Bring Michael Beasley to the Raptors
Bring Michael Beasley to the Raptors
Please Bryan Colangelo.
As intimated here, landing Michael Beasley will complete an instant rebuild and propel us into serious contender status.
You may think I am delusional, but as you can probably tell if you are a regular Raptors Digest reader…I am a HUGE Michael Beasley fan.
Of all the names discussed Michael Beasley is the only player besides Bynum that will arguably have a better future than Bosh and he is the only player capable of replacing the scoring we will lose and is also the only player with true #1 ability (26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds as a freshman; also 3rd freshman in history to lead nation in rebounding).
There are the obvious character concerns (in College too) due to all the twitter drama at the beginning of the season, but this guy is an exceptional talent; on talent alone he is a top-10 player in this league, even if it has not been on display yet.
Compared to Carmelo Anthony when coming into the league this is the same player that went to College the year after Kevin Durant and broke almost every freshman record that KD set the year before.
Beasley is an excellent offensive rebounder which is something that will really help us from the small forward position as he can play the pain on offense and take Bargnani’s job of crashing the offensive glass since Bargnani figures to be out near the three point line most of the time.
Beasley is a fit for the Raptors and is a star in the making.
I will leave you with some scouting reports from our two most trusted draft sites:
“Great athlete with long arms. Deep, deep range on his jump shot. Excellent hands. Amazing rebounder. Will score on you inside and out. Uses power in the post combined with excellent leaping ability. Has an excellent jump shot with NBA 3-point range. Has the versatility to play both the 3 and the 4 on virtually every team in the league.”
A fabulous athlete with an NBA ready body… Completed one of the most dominant seasons in college basketball history, as a freshman His length, quickness, jumping ability and strength combine to make him one of the most difficult match ups He has range from anywhere on the floor all the way out to NBA three, but is especially effective with his soft touch around the rim, where he uses both hands to finish with a variety of moves His left handed jump shot is a thing of beauty, with a smooth release, he has good arc and is very balanced getting his legs under him to get great elevation Most dangerous out of the mid-post where he can square his man up, and attack with a variety of moves; including strong takes to the hoop, a nice mid-range pull-up, or simply shooting over the top of helpless defenders From the triple threat his jabs and shot fakes are extremely efficient because he not only has a quick first step, but also a very long one that allows him to get by people at will When the defender tries to beat him to the spot, he has a terrific spin move that is virtually unstoppable His post game has progressed nicely, and he has shown a nice touch on a variety of hook-shots and fadeaways … He fights hard to get good position on the block, and even harder when crashing the O glass, as seen by the 4 offensive rebounds that he averaged per game His ability to play the passing lanes and come over weakside to block shots, further adds to his ability to fill the stat sheet A strong personality with great confidence who never gets down on himself. There are few doubts about him becoming a bigtime impact talent at the next level …
Incredibly diverse and refined offensive game Strong inside/outside skills From the block, he can give you a drop step, jump hook, and/or fade-away He can post up 15 feet out and take his man off the dribble, pop a J in the defender’s eye, take a fade-away, or find a cutting teammate He can catch and shoot from anywhere out to 25 feet Has great range on his shot He can bring the ball up the court and go to work on his man or find open teammates Very good on the break. Big time athlete with great explosiveness – a powerful dunker Makes a habit of producing highlight reel dunks Excellent body control Lefty with good length and great body strength Has a definite swagger on the court. Brash. Has a big personality and presence Very aggressive player, who intimidates most players on the high school level. Gets inside the heads of his opponents Has a nastiness to his game, that you like to see Can be a huge intimidator, because he will back-up anything he says
Update: Since the time I wrote this for June 30th on Monday, strong and prevalent rumours state that Bosh has agreed to go to Miami and that the Raptors will receive Beasley, Chalmers, Joel Anthony and a trade exception.
Both sides have and will deny rumours, they have to or risk tampering allegations and penalties.
Now some video:
Raju Byfield is a Senior Sports Writer for Raptors Digest.
Raju Byfield also writes for Win My Fantasy League as a Senior Sports Writer/Fantasy Sports Analyst.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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I haven’t seen Beasley play too much, but I understand that he is a liability on defense, the last thing the Raptors need. I’d take Bynum or Lee over him any day (if either become available). We have good shooters and I’m hesitant to mess with what it a pretty stable locker room (see: TJ Ford).
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…not to mention that a scouting report from before he was in the NBA doesn’t serve as much support for your argument, he’s been given ample time in an NBA uniform to prove himself.
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Raju aka RaptorCity Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
Jeremy,
Yes, he can definitely play harder on D, you will get no argument from me there but he has the quickness and athleticism to become a factor if he puts forth the effort
I used scouting reports from than because with Dwayne Wade and the way he dominates the ball he never really got a chance to show his brilliance…..if you take a look at his game log, he has already flashed it
How quickly Toronto will love him when/if he comes here and becomes our franchise player
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by We Are Toronto and Ra. Ra said: Bring Michael Beasley to the Raptors: http://www.raptorsdigest.com/bring-michael-beasley-to-the-raptors/ #Raptors #Heat #BeasleytoToronto [...]
