Beasley draws unfavorable=20
comparison
 Michael Beasley senses a double =
standard in the=20
buzz leading up to the NBA Draft on Thursday.
When =
people=20
talk about Derrick Rose, they make positive comparisons. =
Rose is=20
said to be the next Chris Paul or Deron Williams, maybe a=20
combination of the two. He=E2=80=99ll be Jason Kidd with a=20
jumper.
Beasley gets some of that as well. For =
example: He=20
could be a more athletic Elton Brand or Carlos =
Boozer.
With=20
Beasley, there also is a negative analogy to a former No. 1 =
pick=20
with similar skills.
=E2=80=9CThey say [I=E2=80=99m] =
the next Derrick=20
Coleman,=E2=80=9D Beasley said.
Beasley hopes the =
unfavorable reviews=20
do not affect the Bulls=E2=80=99 choice Thursday night, when =
they decide=20
whether to spend the No. 1 pick on Beasley or =
Rose.
When the=20
New Jersey Nets drafted Coleman out of Syracuse in 1990, =
they=20
thought they were getting someone who would revolutionize =
the power=20
forward position.
Coleman would be a low-post scoring =
force=20
and a reliable outside shooter in a sculpted, 6-foot-10=20
package.
Coleman averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds =
in=20
consecutive seasons with the Nets, making one All-Star Game. =
But he=20
never helped New Jersey win a playoff series before the Nets =
traded=20
him to Philadelphia.
He was a role player for the =
remainder=20
of his 15-season career.
Worse, Coleman clashed with =
coaches,=20
alienated teammates and got into trouble with the law. =
Critics=20
called him a clubhouse cancer.
Beasley has been in =
trouble=20
off the court, too. It was mostly normal teen high jinks, =
such as=20
=E2=80=9Ctagging=E2=80=9D his high school =
headmaster=E2=80=99s car, but he wonders whether=20
people view him as a =
goof-off.
=E2=80=9CThere=E2=80=99s nobody who=E2=80=99s going to=20
play harder,=E2=80=9D Beasley said. =E2=80=9CI want to be =
the best there ever was,=20
plain and simple.=E2=80=9D
Coleman also seems to be =
doing good work=20
off the court these days. He is a developer and entrepreneur =
in his=20
childhood neighborhood in Detroit, recently telling the =
Detroit Free=20
Press he will spend up to $6 million to rejuvenate the=20
area.
He also touts his Derrick Coleman Foundation, =
which he=20
describes as a nonprofit for providing education, health and =
recreation programs for Detroit =
kids.
=E2=80=9CThere=E2=80=99s no reason for=20
people to compare him to me,=E2=80=9D Coleman said. =
=E2=80=9CBut he can take steps=20
to make sure he doesn=E2=80=99t end up with some of the same =
issues.=E2=80=9D
Coleman said early conflicts with =
his first NBA=20
coach, Bill Fitch, stuck him with a reputation he could not =
shake.=20
He said Beasley should find a reliable mentor, someone who =
knows the=20
NBA, to help keep his image in =
check.
=E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99re under the=20
microscope, and everything you do has consequences,=E2=80=9D =
Coleman said.=20
=E2=80=9CI didn=E2=80=99t realize that at =
first.=E2=80=9D
Beasley is not sure he=20
needs such help. He said his play and his personality will =
work in=20
his favor.
=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m not really a serious =
person,=E2=80=9D Beasley said.=20
=E2=80=9CI do like to have fun. But I know when to turn it =
off. I=E2=80=99m not=20
going to be pulling guys=E2=80=99 shorts down during =
games.=E2=80=9D
Rose=20
comes across as more humble and serious, which might be why =
he has=20
avoided being likened to, say, Stephon Marbury. Another =
point guard=20
who turned pro after one season and could score, like Rose, =
Marbury=20
these days is cited as an example of what is wrong with the=20
NBA.
=E2=80=9C[Rose] deserves all the praise =
he=E2=80=99s getting,=E2=80=9D Beasley=20
said. =E2=80=9CI just feel like people are a little more =
eager to find a=20
downside with me. Oh well.=E2=80=9D

The=20
following are comments from the readers. In no way do they =
represent=20
the view of KCChronicle.com or Shaw Newspapers. =
You must=20
register with a valid email to post comments. Only your =
member ID=20
will be posted with the comments.
|
|
|
|
| We detected=20
you need to update your Flash Player to =
version=20
8 or greater. |
| You can =
download=20
and install the latest Flash Player from =
Adobe.com.=20
=
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 =20
|