Jul 7, 2008 8:16 pm US/Eastern
Beasley Outshines Top Pick Rose In Debut
Heat Rookie Scores 28 Points In First Summer League Game
ORLANDO (CBS4/AP) ―
Heat rookie forward Michael Beasley impressed in his debut at the Orlando Pro Summer League Monday. Beasley played days after sustaining a cracked sternum during his first practice with the Heat.
He was the picture of cool.
And on the court, his demeanor didn't change much.
If Beasley was the tiniest bit anxious about his first pro outing -- one that came against the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose, the only player selected before him in last month's NBA draft – he hid the nerves perfectly. Beasley scored 28 points in 23 minutes, lifting Miami past Chicago 94-70.
It was the ninth-highest scoring performance in Orlando summer league history, and true to his form, Beasley wasn't the least bit impressed.
"Could have played better," Beasley said. "Could have got a couple more assists, made a couple extra passes, got a couple more rebounds, could have got a couple stops early on."
He was 9-for-21 from the field, with nine rebounds and 19 points in the second half -- matching the total that Bulls forwards Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas, both second-year NBA pros, managed in the entire game. The Bulls started with Thomas guarding Beasley, switched to put Noah on him midway through the first quarter, and neither had much of an answer.
"He's a great player on the pick and roll and he's going to be someone who'll be very tough to guard," Noah said. "I mean, I was very impressed. He was very comfortable in everything that he
wanted to do and he did a great job."
Meanwhile, Rose had some moments, but simply never took over the game the way Beasley did offensively.
The guard who spearheaded Memphis' run to the NCAA title game this past season finished with 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting, with four assists and five turnovers -- mostly while being guarded by Chalmers, who helped Kansas beat Rose's Tigers in that national championship game.
"We didn't win," Rose said, "so I think I played horrible. But tomorrow's a new day."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
