http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3607685For Heat rookies Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers, the joy of getting drafted and settling into their new homes in Miami has long been forgotten. Getting into trouble with the NBA before their first seasons even started took care of that.Answering questions for the first time about the Sept. 3 incident at an NBA symposium for all incoming first-year players, the two Heat rookies reiterated Wednesday that they made a mistake by being in a "wrong-place, wrong-time type thing," Beasley said. "It's a situation that's over and done with," Chalmers said before an informal workout at the team's arena. "We put it behind us."
Chalmers and former Kansas teammate Darrell Arthur were sent home from the event and fined $20,000, after security at the resort where the four-day session was taking place found the players in a room with two women, and security officials detected the scent of marijuana. No drugs or drug paraphernalia were found, but even having guests in the room broke NBA policies, and the two rookies were banished by commissioner David Stern. Later, it was learned that Beasley was also in the room, which he originally tried to hide from NBA officials. For not being forthcoming, he was fined $50,000. Neither player offered specifics Wednesday on exactly what went on in that hotel room, but the team's biggest star said Wednesday that within the locker room, it's already been forgotten. "I'm not worried about it," Heat guard Dwyane Wade told The Associated Press. "I think it could carry over, but from being around them the last few nights, I can see that they're not going to be a problem. Mario knows he has an opportunity to compete for a starting spot. Beasley knows the same thing. They have an unbelievable opportunity in this league, and they need to understand the culture of the Heat and how we do things. They didn't have that this summer."
The matter was discussed in a team meeting, and the rookies have explained to some veterans their side of the incident. "They support me more than I do myself," Beasley said. "I mean, they just showed that they've got support. They don't look at us no different." It's been a rocky few months since draft night for Beasley. He's already fired an agent, went through long negotiations before signing his first major endorsement deal -- he got a contract from adidas on Wednesday -- and now has to deal with the stigma of being involved in this incident. "I would say that's where my immaturity played a factor," Beasley said. "I'm 19, so I kind of tried to be a kid and get away with it. ... But it was kind of eating away at me, just to watch my teammate go through so much and be basically hiding behind the lights. I just felt it was the right thing for my team, and just to stand by my teammate."
