Filed under: Bulls, Heat, NBA Draft, Chicago, Miami

Via HoopsHype, the Miami Herald’s Heat blog has some ‘media day’ quotes from top prospect Michael Beasley which simultaneously cause smiles and queasiness for anyone hopeful for his NBA future.

“I just turned 19 years old in January,” Beasley said. “How mature do you want me to be? I’m still a kid. I’m not 20 yet. I’m not legal. I can vote, but that’s about it. On the basketball side of things, I’m 30 years old. Off the court, I don’t know how old y’all want me to be. Do you want me to act 25? 30? 40?. I’m 19. I’m a kid. I’m going to live my life. I’m going to mess up. I don’t know as much as you do or him. I’m learning day by day. I hear a lot about character issues. But I’ve yet to hear what those character issues are. Until I hear somebody tell me, I don’t feel the need to change.”

The honest perspective — these kids are kids, you know — seems spot on. Not every elite prospect can be as businesslike as Kevin Durant or as camp as Greg Oden. Moreover, we shouldn’t want them to be. Personality, even if it means the guy’s a bit of a practical joker, shouldn’t be a demerit.

At the same time, when you’re spending a top-2 pick and about $20 million on a player, basically lashing your franchise to a single decision, you want some assurances the dude is serious about being serious. So yeah, Chicago or Miami would like you to act 25, 30 or 40 years old. And if you haven’t heard what “those character issues” are, you should probably read the landmark Washington Post feature written about you in 2007, which has been cited 2,700 times since April. (In fairness, Beasley had an impeccable season at K-State and seems more goofball than future felon, for all the worry [guilty] he caused.)

Previously on FanHouse:
NBA Frankenstein: Michael Beasley

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