A few short hours before last night’s game against Boston, Eric Spoelstra decided to finally go out on a limb and reinsert Michael Beasley into the starting lineup.
I can’t give him too much credit for this decision though, as the main reason Beasley started was due to a groin strain that rendered Jamario Moon inactive. So with Udonis Haslem and Moon both out, it really only left Beasley, Wright, or Magloire as possible starters at the four. Choosing the starter in this situation is about as an easy of a choice as being asked to pick out the most attractive Kardashian sister.
Nevertheless, after being subject to some of Spoelstra’s previous rotation decisions this season, I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Beasley on the floor for the tip off.
I think it is pretty safe to say that Beasley’s 23-point, 13-rebound performance against an elite Celtic team (albeit one without Kevin Garnett) further demonstrated just how valuable of a contributor he can be for this Heat team.
He attacked the hoop effectively and scored efficiently (converting 10 out of his 20 shots). His defense was not outstanding, but solid enough. I was most impressed with the 13 rebounds (5 of which came on the offensive end), since it would be a huge boast for the team if Beasley can start hitting the glass like he did in college.
Minus the turnover he had in the final few minutes, Beasley’s play was more or less everything that you could ask for from the second overall pick.
So for those of you keeping track at home, Beasley has now had back-to-back games in the 20-point, 10-rebound range. It will be interesting to see how things pan-out once Moon and Haslem are injury-free again.
In regards to his future playing time and role on the team, I am going to have to be realistic. There have already been a few occasions this season when he has had so called “breakout games,” only to return to his usual role of more or less 20 minutes off the bench a few games later.
We all know how short of a leash he has to work with, so I don’t doubt for a minute that his recent stellar play could be mitigated (in Spoelstra’s eyes, of course) by one disappointing performance in the next few games.
Either way, I am not going to lie; I had a wide smile on my face as I watched Beasley do against the Celtics exactly what I (and many others) knew he could do all along when given the chance.
I just hope Spoelstra sees this too and at the very least bumps Beasley's minutes up to at least 30 every game when the starters return. Or that Haslem and Moon miss a few playoff games with injuries too. I’m just kidding. Sort of.
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3 comments:
Consistency is key my friend. As long a Beasley doesn't revert back to his terrible rookie self and has consistently solid numbers, he will get more playing time, and ultimately start.
True, but I think part of the reason he's been inconsistent earlier in the season is due to the fact that he felt that he had to do a lot in short bursts just so Spo would keep him on the court.
I think if he knew he was going to be given consistent minutes (as a starter or otherwise) he'd let the game come to him, and not overextend himself and make silly mistakes.
I think consistent minutes (30+) will equal consistent play from Beasley..
i cant believe i missed this dam game. guess it makes up for that chicago game that i did see.
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