TRADE RUMOR: CELTICS INTERESTED IN MICHAEL BEASLEY

WEEI 850
By Paul Flannery

Minnesota forward Michael Beasley turned 23 less than two months ago, and in four seasons in the NBA he’s averaged 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He’s also making 42 percent of his 3-pointers this season. Beasley has also been durable more than you’d expect. He missed only 14 games in his first three seasons in the league, and while he missed 11 games with a foot injury, he’s been back in the Wolves lineup since late January.

But Beasley doesn’t really fit with Minnesota, who have Kevin Love entrenched at the power forward spot and rookie Derrick Williams ready for more playing time. He will be a restricted free agent this summer with a qualifying offer of $8.1 million, per Sham Sports contract database. He can be had, but the question is for how much?

Ken Berger of CBS Sports notes the Celtics, Lakers and Orlando are interested in Beasley. A trade for free agent center Jermaine O’Neal straight-up works cap-wise, but the Wolves would certainly want more than an aging center contemplating wrist surgery. The Celtics will have two first round picks in this year’s draft — their own and one obtained from the Clippers, via the Kendrick Perkins trade. (The pick is top-10 protected through 2016, but the Clips are headed for the playoffs and have the fourth-best record in the Western Conference).

Celtics president Danny Ainge has never been afraid to take chances on talent that hasn’t fit in other places. Beasley was the No. 2 pick in the draft, but was dumped on the Wolves for cash and second round draft picks when the Heat cleared cap space to sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Would he be worth a mid to late-round pick in what has been described as a deep draft?

In the same report, Berger also notes that the Celtics are “prepared to entertain offers for Paul Pierce,” and that while the Clippers may be interested in Ray Allen, they don’t have the assets for a deal. Finally, Berger writes that Ainge would have to be “blown away” for a deal involving Rajon Rondo.

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From what I have seen and read, Michael Beasley is another high maintenance headcase of a player with tons of talent no head for the game.

Maybe he would settle down in Doc's system with Pierce and some of the other veterans around him....but seems to me if they were going to continue dealing with guys like this, they should have kept Delonte West as well.

MRK,

Agreed. He was a head case in Miami. I would say that Rondo and him could clash.

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mrkleen09 wrote:From what I have seen and read, Michael Beasley is another high maintenance headcase of a player with tons of talent no head for the game.

Maybe he would settle down in Doc's system with Pierce and some of the other veterans around him....but seems to me if they were going to continue dealing with guys like this, they should have kept Delonte West as well.

I think you're right.

This seems to be a story about something we passed on earlier this season floating to the top again.

I doubt there's much to it, especially if there's any shot of having Jeff Green back next season.

NYCelt wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:From what I have seen and read, Michael Beasley is another high maintenance headcase of a player with tons of talent no head for the game.

Maybe he would settle down in Doc's system with Pierce and some of the other veterans around him....but seems to me if they were going to continue dealing with guys like this, they should have kept Delonte West as well.

I think you're right.

This seems to be a story about something we passed on earlier this season floating to the top again.

I doubt there's much to it, especially if there's any shot of having Jeff Green back next season.

Beasley's a 4, Green is most effective at 3.

bob

.

Hey I dropped him from my fantasy teams so using Outsides logic he's bound to be a steal!

beat

bobheckler wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:From what I have seen and read, Michael Beasley is another high maintenance headcase of a player with tons of talent no head for the game.

Maybe he would settle down in Doc's system with Pierce and some of the other veterans around him....but seems to me if they were going to continue dealing with guys like this, they should have kept Delonte West as well.

I think you're right.

This seems to be a story about something we passed on earlier this season floating to the top again.

I doubt there's much to it, especially if there's any shot of having Jeff Green back next season.

Beasley's a 4, Green is most effective at 3.

bob

.

