Beasley measures in at 6'8" and a 1/2

[TheFranchise21]

Isn't working hard taking things seriously? Beasley is either being lazy or is not motivated right now.

[Devilzsidewalk]

...with McCants, Telfair, Gomes and Smith off the bench. Of course the Wolves would play a lot with Beasley and Jefferson at the power spots, but if they could get a defensive-minded center to play 20-25 mpg (MAD DOG!!!) all the elements would be there, all young.

I'm down with that lineup!

I don't buy it though, that Beasley makes it to #3. His numbers are too gaudy. I'd love it, and if it happens I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I'm not counting on it.

[horaceworthy]

Isn't working hard taking things seriously? Beasley is either being lazy or is not motivated right now.

You're talking about two different things. Just because Beasley goofed around a bit during the skills portion of Pre-Draft Camp doesn't mean he's not working his butt off preparing for the league. We've heard how hard Mayo's working, we haven't heard the same about other prospects, including Rose, Beasley, Lopez, etc. To speak as if we know for certain that Beasley is being lazy or unmotivated in his preparation for the league is making a huge assumption based on a very, very limited amount of information.

[TheFranchise21]

You're in front of NBA scouts, coaches, and GMs, don't you think you should be on your best behavior and showing off your skills?

Instead he's joking around with other prospects and talking to the media.

Let's assume he is working hard in preparation for the league, wouldn't it be the obvious and smart to show off in front of NBA execs? I don't care if he made 1000 3PTs in a row at his private gym during a workout, if he doesn't do it in front of anybody, nobody knows he did it and he can't improve his draft stock.

I agree with you in that we haven't heard anything good about Rose or Lopez, but that's the thing; they're doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing. Keeping their mouths shut and letting their skills and play do the talking for them. The only reason we hear about Beasley is because a number of people (Ford, DX, NBADraft.net) feel what he's doing is not positive. He has a well documented history of being immature. I don't know how you can continue to make up excuses for him. It should be pretty clear by now that this kid just doesn't get it yet. I'm worried that he'll never get it. A lot of NBA prospects fail, including the ones drafted high. This is probably our franchise's most important draft pick for the next 5-10 years. 2-3 years down the road from this draft, if our draft pick turns out to be a bust, where do we go from there? That's why it is incredibly important that we get this pick right. And choosing a guy with obvious attitude/character-whatever you want to call it, concerns would be a very risky decision.

[horaceworthy]

I don't see anything wrong with joking around or talking to the media (just about every prospect there talked to the media at some point, why do you think all these intervies with them suddenly popped up). This wasn't a game situation, it was running up and down the court, testing vertical leap, and taking some jump shots. It won't be the last time teams see him in a similar setting, as team workouts haven't happened yet, and it would be a huge mistake for any team to place more emphasis on what went on during these drills than how he played during the season, then that's a huge mistake.

There's no reports of him being disruptive, there aren't even reports of him not focusing 100% while he was performing the drills. There are reports of him joking around/being playful/boisterous while in the gym. Once again, you're making assumptions based on very, very little actual information.

DX and .net were the two outlets that weren't complimentary of Beasley's workout. Ford's take was fairly glowing:

Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State
Beasley was the first player on the floor but the last to go through the workout. While other workouts were going on, we all watched in awe as Beasley drained NBA 3-pointer after NBA 3-pointer. That continued in the workouts, in which Beasley shot as well as any prospect here. Deep or midrange, Beasley can shoot the lights out.

I also caught a sneak peek of Beasley's vertical jump test. He touched the 11-foot-9 mark on his running jump. Assuming he has a standing reach of about 8-foot-10, that's a 35-inch vertical. Not off the charts, but not too shabby, either.

Just because I happen to disagree with you doesn't mean that I'm making excuses. I think the evidence you're using to jump to this particular conclusion is flimsy at best. I've stated numerous times that I have concerns about Beasley, but since I disagree with two of your knocks on him you're painting me as someone constantly making excuses for him. Just like with Mayo, I'm trying to give a reasoned take on Beasley, and if I feel people are building up or tearing down prospects without much basis for it, I'll pipe up. That's all there is to it. I don't have any Beasley driven agenda.

Mayo has just as much, if not more "where there's smoke there's fire" character concern as Beasley (and a paper trail to confirm some of it). It's pretty tough to put one guy ahead of the other due to character when it could very well be that the guy you want to lift up is simply better with the media at this point. I just don't see it as a good reason to elevate Mayo over Beasley.

[PeeDee]

For those who were unsure (me included), according to the ESPN rumor blog Beasley measures 6' 8.5" IN SHOES.

Also, with everyone reporting that Riley wants no part of the Beeze, I found this interesting:

Does Beasley Measure Up?
While the official numbers from last week's measurements and testing at the Orlando draft camp have yet to be released, Heat President Pat Riley said Monday that Michael Beasley measured in at 6 feet 8 1/2 inches in shoes.

"He's got a plus-five wingspan," Riley said, which would give Beasley the wingspan of a player 7-1 1/2. "He's got a 35-inch vertical. He goes 21 inches above the rim, jumping."

Riley said Beasley "tested extremely well in all the measurements," coming in at 238 pounds and 7 1/2-percent body fat.

"His game is about quickness," Riley said of Beasley. "It's about the ability to change at the rim, left- to right-handed. His shuttle speed was actually better than most guards. His ability was better than most guards in the camp. He'd out-quick any power forward. He'd be able to muscle with 'em, too."

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/features/rumors

[Devilzsidewalk]

well that's it then. Beasley falls to #3.

[shrink]

He's the Craig Smith of the top three.

::bracing::

[TheFranchise21]

Just because I happen to disagree with you doesn't mean that I'm making excuses. I think the evidence you're using to jump to this particular conclusion is flimsy at best. I've stated numerous times that I have concerns about Beasley, but since I disagree with two of your knocks on him you're painting me as someone constantly making excuses for him. Just like with Mayo, I'm trying to give a reasoned take on Beasley, and if I feel people are building up or tearing down prospects without much basis for it, I'll pipe up. That's all there is to it. I don't have any Beasley driven agenda.

Mayo has just as much, if not more "where there's smoke there's fire" character concern as Beasley (and a paper trail to confirm some of it). It's pretty tough to put one guy ahead of the other due to character when it could very well be that the guy you want to lift up is simply better with the media at this point. I just don't see it as a good reason to elevate Mayo over Beasley.

That's exactly what I was doing for Lopez. I've said it many times since the lottery that we should give every prospect a fair look. I defended Lopez in particular because everyone seemed to knock him and rave about Mayo.