I have been highly critical of how Michael Beasley has progressed over his first two seasons in the League. He’s been great with Dwyane Wade out recently, but that brings to mind the "Why can’t he play like that all the time?" question. Looking at this thing objectively, I don’t think Beasley’s lack of consistency is his own doing. As a coach myself, I admired the way Coach Spo dealt with Beasley at first: Bring him along slowly; D-Wade can keep us competitive and anything we get from Beasley would be icing on the cake. Then he sat Beasley late in games in favor of Haslem because Mike allegedly was missing defensive assignments. I thought, "Good for you. Stick to your guns. Make the kid earn it"—at first.

Here’s the thing though. Beasley is mega-talented. He provides a service the Heat need. He’s someone who can create his own shot! So even if he is a little lacking on the defensive end (which most NBA players are), we are a much better team with him on the floor than when he’s not. The problem is that even when he is in the game, Beasley doesn’t look like the second option. He often looks like a third or a fourth option. Are you kidding me?!? Get that kid the ball in space and I believe he’ll make the Heat an even better team by taking the "heat" off Wade. There’s no excuse for him not to average right at 20 points a game. Well actually there is—it’s the stagnant Charles Barkley-style-give-Wade-the-ball-and-watch-him-play-one-against-five offense the Heat run. I don’t get to see a lot of Heat games because I live in Chicago, and I don’t have LeaguePass. But what I have seen of the offense seems to have no goal other than forcing Wade to take tough shots. We need movement!

Believe it or not, Wade and Beasley have complimentary skills. They should be able to play off each other. Zo has taken Beasley under his wing, but is there a relationship (on the court or off it) between Wade and Beasley? Do they have personal chemistry issues? If so, these issues need to be addressed. Coach Spo, "Let Beasley Play!"