Miami Heat rookie forward Michael Beasley was slammed with a $50,000 fine today by the NBA for his involvement in an incident earlier this month at the league's Rookie Transition Program. The league said the fine was related to the previously disclosed incident involving Heat point guard Mario Chalmers and Memphis Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur. Those two were fined $20,000 earlier this month for a violation of program rules, after improper guests were allowed into a hotel room utilized for the seminar in Rye Brook, N.Y. The scent of mar1juana was also present in that hotel room, although both players denied involvement and the league did not address that issue in expelling Chalmers and Arthur from the program. Beasley was allowed to remain at the four-day seminar. However, the league, in the announcement of the harsher fine, today cited Beasley's "failure to cooperate with a league investigation of the matter."The weeks leading to the Heat's Sept. 28 starting of training camp at AmericanAirlines Arena have proven particularly troubling for Beasley, the first-round pick out of Kansas State, with the players' association earlier this week confirming that Beasley has filed for a separation from his agent Joel Bell. By union rule, Beasley cannot hire replacement representation until Sept. 25, after a 15-day cooling period from the dismissal of Bell. The league's statement about Beasley's fine did not include mention of a possible suspension. The league previously confirmed that neither Chalmers nor Arthur would be suspended. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/sfl-beasley091808,0,3570272.story
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I don't think it was about him snitching for some reason.. I think he was involved somehow. Why in the world would the NBA fine him over double what Chalmers and Arther got?
I assume his fine was higher because he was less cooperative than the other two. But, I suppose they won't tell us.
They probably got their stuff from Beasley I remember reading an article on TrueHoop or something on Beasley where his coach said he was a strange guy sometimes--he once walked in on him watching spongebob squarepants and wearing 3D glasses. He's totally a stoner.
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-34-90/The-Good-Ship-Michael-Beasley--Adrift.html On ESPN, Henry Abbot writes, "I have heard what really happened that night. In fact, I have heard five different versions, from ten or fifteen different people. Instead of a gossip circuit, it has been more of a gossip circus. It just wouldn't be fair to go reporting any of that." Come on! Some version of the story has to leak onto the internet. Someone will talk, right? I'm curious as hell, I really want to know. If there's anyone out there that does know, and has little journalistic integrity, this thread would be a great place to post a good story...
I guess I'll be the first. I knew it it all along! ESPN said for a vague fact that he was bad news but I knew it in my heart! I knew that they knew it and I felt that I could confirm to all of you that I knew it right now! Glee.
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/803765.html I didn’t ask Chalmers a bunch of specifics about what happened at the symposium. I’m not all that interested. I didn’t even ask him about the persistent rumors that Michael Beasley was hiding in the closet or bathroom when NBA security entered the hotel room. Those rumors gained an air of legitimacy Thursday when the league announced that Beasley has been fined $50,000 for his involvement and failure to cooperate with the investigation.
When the rumors about Beasley first started as the draft approached, I dismissed them as hearsay. I thought Beasley was the dominant player in college basketball last season and he never displayed an attitude problem on the court. He seemed poised to have a standout NBA rookie season and I considered him a pre-season lock for Rookie of the Year. But all the chatter and whispers since the Heat wavered about drafting him #2 have me thinking there must be something to it. Since there is no conspiracy against him, I have to assume there is fire causing the smoke. Along with the other stuff, Pat Riley's very blunt comments about Beasley right after drafting him and this stuff with the Rookie Transition Program have me worried about the guy. I think the Truehoop article is worth printing in full: The Good Ship Michael Beasley, Adrift September 19, 2008 11:30 AM There were reports. There were whispers. There was a cloud of suspicion that maybe Miami Heat rookie Michael Beasley had been involved in that Rookie Transition Program hotel room party that got Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers sent home and in trouble. Now, without a satisfying explanation of what actually happened that night, we learn that Beasley has been fined far more than those other guys for his role -- whatever that may have been. There is also word that he came forward with the information, which is pleasing if a little shocking. (Do you remember being 19? If you got away with something at that age -- could you fathom waiting a few weeks before volunteering "Just kidding, I was totally there!") I have heard what really happened that night. In fact, I have heard five different versions, from ten or fifteen different people. Instead of a gossip circuit, it has been more of a gossip circus. It just wouldn't be fair to go reporting any of that. Nevertheless, all those stories are consistent with the notion that the good ship Michael Beasley is a little rudderless at this point. Poor decision making, or no decision making at all, is evident in all the recent flip-flops. Hire an agent, fire an agent. Spend years bonding with AAU coach Curtis Malone, then reportedly tune him out. Get drafted second overall, in a great market, but don't come to terms on many endorsement deals that would reason to follow. And of course: Wriggle out of responsibility for anything to do with that party at the Rookie Transition Program, then come clean only weeks later. None of those things are indictments of the character of a young man who, when I have met him briefly at the draft and the rookie photo shoots, seems to be nice, charismatic, and funny. I'm not out to condemn the guy. He is also 19. 19! I don't consider myself that old, but he was born shortly before I graduated from high school. I didn't even know there were adults for whom that was true. Maybe there aren't. Maybe these kinds of messy decisions are par for the course for someone his age. Here's what worries me though: He's at a stage where he's taking a big step up. The level of competition he's facing is about to leap. Those are times when it's all about work. When there is a lot to prove. It's like exam day. (One of the early exams is a basic intelligence test: Can you stay out of trouble throughout the few days of the League's seminar on staying out of trouble?) Beasley's house may not be in order -- but some other players' are. They're working it all out. All those worries, the agent selection, the marketing deals, the money management, the things your family needs from you, the trouble with the league ... it all takes time and energy. People out there are getting better at basketball, with those things nicely arranged and taken care of by people who know what they are doing. Players with good set-ups off the court get hours a day to work on their games or to find genuine rest and relaxation. They know what to eat and when, and how much sleep they need. They are getting the most out of every hour. At 19, youth, athleticism, and talent can overgome that lack of professionalism on and off the court. But as so many mega-talents of the past have found, that won't last forever. Some growing up must occur. The right mentors have to be found and listened to. I don't know that, before his first NBA game, we already have reason to worry that Michael Beasley might become an NBA cautionary tale. But I do think every 19-year-old with other-worldly talent ought to at least be aware that the train to permanent stardom is easily derailed. Basketball history is littered with tales of can't miss prospects who, because of distractions, injuries, accidents, or the pressures of the spotlight, never came close to capitalizing on their potential. Len Bias, Eddie Griffin, Dennis Hopson (nearly 30 points per game at Ohio State!), J.R. Rider, Lloyd Daniels, Tim Thomas, Reggie Williams, Marvin Barnes ... this list goes on nearly forever. They all had the talent to be All-Stars year after year. But things can go wrong. Focus. To me, that's the antidote, to the extent there might be one. I can't prove it, but I believe that as much focus and direction as possible, and some clear priorities, could give this story the best possible chance of having the happy ending we're all hoping for.
