Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
More Twitter and misfortune. Over the weekend, a virtual firestorm started over an image of Michael Beasley
that had two plastic bags in the background. Given Beasley's
pot-scented track record, speculation was rampant. To me, the question
was a semantic one: It's naive to think Beasley doesn't smoke, but is
he dumb enough to promote his harmless habit like this? Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley(notes) checked into an unidentified Houston rehabilitation hospital over the weekend, multiple sources told Yahoo! Sports. Sources said the Heat encouraged Beasley to check into the facility to address possible substance and psychological issues. He is expected to spend time with former NBA player and coach John Lucas, who is renown for his success in working with troubled players.
When reached Monday morning, Miami Heat spokesman Tim Donovan declined comment. An NBA spokesman also declined comment.
None of us can truly know what's in another man's heart, and the
presence of John Lucas (Houston, stand up!) can either mean it's really
for real or the ultimate window dressing. The tricky thing with Beasley
is that he's never really been the most sane crayon in the box, and as
far we know now, it's for a drug that's not exactly known for wrecking
lives. If it turns out the Miami forward indeed has other problems,
then this is undoubtedly a good thing. Certainly, that second tweet
points to something deeper than a love of puffin' blunts.
So we wish young Beasley luck, and hope his career can continue on
unscathed. But a lot about this—from the timing to the perceived
over-reaction it represents—seems to say a lot more about public
relations than it does one young man's need to heal.
For more NBA coverage, visit SportingNews.com's new NBA blog, The Baseline.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
3 comments
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
Scoreboard data copyright © 2012 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.
OpenCalais - Powered by Thomson Reuters
•
Odds Shark 
Comments
Another athlete throwing his career away. He know he ain’t running with a good crowd of people.
by DRS1974 on Aug 24, 2009 1:34 PM EDT reply actions
Just ‘cause he got money you want him to dump his friends? That sounds really honorable.There is nothing wrong with anything he’s done, the media needs to take a step back and let the man live his life. If he wants to smoke weed, and it doesn’t effect how he balls, then let him be.By the way, that tattoo is awesome.
by bgruthless on Aug 24, 2009 1:58 PM EDT reply actions
Yes, the Michael Beasley rumors are true, as Beasley probably failed a drug test and decided to voluntarily enroll in a drug rehabilitation program. It is unknown whether it is an in patient or out patient. He had recent posts on Twitter showing off new tattoos (another tattooed athlete…how original) and cryptic messages– but then again, this wouldn’t have been the first time he was rumored to be a user of, ahem, controlled substances. However, the Michael Beasley rehab trip won’t make him get out the credit cards to float him financially; these mollycoddled punks are well paid.Hopefully despite of the trouble that Michael Beasley had been going through he could able to surpass all the trials. His career as an athlete has been at stake because of the controversy.
For more info visit: http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/08/24/michael-beasley/
by Gudlexa on Aug 27, 2009 12:44 AM EDT reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed