the urbane league

I’ll keep this one brief. Usually I have to wait until a few games get played to anoint my favorite rookie of each class. I gotta weigh attitude, how they handle the loftier level of play…pretty much I need to figure out if they’re bitch-made or not. But as I sit here eating a jar of honey roasted mixed nuts, I’ve already decided on my favorite (rookie & nut, they are one in the same), Michael Paul Beasley.

M. Beasley looked more like M. Bison as he was stompin’ on the Bulls’ heads (you remember the move) during the first summer league game. Beasley went on to drop 29 points in all of 23 minutes. It’s not even his point production that I love; it’s how primal, raw and spacey he is. Beasley picked up 3 early fouls and had to sit the entire second quarter; he played with brace over his cracked sternum, and sang during practically EVERY stoppage of play. That’s what I’m talking about. You’ll learn that I love players for exactly that type of ridiculousness; see Manny Ramirez and Gilbert Arenas (aka Gilbo Baggins).

Ratcheting up my enthusiasm is what I like to call the “GBFI,” Grab Bag Factor Index. You see, what has been less publicized is that is that Beasley went 1-13 from the field in his second summer league game…awesome. This kid’s got a little bit of Antoine “Babycakes” Walker in him. This means you never know what you’re gonna get, but as his demeanor rarely changes, you can always be sure you’ll get relatively the same Beasley you’re used to; hyjinx and hilarity. I’ll tell you what I like, he kept shooting the ball. Beasley is that kind of gangster cut from that cloth of greatness that believes “hey if you miss your first eight, the next nine gotta fall.” I love his carefree persona and how easy he makes the game look.

But in all seriousness, what’s most important is that Beasley only measures outcomes in team wins and losses, which means winning matters to him and he’s a team player. Honestly, Pat Riley, who wanted to geek the Bulls out of a stud, may have started all these “character concerns” about Beasley I think. I’m not saying that Rose won’t pan out, or even that when it’s all said and done, he won’t be better than Beasley, but I am saying that I will never like him more than Beasley…kind of like you’d be hard pressed to find anyone from his era I love more than Barkley.