Is Beasley giving up on power?
A very interesting part of the Michael Beasley interview that was on heat.com this morning:
There are two key questions that caught my eye.
Heat: Are there any areas of your game you’re working on this summer?
Beasley: “I’m working on the things a shooting guard or a small forward would work on. I do a lot of screen work, a lot of jump shots, and ball handling, a lot of stuff point guards do. I know I may never play the one or two, but I feel if I work on those skills, it will be harder to guard me. I do a lot of stuff that Chauncey Billups does. I think he’s the best point guard in the NBA, especially coming off screens. Why not try to emulate that? I feel like if I can add that to my game, I will be a tougher matchup.”
Heat: Because you do play a lot of power forward, are you planning on putting on more weight?
Beasley: “I’m fine with my weight. I’m going to stay thin. I’m already undersized, so if I can’t move, I can’t play my game. I want to focus on being quicker at my position.”
Okay Mr. Beasley, if you play “Power” Forward, shouldn’t you have Power? Sure, Beasley’s got power but he needs more of it. As we saw this season, he was slow getting to the basket in many instances. He needs to have more of a post game. He needs the “power” in order to get tot he basket and finish, or at least absorb contact. He doesn’t need any of these skills that point guards and shooting guards have. He’s not a point or shooting guard, if he was then yes he should work on it.
Beasley already has the shooting in his repetoire, we all know that he can light up from anywhere on the court. What we don’t know he has is power. If I was Beasley, I would give up on this versatility game and give Alonzo Mourning a call and ask if he would help me practice.
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