Let's kill the myth that Beasley is horrible defensively

[boogydown]

Beasily, Mayo, Rose, Love all scored 20 last night in the same night.

[NO-KG-AI]

hes nothing special, hes something like a David West...my point is hes nothing like this defensive liability you keep hearing about everytime hes mentioned on national TV.

eh, he's not as good as David West. he's a fair bit shorter, and lacks the wingspan of West.

I don't think he's a terrible defender, but he's not an impact player there. When a big time prospect has a weakness in his game, people blow it out of proportions, like people that say Chris Paul can't shoot.

[miamiballer]

beasley's gonna be carlos boozerish/david west on defense with melo/boozer on offense

yes, beasley does have a lot of legnth

i project him to be a future all star/superstar depending on your cut off-top 10-20 player in the future, rose may be top 10, maybe even top 5

and i believe crash dumped over marion, not beasley

[BBallFreak]

I got my first extended look at him last nigt as I've been unable to watch my usual amount of games due to finally getting a life. He's not a bad defender. He rotates well and seems to grasp the concepts that the coaches are trying to impart to him. In fact, his rotations, along with everyone else's, are one of the reasons we were so successful against the Spurs. When you get him one on one he seems to have difficulties. He'll get blown up on the perimeter and backed down in the post. Thankfully, he's a solid team defender, and in Miami's system, that's what counts.

Overall, I like his game. He reminds me a bit of Antwan Jamison with a bit more fluidity and foot speed. He's also not a bad passer. He's got a long way to go, but he's definitely going to be a worthwhile player in this league and, in fact, already is...

[Flash3]

I got my first extended look at him last nigt as I've been unable to watch my usual amount of games due to finally getting a life. He's not a bad defender. He rotates well and seems to grasp the concepts that the coaches are trying to impart to him. In fact, his rotations, along with everyone else's, are one of the reasons we were so successful against the Spurs. When you get him one on one he seems to have difficulties. He'll get blown up on the perimeter and backed down in the post. Thankfully, he's a solid team defender, and in Miami's system, that's what counts.

Overall, I like his game. He reminds me a bit of Antwan Jamison with a bit more fluidity and foot speed. He's also not a bad passer. He's got a long way to go, but he's definitely going to be a worthwhile player in this league and, in fact, already is...

So "your life" doesn't revolve around the Heat?

[CB4MiamiHeat]

hes nothing special, hes something like a David West...my point is hes nothing like this defensive liability you keep hearing about everytime hes mentioned on national TV.

eh, he's not as good as David West. he's a fair bit shorter, and lacks the wingspan of West.

I don't think he's a terrible defender, but he's not an impact player there. When a big time prospect has a weakness in his game, people blow it out of proportions, like people that say Chris Paul can't shoot.

i couldnt think of anyone else that makes for a better comparison...ive seen comparisons to Jamison or Boozer, but those guys are easily worst and can be liabilities IMO...

[ponder276]

hes nothing special, hes something like a David West...my point is hes nothing like this defensive liability you keep hearing about everytime hes mentioned on national TV.

eh, he's not as good as David West. he's a fair bit shorter, and lacks the wingspan of West.

I don't think he's a terrible defender, but he's not an impact player there. When a big time prospect has a weakness in his game, people blow it out of proportions, like people that say Chris Paul can't shoot.

i couldnt think of anyone else that makes for a better comparison...ive seen comparisons to Jamison or Boozer, but those guys are easily worst and can be liabilities IMO...

David West is actually a pretty solid defender, especially in the post. In Spurs/Hornets series last year they'd often leave him to defend Tim Duncan in the low post without help, which is not an easy task for ANYBODY, and he did a pretty decent job. I consider West a top 10 defender among starting PFs, while I'd have to think (based on what I saw at K-State) that Beasley would be in the bottom 5.

And size-wise, West is 6' 8.25" without shoes, with a 7' 4.25" wingspan, while Beasley is 6' 7" without shoes, with a 7' 0.25", so West is a lot bigger, even though he's still on the small side for a PF. Beasley is most definitely undersized for a PF, and that's always gonna cause him problems.

[NetsForce]

If you consider Beasley a good defender then that means Josh Boone is a lock-down defender.

[Flash3]

Beasley's defense is still el-matador style, but not entirely. He hasn't convincingly shown me on a consistent basis (granted after 5 games you can't say anything, plus he's a rookie, so this thread is PREMATURE) to be able to exert defensive pressure on his man, BUT, he's been able to get in the passing lanes and disrupt passes to his man occasionally.

But, in due time, and with the Heat's coaching staff, specifically Eric Spoelstra and Keith Askins, who helped Wade and Haslem as rookies become the players they are now, should make Beasley a great player on both ends, pretty soon.

[CB4MiamiHeat]

Beasley is quick on his feet compared to other PFs, it allows him to stay in front....he has decent length and timing to alter/block shots...so far his intangibles are better than i expected, he rotates quick. Right now hes bad at closing out, and hes bad defensively when hes far away from the basket.

Yea its only 5 games, but theres no reason to think this wont continue...im not praising his defense, im simply saying that his lack of defense was an overreaction

[_BBIB_]

He's not exactly an All-NBA defender or candidate for DPOTY, but the negative rep on his defense is something people hear and then people jump on the bandwagon of the idea. In reality, his defense although can improve, just like any young player, its vastly exaggerated how much he struggles on that end of the floor. Just like it's vastly exaggerated how poor character he has.

It seems like Beasley is a guy who has to just beat unwarranted reputations just like Josh Smith. Except Beasley seems to have even more than Smith