The Quick Report 07.14.08: Who Will Help More?

Posted by Ben Quick on 07.14.2008

Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley?

I just got done writing the new edition of The Gilroy, so it's now time to switch from my movie hat to my basketball one. It's time for The Quick Report. Well, last week our first glimpse of the real Rose vs. Beasley show came and went, with Beasley winning round one. Then again, it is the summer games. You might say Michael Beasley won round 0.5, right? Anyway, it got me thinking to the debate of the two players. People have been asking which player will be better for months. The Chicago Bulls made their decision by drafting Rose with the first pick in this year's draft, but that's not going to settle it. The debate won't be settled at least until after Rose and Beasley will have been pros for a few years, and possibly not even then. In the end though, the most important question at hand is who will help his team more. Both Chicago and Miami are teams with championship dreams. Those dreams may be lofty for two teams that combined for only 48 wins last season(eighteen less than the Celtics), but with Chicago's talent and Miami being only two years removed from a championship, they have a little reason to dream. So which team is going to be disappointed and which is going to be smiling?



Derrick Rose Expectations

Since the start of the draft lottery Derrick Rose is only the second guard to go first overall, with the first being Allen Iverson to Philadelphia. Allen Iverson went on to lead the 76ers to the finals, win the MVP and captured four scoring titles. Not to mention he has the third highest career scoring average behind Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. So, to say that a lot is expected of Derrick Rose would be an understatement. No team drafts a player with the #1 pick without expecting that player to lead the franchise. That's exactly what Derrick Rose is expected to do. The Chicago Bulls have a lot of talent. Despite a hole in low post offense, they have a lot of shooters and can defend. The problem for the Bulls has been that while they do have a lot of talent, they don't have a franchise player. For any team to be successful they must have talent, but they also need that one special player who can be the man. That's the hole Derrick Rose is expected to fill.

Michael Beasley Expectations

The Miami Heat is an odd team. They always seem to be a team that could come in and crush a team or get crushed themselves. It was even so in 2006 when they won their only championship. Despite erratic play, the Heat were able to capture the Larry O'Brien trophy. With unbelievable Jordan-esque play from Dwayne Wade and a cast of title hungry veterans, the Heat reached the top of the mountain. Then they fell all the way off it. In 2008 they went 15 and 67, a depth that is unimaginable unless you're a Clipper fan. So, what the Miami Heat are hoping is that adding Michael Beasley to their superstar roster of Shawn Marion and Dwayne Wade will vault them out of the bottom of the standings and into contention very quickly. Their hope is that he can fulfill his promise that comes from dominating college ball to the tune of 26 ppg and 12 rpg. The general projection is that Michael Beasley should become a 20 and 10 pro. The Miami Heat are hoping that comes true and fast.

Derrick Rose Reality

Now I know it was only one game, and in a summer one at that. Still, the performance Derrick Rose put on against Michael Beasley might be a sign of things to come in his rookie season. Derrick Rose is going to be a great player, but he'll probably struggle on the offensive end for his first year. He'll have some great nights, no doubt. Some nights he'll probably go off and get 20 points and 10 assists, but on the flip side I would expect some 10 points and 5 assists nights as well. The kid certainly isn't a project, no far from it. He's just not an offensive power house. The one advantage he will have is quickness. The most important thing for a guard in the NBA is to be able to get into the paint. Rose will be able to do that from day one. The question will be if teams can sag off him or if he can make them pay from the perimeter.

Michael Beasley Reality

Michael Beasley is a bit of the dreaded tweener. He's not quite a small forward, but he's a little undersized at the four too. The big test for him is going to be how he plays against the likes of Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand and Dwight Howard. How will he play when the biggest and best are in his way? Plus, this is a player that prefers the offensive end. If anyone watched Miami last year(did anyone?) you'll know that not only did they have a hard time scoring, but mostly they couldn't stop anyone. One thing Michael Beasley will have to become accustomed to is that he won't be the man on the Heat the way his buddy Kevin Durant will be in Oklahoma City. The Miami Heat is Dwayne Wade's team. Odds are that Wade will have the ball in his hands ninety percent of the time and take most of the shots. Michael Beasley, a player with suspicions of character flaws, will have to be not merely okay with that, but happy about it. The Heat will need a defensive stopper more than a scorer if they are to become contenders again. There's no proof yet that Michael Beasley can be that guy.

The Verdict: Tie

I tend to agree with most analysts that Michael Beasley is the more NBA ready of the two. Derrick Rose will have to fine tune his offensive game before he can fully live up to the promise and expectations. The answer though lies in what Chicago and Miami need more than Rose or Beasley's gifts and flaws. Chicago can wait for Rose to develop into the next Deron Williams. Miami needs to get back to the playoffs and begin to contend again. If Miami isn't winning in two years they could stand to lose Dwayne Wade to free agency. Michael Beasley will need to blossom pretty quickly to keep that from happening. So for Miami's sake, they better hope my prediction for him to win the Rookie of the Year holds true.

Both Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley will most likely be great pros. Derrick Rose enters an Eastern Conference barren of the excellent point guards that all seem to reside in the West. Unless Chris Paul, Steve Nash or Deron Williams gets moved to the East, Rose should have no problem getting starting honors in more than a few all-star games in the following years. Michael Beasley will be an all-star because of his sheer talent, but it will be up to him how far he goes. He has the talent, but he's going to have work hard to be mentioned with the likes of Lebron James and Chris Paul, rather than Carmelo Anthony and Jermaine O'Neal. Both Rose and Beasley have the potential to be great players for years to come. Just which one will ultimately be the better of the two will be decided by their will and drive to win, and not by a summer game, rookie season or some meaningless column like this one.

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Once James Posey, Josh Smith, Luol Deng and everyone else gets settled I will be throwing out a column on the 2008 free agent market. I have to say, it's been a lot more active than I expected. Until then...