More on the Possibility of Beasley Joining Jordan

Earlier today, Littmann speculated as what Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley’s Monday footwear could tell us about their long-term plans. He’s quick to emphasize that nothing’s definite, but based on yesterday, it looks like Rose is leaning adidas, Beasley close to the Jordan Brand fold.↵
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↵Remember when this entire first pick business seemed to hinge on character issues? It really should have been about the value of the point guard alone, but whatever. The character stuff was a lot sexier, and probably stirred up more interest. What’s funny about these early returns is that you’d think that Rose, not Beasley, would be closer to the Jordan Brand ideal. Honorable, serious, disciplined, ready-made for history ... that’s what MJ stands for, and the high-profile athletes that company absorbs tend to be in that mold. Which, obviously, Beasley is not, at least not in the public’s eyes.↵
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There have been exceptions. Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles were (are?) members of the team, but only after they’d become underground icons. It was Jordan’s chance to legitimize them, and feed off their cred, however fleeting—with a major assist from Spike Lee. Melo got stuck under the Jordan umbrella, mostly because Nike wasn’t willing to give him his own line. Like Chris Paul, Melo has used it as a space to develop some of the more personal, idiosyncratic shoes on the court. You’ve got to figure that, if Beasley does end up there, it’ll be with that kind of individuality-driven sub-brand in mind.↵
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↵Also, Melo and lesser Jordan endorsee Josh Howard haven’t exactly been squeaky-clean as of late. You could argue that Melo’s “this is me” marketing tack has allowed him to absorb some of these hits; Beasley would certainly be an ideal candidate for this kind of preemptive image-building. On second thought, maybe the big sneaker move of the summer will be Howard getting his own signature shoe.↵