Not exactly much of a surprise, but it is now official
Beasley's going to the draft!

Yeah... just saw that. No big surprise. I'm excited for the Playoffs and NBA Draft lottery!!!

I'll be honest, I didn't see a lot of Beasley on TV this year, so could anyone who did give me a breakdown of his game. The past player I've heard him compared to the most has been Derrick Coleman, which is a little disconcerting. Is that comparison legi? Any info would be interesting.


Dreaming71

I'm a Big 12 homer so I caught quite a few K-State games this year. The Coleman comparisons are apt in that he's a 6'9/10 left hander who can play both inside and out. Also, people tend to associate the name Derrick Coleman with his NBA incarnation while forgetting what an amazing college player he was.

Beasley is everything the Wolves want and need and then some. While I've backed off my do-not-draft-Derrick-Rose\" stance, it's important not to forget that Beasley put together the most impressive college year in memory as well as being the CLEAR cut best player not in the NBA. If the Wolves get the 1st selection, it's a no brainer as Foye + Beasley > Foye + Rose.

Let's do this by functional need. The Wolves biggest weaknesses are free throw disparity, poor shooting (especially from the perimeter), and defense. Beasley averaged 10 FTA/40 minutes compared to Rose's 6.7. Keep in mind that Rose had the advantage of playing in a dribble drive motion offense and that he had the ball in his hands on every possession. Beasley is also a better shooter than Rose, both inside and out; boasting an eFG of 56% compared to Rose's 52.

Beasley had an absurd 39.3 PER with an equally insane 37.7 eff/40 compared to Rose's (very good) 24.1 and 21.8. In fact, across the board on usage and efficiency stats, Beasley blows Rose out of the water (except for PPR...which is to be expected given their position).

Rose also had the benefit of playing with an All American backcourt partner. Beasley...well, I remember watching a game against (I think) Notre Dame where he was getting quadruple teamed. He WAS K-State.

Perhaps the best thing about his game was that he was touted as a dynamic 3 coming into college but played more of a combo 4 in Kansas because they didn't have any height. He adjusted his game and prospered and he did so by involving his teammates to a surprising effect...given his gaudy numbers.

Beasley can play in and out, put the ball on the floor, hit the glass...pretty much anything. If the Wolves are going to draft by talent and he's on the board, then there's no debate. If they draft by position, they're insane. If they draft by functional need, Beasley is still their guy.

If you look at just the 4 factors, having Beasley paired with Big Al would be problematic for opponents. Not only would you have 2 frontcourt players aged 23 and 19, but Beasley would help the team with eFG%, FTA/M, and offensive rebounding...on a level above and beyond what Rose could bring to the table (especially when considered in a Foye + Rose vis-a-vis Foye + Beasley equation). Beasley should be a 17/8 guy from the get go while giving the Wolves 3-4 more FTA/game while shooting over 50% from the floor. Yes please.

That was a great Beasley recap. I don't really have much else to add.

Honestly, we can't go wrong with either Rose or Beasley. If we get the second pick I don't care which player we end up with. After that it gets super dicey.

Amazing analysis as usual stopnpop. I think you may have just talked me into Beasley, where I was heavy on the Rose bandwagon before.

Danke. After Rose's tournament, Beasley's amazing season kind of got lost in the mix. It was better than Durrant's and he did it with less around him and with a more diversified game.

As far as I can tell, there are 2 main arguments against him: his size and his maturity. I don't buy into the maturity crap; the guy performed at the highest level and got raves from his coaches. Plus, he's a frickin' teenager. Of course he's not going to be as mature as you'd like (I still don't buy it). His size may be an issue if he shows up at draft camp and turns out to have the standing reach of someone who is 6'5\"-6-6\", but he also could grow some more. By all accounts he's a legit 6'8\"-6'9\"...more than enough to man the 3 with some occasional work at the 4.

Oh, I forgot to add that there are questions about his defense. This is something that can be taught and worked around...especially with a player that gifted.