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Report: LeBron James ‘was not pleased’ with Michael Beasley’s focus

LeBron James, Michael Beasley

LeBron James, Michael Beasley

AP

The Heat gambled on two players no one would touch last season in Greg Oden and Michael Beasley, and neither one paid off in terms of being able to crack a rotation that desperately could have used some assistance.

Oden, of course, had a long history of knee injuries, but a back issue was what reportedly kept him from contributing meaningful minutes.

With Beasley, the problems have been on the mental side for quite some time. He was given too much too soon in Phoenix, and off the court troubles caused the Suns to waive him in early September. Beasley came into the league with the Heat, however, so the organization was comfortable in giving him a second shot since Erik Spoelstra and Dwyane Wade were there during the original stint.

But while Beasley appeared in 55 regular season contests, he played just six total minutes during Miami’s run to the Finals, before a 17-minute outing in Game 5 once the championship had already been lost. It was his lack of focus, more than anything, that caused the organization to lose trust.

From Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe:

The summer should be an interesting one for former second overall pick Michael Beasley, who is a free agent and is not likely to return to Miami after a disappointing second stint with the club. NBA sources said James was not pleased with Beasley’s focus and he lost the confidence of coach Erik Spoelstra shortly into the season. In one sequence that typified his career, Beasley swooped in for a tip-dunk in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. On the Spurs’ next possession, Beasley got lost on a pick-and-roll, allowing Diaw an open 3-pointer, which of course he swished. Beasley is likely to get a one-year deal on the open market and his past year in Miami did little to help his reputation.

Beasley might indeed get that one-year deal, mainly because teams always believe that their situation could be the right one to turn a player’s career around, and get that level of production that once seemed so promising. But it won’t be because of anything he did in Miami to instill even a modicum of confidence.