Michael Beasley played in his first preseason game of the season since signing with the Miami Heat. Alongside Greg Oden, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, he joins a stellar cast of top picks in the NBA draft. Oden and Beasley are working their way back to what were once high expectations, though both have been hampered along the way, Oden by injury, and Beasley by Beasley.
Ever since he came into the league, Beasley has raised eyebrows, usually for his affinity for marijuana. To reiterate, there's no problem with that except, for some reason, it's still against the law, and thus NBA rules. Coaches and GMs don't like signing guys to long-term contracts when they might be suspended next week.
Anyway, Beasley is probably in a good place, surrounded by leaders who know how to win. They'll be able to pull the best out of him, and it appears motivation isn't going to be an issue. After picking up a travel shortly after appearing on the court, Beasley jacked up his head and needed a cold compressor to relieve swelling where he punched himself.
He won't be out for long, unlike Amare Stoudemire's punching incident in which he lost, badly, to a fire extinguisher, if at all. However, if his luck runs out in Miami, there are plenty of middle-to-heavyweights who need a fight in the near future. Plus, he can even smoke with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
