagine Beasley with a group of yes men around him getting in his ear.

fmp087 · Oct 2, 2008

at least the kid shoots high

i think its a good attitude

engr chris · Oct 2, 2008

Setting your goals high. Honestly, I like he's attitude. Eventhough he has zero chance of winning the MVP. You know he will give his best.

Asian Sensation · Oct 2, 2008

This is exactly the type of attitude and confidence you need to be the best in this league. Beasley definitely has the tools and skill set to accomplish that so it's nice to see an attitude that matches.

Mac#5 · Oct 2, 2008

Theres nothing wrong with that...
its good he wants to be the best it will make him work harder to achieve what he wants... i can appreciate his attitude

RudyTBag · Oct 2, 2008

To be an great NBA player, this is the mindset that you need............

pmac · Oct 2, 2008

...and some how this is less ridiculous than melo saying the nuggests can win 60 games.

OrangeRowdy95 · Oct 2, 2008

Beasley has a solid young coach who will set him straight. I'm picking Miami to lead the league in defense this season.

aussie rocket · Oct 2, 2008

Kids in for a whole lot of disapointment then.

WinorLoseMate · Oct 2, 2008

Looks to me like he's a pretty decent guy as well.

He bought himself a mediocre place to live while buying his family a $1.5million dollar home.

Shroopy2 · Oct 3, 2008

Scientific1 said:

That kid is so full of himself. He has this pompous character and a smirk that just irritates me. He's nothing like Wade, somehow I see them clashing. If they win Wade will be the one getting credit, and I can already imagine Beasley with a group of yes men around him getting in his ear.
Click to expand...

I think Wade had everyone mildly fooled for a while with his good guy image. I see him being every bit as arrogant as Kobe and Melo, at least on the floor. He's of course way ahead of Beasley in the basketball as a business approach.

I just know its gonna happen later at some point - Them mentioning Beasely as a poster child of "this new" generation that watches Spongebob well past their teenage years and shuns responsibility. As long as he can stay out of trouble, good for him.

A_3PO · Oct 3, 2008

I think Beasley could have a great rookie season. But his talk of being MVP is nonsense and he knows it. IMO, he said it for public consumption.

wreck · Oct 3, 2008

pmac said:

...and some how this is less ridiculous than melo saying the nuggests can win 60 games.
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Its sad that I agree with you. I agree melo and kmart(or the player formerly known as kmart) are smoking some kind of experimental stuff if theyre thinking like this.

v3.0 · Oct 3, 2008

Interesting that only Wilt and Wes Unseld are the only rookies to win MVP.

So if the Heat does a 180 and becomes a playoff team, and both D-Wade and Marion defer to him so that Beasley becomes the focal point of the team, then he still doesn't have much of a chance to get MVP. The media and voters will be geared to give it to an established star who is having a great individual year on a playoff team. Beasley would have to lead a stat like scoring or rebounding to even make the voters think twice.

l3igballer23 · Oct 3, 2008

i see nothing wrong with setting your goals high ... granted its his first season but who cares he wants to reach for the top

topfive · Oct 3, 2008

I remember an interview with Dwight Howard before his NBA Draft in which he said his ultimate goal was to have the league require all teams to add a cross as a standard part of each team's uniform, in honor of Jesus.

I'm guessing now that he's no longer a naive high school kid, he's probably given up on that particular goal.

aussie rocket · Oct 3, 2008

topfive said:

I remember an interview with Dwight Howard before his NBA Draft in which he said his ultimate goal was to have the league require all teams to add a cross as a standard part of each team's uniform, in honor of Jesus.

I'm guessing now that he's no longer a naive high school kid, he's probably given up on that particular goal.
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Saw that.

That was bizarre to say the least.

I guess he has given it up now that he's impregnating women out of wedlock!

RudyTBag · Oct 3, 2008

Shroopy2 said:

I just know its gonna happen later at some point - Them mentioning Beasely as a poster child of "this new" generation that watches Spongebob well past their teenage years and shuns responsibility.
Click to expand...

You got beef with Spongebob, you got beef with me.

You got beef with Spongebob?

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