NBA Draft: Congrats Beasley you just made yourself a #2 pick

[backtothebball]

was paxson the same guy that traded elton brand for tyson chandler?

no, he wasn't. his draft record has been pretty good. outside of tyrus thomas, there really haven't been any players better than who he picked except for what would've been huge stretches at the time, i.e., josh howard went in the 20s in 2003.

[ShowtimeFan]

Rose, Wade and Marion, will make Zo come back and Riley keep coaching?????

[ahwi_quacoe]

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Why do we always have to play the BS race card? Maybe they're just calling it like they see it. I saw this kid up close and personal for a full week two summers ago, before he blew up and before I'd ever heard of him, and I had two impressions:

1. He's got all the talent in the world.
2. He is incredibly immature and lackadaisacal.

You read about some of the crap this kid did in high school -- for example, vandalizing his own school, even after he'd been threatened with expulsion -- then you see some of the comments he makes, and I think it's entirely fair to question if he has the drive to be a champion.

Talent alone isn't going to do it. Nobody in the history of the NBA has achieved the things this kid is capable of achieving on talent alone. Guys like Jordan, Magic, Kareem, Hakeem, Wilt, Russell, Kobe (all black, by the way) were incredible athletes, but what put them over the top was they cared immensely about winning.

Does Mike Beasley have the same drive? As a fan of the game, I surely hope so. This kid has the potential to win multiple MVPs and redefine his position. But take that weak sauce "trying to keep a black man down" garbage somewhere else. There are enough questions about his attitude and personality there that any objective person can and would acknowledge them.

Please do you have any idea the kind of things Isaiah or MAgic were doing in high school . Give me a break You think these guys were angels. We just weren't following them back then in High school . Now we are watching these kids from the 7th grade . They can't do a damn thing without somebody trying to make a dime off of giving the story to the press. Lebron is the same kid who was allegedly buying HUmmers and Authentic THrowbacks etc....... blah blah blah. If you don't believe that race plays a part in the way the media portrays things then you have blinders on or it works in your favor. The Kevin Loves , Adam Morrisons are always painted in a light of good old American boys from small town USA with strong hard working families with great family values blah blah blah.....................
Look it's reality for every Michael Jordan you will have a Vernon Maxwell. that has nothing to do with race . But for some reason I have never read a bad story about a young elite white prospect. You mean they never drink underage or smoke some weed or joyride in a stolen car or steal a DVD from Blockbuster. THese are the stupid pranks of young KIDs. THey are all young KIDs ................. Let the man be , he'll have the next 10 years to PROVE to you that he is a morally upright or not. America is such an interesting place. Not every kid that is good at basketball dreams about it every passing moment of their life. Should they ?

[ahwi_quacoe]

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Why do we always have to play the BS race card?

PS. I love it when people say the BS race card. I wish I didn't have to deal with it everyday of my life. But I do . I know it's hard for some people to accept that it is a reality. It permeates every aspect of our daily lives. Sadly , even a man who has accomplished as much in his life as Obama has to deal with it.; as dignified and accomplished as he is. If Obama does , don't you think a young man like Beasley who has yet do do anything really meaningful is subject to it. The Race Card .......like its a game . Lol . Funny

[Sedale Threatt]

Being white, I obviously can't speak to some of the problems I'm sure you have to deal with on a daily basis. To be quite honest, I'm glad I don't. I've been on the receiving end of racism exactly one time in my life and it infuriated me so much that I'm quite sure I couldn't handle the things you and yours encounter. I feel badly that in 2008 it's still an issue, especially in a country as great as ours.

With that said, I think it completely trivializes and lessens the impact of real, damaging instances of racism that need to be dealt with -- i.e. denying equal employment and educational opportunities, housing discrimination, hate crimes -- when it's applied to situations where, in my opinion, it has absolutely no bearing. Like this.

I'm not going to be a fool and try to argue that race doesn't permiate sports coverage. It has, it does and it will. Sports is a mirror of life at large, so it's only natural.

But regarding your complaints that black athletes are villified while young whites are deified, I can't agree. In fact, I strongly disagree. Case in point is the same Kevin Love you're complaining about. I remember reading numerous articles before he came out of school that portrayed him in a very unflattering light -- arrogant and self-centered, insufferable dad who threatened to sue the coach after he suspended Love for a game, so unliked that his own school couldn't wait to get rid of him.

The one thing I never heard about him is being lazy, immature, unfocused. I have, on the other hand, heard those complaints, and made a similar conclusion myself after watching him personally for a full week, about Michael Beasley. And that's the subject at hand. We're not talking about what kind of human being he is, we're talking about if he has the necessary drive to be a truly great NBA player.

Blame that on race if you must. But I can assure you I couldn't care less what color Mike is, and it has absolutely no bearing on my opinion about him. By the way, he seemed like a very nice kid in the 10 minutes I spent talking to him during the week. He's got a great smile and a good sense of humor. But again, that's not the subject at hand.

[ahwi_quacoe]

And therein lies the problem with race.................. It badgers some of us over the head so much that some of us are overly sensitive to issues that could be seen as having racial undertones whether deserving or not. From reading your response , I am aware now that I may have been overreacting ....... it is hard sometimes to to filter out the actual message from the perceived notions . Yours was a very calm-headed and well thought out response to my rant . LOL . Thank you.

Undoubtedly , Beasley may not be the most mature guy out there. Unfortunately for him , his immense talents will put a bulls-eye on his back for those waiting to see him fail and use that as fodder for their own agendas . Like Carmelo and Iverson before him (and many others as well of course), Beasley will now be thrust into a world where his indiscretions will allow people to make generalized and stereotypical comments about him. He cannot afford to be a carefree individual. Having a drink at a party and later driving home , smoking marijuana, even associating with people he has known all his life could have profound affects on his career( lol like Joakim Noah whose POPs doesn't see the big deal ). I can only wish him well. Good Luck Beasley . Prove people wrong.

[Sedale Threatt]

No worries, man. I think we're both generally in agreement. As a basketball fan, I'd love to see Mike fulfill his immense potential. Players like him are what makes basketball worth watching. (For the record, I'd take him over Kevin Love in a heart beat).