Bob,

Beasley is definitely not a 4.
He is either playing outside or driving to the basket.
He doesn't like to mix it up under the basket.

tjmakz wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:From what I have seen and read, Michael Beasley is another high maintenance headcase of a player with tons of talent no head for the game.

Maybe he would settle down in Doc's system with Pierce and some of the other veterans around him....but seems to me if they were going to continue dealing with guys like this, they should have kept Delonte West as well.

I think you're right.

This seems to be a story about something we passed on earlier this season floating to the top again.

I doubt there's much to it, especially if there's any shot of having Jeff Green back next season.

Beasley's a 4, Green is most effective at 3.

bob

.

Bob,

Beasley is definitely not a 4.
He is either playing outside or driving to the basket.
He doesn't like to mix it up under the basket.

TJ,

I googled Michael Beasley forward and there were a thread where it was discussed whether he was a SF or a PF. Other than that thread, the connection to 'power forward' was the almost unanimous hit.

He's 6'10" and not a great ballhandler. Lamar Odom is 6'11" and doesn't like to mix it up inside either (he is a better ballhandler though). LO can play 3 but usually played 4 for LAL. Dirk likes to play outside too. Ryan Anderson of Orlando isn't a fan of paint neither.

My point is that the pure inside banger PF are not as plentiful as they used to be. It's not sexy. It doesn't get you on Sportcenter.

bob

.

bobheckler wrote:

tjmakz wrote:

bobheckler wrote:

NYCelt wrote:

mrkleen09 wrote:From what I have seen and read, Michael Beasley is another high maintenance headcase of a player with tons of talent no head for the game.

Maybe he would settle down in Doc's system with Pierce and some of the other veterans around him....but seems to me if they were going to continue dealing with guys like this, they should have kept Delonte West as well.

I think you're right.

This seems to be a story about something we passed on earlier this season floating to the top again.

I doubt there's much to it, especially if there's any shot of having Jeff Green back next season.

Beasley's a 4, Green is most effective at 3.

bob

.

Bob,

Beasley is definitely not a 4.
He is either playing outside or driving to the basket.
He doesn't like to mix it up under the basket.

TJ,

I googled Michael Beasley forward and there were a thread where it was discussed whether he was a SF or a PF. Other than that thread, the connection to 'power forward' was the almost unanimous hit.

He's 6'10" and not a great ballhandler. Lamar Odom is 6'11" and doesn't like to mix it up inside either (he is a better ballhandler though). LO can play 3 but usually played 4 for LAL. Dirk likes to play outside too. Ryan Anderson of Orlando isn't a fan of paint neither.

My point is that the pure inside banger PF are not as plentiful as they used to be. It's not sexy. It doesn't get you on Sportcenter.

bob

.

Lamar Odom is not 6'11'. He's 6'10". Was listed at 220 pounds when he came into the league but is probably closer to 240 or so. But definitely not 6'11".

steve3344 wrote:Lamar Odom is not 6'11'. He's 6'10". Was listed at 220 pounds when he came into the league but is probably closer to 240 or so. But definitely not 6'11".

What's really important isn't height but height plus reach, which is commonly referred to as "length."

Beasley is 6-7 with a wingspan slightly over 7-0 http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Michael-Beasley-605/

Odom doesn't have height/weight/wingspan statistics on DraftExpress, but he's a pretty reliable 6-10. His wingspan is listed on numerous sites as 7-4, and although I don't know if it's that much, he's routinely referred to as "long" (meaning a very wide wingspan), so I suppose that's possible. In any event, he is much longer than Beasley.

Outside

beat wrote:Hey I dropped him from my fantasy teams so using Outsides logic he's bound to be a steal!

beat

I'm not sure you've got my system down -- when we drop somebody, they play great -- but dropping Beasley from your fantasy team is probably a good thing regardless.

Outside

Since Kevin McHale is no longer in charge of Basketball Operations with the Wolves, I doubt if Ainge could get Mrs Beasley from Buffy of Family Affair, much less Michael Beasley! (LOL)

MD!