To quote Jerry Garcia, "what a long, strange trip it's been" for Michael Beasley.
Alright, the last part was added, but you get the point. After spending the past three years away from the team that drafted him, he is back with the Miami Heat on a non-guaranteed deal, a make-good contract that requires him to impress in training camp and preseason in order to make the final roster.
His role has diminished from blooming superstar to hopeful X-factor looking to make a vacant roster spot following receiving waivers from a 25-win Phoenix Suns team.
Beasley is the prototypical, clear-cut evidence of a player needing so much more than talent to have an NBA career. He has received praise from some of the league's most keen minds and was chosen ahead of the likes of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Brook Lopez.
The name Michael Beasley seems like a punchline now, but it was only five years ago when the Chicago Bulls were debating if they should either take him or Derrick Rose with the first pick in the 2008 draft.
Safe to say ,we didn't see this depressing decline coming. At the time ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by John Friel
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