I would seriously like to have Beasley on the Raptors as well. The only thing I’m concerned with is his attitude, work ethic, and his ability to play in a team concept. We all know he has the knack for scoring but will he bring the intensity day in and day out. If so, this would be the best available trade for our team. I can already envision him, DD, Weems, Davis, Johnson and Bargnani being our core nucleus for the future. Cheers!
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Raju aka RaptorCity Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
JK,
I agree JK, if he can pull it all together, watch out because will actually be a better team than last year
Seems weird to say when a team is about to lose its best player but if he agrees to a sign-and-trade to the Heat or Lakers the Raptors have a very good chance at being a better team (Ed Davis and Bargnani moving to PF has something to do with it as well)
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Just to let you know, the rumor has been shot down by both sides. Miami and the agents to the players say it’s baseless.
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Raju aka RaptorCity Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Raptor Fan,
As I am sure you know, they HAVE to deny rumours otherwise there will be tampering charges
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Beggars can’t be choosy .. better get somebody with some upside or else the franchise will tank and maybe even go back to Buffalo .. remember??!!!
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Raju aka RaptorCity Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 4:24 pm
FAQ,
I agree
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If the Raptors don’t want Beasely and Chalmers, then they could do a three way deal. Bosh goes to Miami regardless, as for Beasely and Chalmers, they could go somewhere else and Raps could acquire more, if not, less…
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JS,
Exactly…..a player trade exception is also in play though, so as BC suggested on the FAN590 the other day there is a scenario where we take no players back and put that trade exception to use instead
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its all up to BC now…man i can’t wait lol
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[...] Raptors Digest » Bring Michael Beasley to the Raptors – There are the obvious character concerns (in College too) due to all the twitter drama at the beginning of the season, but this guy is an exceptional talent; on talent alone he is a top-10 player in this league, even if it has not been on display yet. [...]
I thought Michael Beasley would be a much better player when he came out of college. He hasn’t been. He’s certainly got scoring ability, but his defense awareness is just plain bad, and that’s where it’s going to stay. No hoping is going to make it better after 2 years just as hoping isn’t going to make Bargnani a better rebounder and Amir a 25 ppg scorer.
Why do people think players can suddenly go from a bad defender to a good one but they don’t think a bad offensive player can become a good one. It strikes me that people simply don’t give enough respect to defense as a skill.
I had high hopes for Beasley, and he’s certainly not a lost cause, but he’s not going to be the player many thought he would be. And because of his lack of defense, he’s never going to be someone you want starting on a good team. Having Beasley and Bargnani as your two big men would be a disaster. It would make the Raptors defense last year look like Bad Boys defense. That’s not how you turn a bad defensive team around. By making it worse. The Raptors need to change the atmosphere of the team around. They need to focus on doing the little things and learn how to play winning basketball. You don’t do that by having your two big men be one dimensional scorers who don’t like to get their hands dirty.
Personally, I think Beasley should play the 3, where I think his offensive game is more suited and where I think he’ll have more of an advantage, and where his lack of defense won’t hurt as much.
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Tim,
Exactly Beasley wouldn’t be employed at the 4 as long as Andrea remained on the team, having the two of them out there wouldn’t solve anything because we need D at the 5 spot.
I never suggested that Beasley and Bargnani man the front-court because Bargs cant play the 5 and either can Beasley, Beasley would have to play the 5 where I think he would thrive because his 4 is a perimeter big which will give him space to operate and also to crash the offensive glass (which he has prove adept at)
I really hope Colangelo rolls the dice on Beasley
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I’ve heard this argument that Bargnani is playing out of position at center, and it’s never, ever been backed up. He’s a center. He’s seven feet, 250 lbs, only defends well in the post, has trouble guarding quicker, face up players and has the biggest advantage offensively over slower big men. People point to his poor help defense, but that just highlights the fact that he’s simply not as good a player as some think, not that he’d be better at PF. At PF, he’d get beat more by quicker offensive players, and wouldn’t have the quickness advantage he does over the centers that guard him. He doesn’t post up well, so he wouldn’t be able to use his size to his advantage.
Also, I think you meant that Beasley would have to play the 3, not 5. And I don’t think you can start both Bargnani and Beasley on the same team, no matter what positions they play, without giving up A LOT of points.
With the drafting of Ed Davis, the Raptors have a chance to build the team the right way, starting with defense. That means getting rid of Bargnani, TUrkoglu and not getting players like Beasley, who are going to score but little else. The Raptors learned you can’t win that way. The best teams are good defensive teams. Colangelo needs to realize this.
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