Beasley Wants You to Know He’s Still a Kid

If anything’s going to be the tie-breaker in Beasley/Rose, it’s going to be the rather nebulous “character issues” that cling to Beasley as much as they do O.J. Mayo. Beasley, in what I take as a sign of intelligence, or at least perspective, has been defiant about these throughout. Here’s his latest outpouring on the subject, courtesy of the the Miami Herald:↵↵⇥“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.”↵↵

↵There’s a lot to like, dismiss, and ponder about someone with the nerve to say that when millions of dollars hang in the balance. But rather than look at Beasley as some crusading rebel, I prefer Ziller’s take:↵↵⇥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.↵↵And there it is. Beasley’s a cut-up, but not a criminal. And certainly, his friendship with Durant speaks to his relative innocence. Unless a prospect really is a monster, it’s probably better for them, the team, and the fans if they don’t have to put on a politician’s front from day one. It’s not an excuse, or a justification for future bad acts. Rather, it’s honesty about players, which is something fans definitely respond to as long as the guy’s not pure evil.↵