It has now been two full weeks since the trade deadline passed. Leading up to it there was a lot of talk about the Heat making a move or two, with most of the attention focusing on a deal that would've brought the Suns' Amare Stoudemire to Miami. While it was no secret that the Heat were very much interested in Amare, the message from Pat Riley to the rest of the NBA that day was that Michael Beasley was not available.
Heat fans are well aware that when this team's management looks at Beasley, the #2 overall pick in '08, they most certainly are looking at the ‘bigger picture' and not at his day-to-day progress. The inconsistency from Beasley this year has been the main issue, and while the blame gets passed around like a hot potato, the bottom line is that the Heat organization wants to keep and develop the youngster.
When I got to thinking about the trade deadline, it brought back all the points that I was considering when the trade rumors were at their strongest. Since the deadline, the two players have been heading in very opposite directions. Beasley teased us by scoring a career-high 30 points just hours after the deadline had passed, but since then he hasn't even been able to score half of that.
I did go and look up the stats of both Beasley and Stoudemire in the games they've played since not being traded. Keep in mind that Amare and the Suns have played in 9 games while the Super Cool Heat have played 7. Also keep in mind that Stoudemire is playing around 5 more minutes/game then Super Cool Beas (on average).
Since the deadline, Amare has averaged 25.8 points on 55.9% shooting while Beasley has been struggling with his offense, scoring just 12.6 points on 37.6% shooting. Stoudemire has grabbed 9.0 rebounds while Beasley has just 5.4. Beasley holds the advantage in free throw percentage, making 81% of his foul shots. Amare on the other hand has hit just 68.4% of his shots from the charity stripe.
The other stat categories look like this-
Assists: Beasley 1.6, Amare 0.7. Steals: Beasley 1.4, Amare 1.0. Blocks: Beasley 0.8, Amare 1.0. Turnovers: Beasley 1.4, Amare 2.3. And as for how their teams have done in the games since the deadline, Phoenix has gone 7-2 while the Heat have gone 3-4.
It basically comes down to Pat Riley not wanting to give up the future for the present. Amare is a top player in this league, one of the best at his position, and his stats show that. With Beasley, there is a world of potential. But the longer it takes for him to achieve that potential, the more questions it raises from Heat fans and sports writers.