Player to Watch: Michael Beasley

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

When you're famous, particularly a famous athlete, you're always exactly one step from utter disaster, and one step from rousing success. Michael Beasley has firmly stepped on the former, but the latter is also well within his reach this season.

I don't need to rehash for you the Twitter episode, the questions about whether it was his "stuff" or not, whether that matters, whether the whole issue matters. You've made up your mind.

What you should keep in mind, though, is how quickly a player can go from being considered a "screw-up" or "headcase" to simply a terrific basketball player. And if you don't think Beasley has the talent to make that happen, you better get your head a one way ticket to Straightville on the good train Reason.

Beasley will have to deal with questions about the Twitter incident all year, and has already had an uncomfortable run-in online about it (you'd think he'd know better than to... you know what? Nevermind). But maybe the best way for him to get through all of this stress is just to focus on his game. Which, if you've been watching his preseason, he's been doing. Take for example, last night's game against OKC, where he netted 24 points on 13 shots, a markedly better efficiency mark than we're used to. He racked up the turnovers, too, seven in all, but better in the preseason than during a mid-March run.

Beasley's role on the Heat is still to be defined. From all accounts, his only real strengths are shooting and scoring versatility. His position complicates this. First, he's most comfortable as the small forward spot, lacking the bulk and banger ability to handle the power forward position, particularly on defense.

But the small forward position is an even more versatile position in today's NBA. They're meant to be able to rebound, pass, defend, get out in transition and handle the ball, all while being able to score. Beasley's passing ability is his weakest dimension. It's far too early in his career to call him a black hole, but let's just say the edges of that star are starting to collapse a bit. Too often he seems eager to simply get buckets as a way of proving himself, to garner the positive feedback from his coach, his star teammate and the fans. In light of being called a bust, he seems scared to let the game come to him. So he shoots.

But man, when he shoots. Beasley's jumper is a thing of beauty. He found a particularly comfortable spot on the NBA floor, just above and to the left of the left elbow, and Dwyane Wade found that positioning perfect for drive and kicks. When Beasley steps into that shot, it's pretty much lights out. If he's in rhthym, that shot makes him as dangerous as any mid-range forward in the game.

Additionally, there are flashes of Beasley's abilities that go beyond the jumper. He has a tremendous amount of energy on the floor when he's not restricted by neuroses, and that energy can convert tip-backs and lead to drives that draw fouls. While his post and rotation defense struggle at times with his inexperience, his baseline defense is superb and he's shown an acumen for cutting off baseline moves which helps out the rest of the Heat frontcourt.

Beasley has All-Star in him. You can see it. He simply has to find a way to push past the stress of his new lifestyle, embrace his teammates who have significantly warmed up to him and work harder at rounding out his game. All those things will come in time. For this season, though, Beasley just needs to be who he is, the player we all know he's capabe of being. And stay out of trouble.