Beasley gets first shine on

Michael Beasley is capable of playing defense.
Saw it with my own two eyes, and although the contacts have been in for a bit and might be drying up, the Bausch & Lomb I dropped in earlier this morning ensures I wasn't envisioning things.
While Shawn Marion was stifling and fellow rookie Mario Chalmers did a nice job at being pesky, Beasley aided the cause throughout Miami's 103-77 home victory over Sacramento. Every time some one stepped into his realm, he showed, expanded and tried to make a play. Was he on time every time? No.
Did he get beat? Sure. Did he give an honest effort on the defensive end of the floor? Erik Spoelstra can truthfully be satisfied with that answer.
Although Shawn Marion was by far the most disruptive of Miami's players, Beasley applied pressure when needed and consistently aided the cause.
Want to be melodramatic about it? Best. Game. Ever.
Two. Games. In.
Realistically, Beasley proved he can be a presence thanks to the wingspan that promises to help him get away with not being 6-foot-10 like Kansas State claimed. He's right around 6-foot-8, the size of most NBA small forwards. He's part of a frontcourt where the 6-foot-8ish Udonis Haslem is starting at center and the 6-foot-6ish Marion will be out on the wing -- these are their real heights we're talking about -- so it goes without saying he'll be asked to guard bigger forwards. On Friday night, he proved he could, checking Mikki Moore, John Salmons and fellow rookie Jason Thompson with success. Sacramento obviously doesn't have the firepower many other teams do, but what Beasley did in his first win as a pro is a something to build on.
Truth be told, he played like a novice in the opener against New York, looking to get by with his vast talent. He tried to take a short cut when deciphering what it takes to succeed in this league. Against the Kings, the 19-year-old put in work.
What more do you expect? Beasley had 17 points and nine rebounds without forcing the action like most rookies in his situation would.
On a night where Marion was the presence Miami expected him to be and Wade did his thing in a meaningful game at the AAA, it's Beasley's metamorphosis from Game 1 to Game 2 that stands out.
Magical start eludes Orlando
If you followed the Weekly Essentials over on CBS the last few years, you know that whoever winds up bestowed the "Team of the Week" can typically count on cakewalks through the week.
Orlando was the inagural PBN-tabbed "Team of the Week" and looked dreadful in losses to Atlanta and Memphis. On opening night, Howard was adament about how Magic fans shouldn't dump their seats on the bandwagon. Even after an unexpected Rudy Gay buzzer-beater, he no doubt still feels that way.
That being said, the Magic are 0-2 when based on what we saw from them last year, they should be 2-0. Howard is working hard, averaging 14.5 rebounds and four blocks through those first two losses, but can't seem to get the ball in a comfortable position to score. Against the Grizzlies, he got off just nine shots.
Stan Van Gundy is taking responsibility for it, but Jameer Nelson and Anthony Johnson, as point guards, have to own the blame. To be perfectly accurate, Nelson has to feel most responsible being the starter and the incumbent. The Magic have now gone through eight quarters spent lost offensively, playing its best basketball when the newly acquired backup is on the floor.
Meanwhile, Howard also takes ownership of the responsibility, no doubt beating himself up on the flight home from Memphis since he had five fouls and five turnovers. On Wednesday, he took blame for a game he had no business being ashamed in, stating the following:
"I expect to go out there and give my teammates 100 percent. That's the only thing I can expect. Tonight, I don't think I gave my teammates everything that I had from the first quarter to the fourth quarter, so we just got to get better at that. I learned a lot from the Olympics and I think the biggest thing that I learned is that in order to lead a team, sometimes you got to be able to take blows like this, come back the next game and show your teammates and show everybody that it won't happen again."
Orlando had no business losing to Memphis. Howard did give his teammates 100 percent. The Magic still fell short against an inferior team. Against Sacramento on Saturday night, Orlando's guards have to do their best to keep the franchise player happy.
Fact of the matter is, while Howard and Van Gundy are taking blame for the shortcomings of their point guards, specifically Nelson, the fact of the matter is that this unexpected 0-2 start is on him.
Friday's +/- report: Memphis rookie Darrell Arthur earned his first start and grabbed 10 rebounds, but finished -10 due to an 0-for-6 effort from the field. Darko Milicic (+7, seven points, five rebounds in 13 minutes) responded well to being benched... Nelson (-5) shot 1-for-6 from 3-point range in the Magic loss... Elton Brand's 24 points and 14 rebounds are going to get the bulk of the credit for Philly's 116-87 rout of the Knicks, but it was actually Andre Iguodala (+26) that led the Sixers in on-court effectiveness. He shot just seven times, but had six boards and seven assists, playing the brand of ball he's best at. When he doesn't feel like he's got to carry a team, he's at his best. Watch and see... Zach Randolph (-28, 5-for-19) again failed to endear himself to Mike D'Antoni... Anthony 'Peep' Roberson got 7:37 worth of run, which is of course, 7:37 more than Stephon Marbury has seen thus far. Roberson (-2) joined Wilson Chandler as the most effective Knicks on a night where nothing worked... Jermaine O'Neal shot just 2-for-10 and was the only Raptors starter to get out-scored while on the floor (-8), but he had a pair of blocks on two of the most athletic big men in the league (Andris Biedrins and Brandan Wright) that would indicate that he's finally healthy... Backup Andrea Bargnani led the Raptors (+11, 8-for-10, 19 points) looked as impressive as he has since entering the league... Ronny Turiaf was the only one of the Warriors to register a positive impact on the court (+9, five boards, five blocks), becoming a Don Nelson favorite. He played 33 minutes... Dwyane Wade and Haslem share top honors for the night (+34), but Beasley's aforementioned effort and what Daequan Cook got done (+24, 13 points, six rebounds), loomed as most important for Miami. Cook is apparently becoming Erik Spoelstra's trusted sixth man...Sacramento's Spencer Hawes (-32) was victimized, but he looks like an asset, patrolling the paint with a sense that he belongs there. It won't be long before he's one of the Kings' top contributors... Without doubt, Luol Deng (-26, 2-for-10) is Chicago's best player. He's just not performing up to his potential. Unlike Ben Gordon (-16), he got his money -- time to start earning it... Brian Scalabrine might have gotten the loudest cheers for Boston in their rout of the Bulls, but he was a -13 off the floor, which will hopefully remind Celtics fans that he's best suited for mop-up duty... The Nuggets were thrilled to gain a split without Carmelo Anthony, especially since they trailed the Clippers by 18 at the break, but what should make them happiest is how Nene performed. In what was probably his best game since being sidelined by a cancer scare, the Brazilian big man (+30, 10-for-15, 22 points, 11 rebounds) looked like he was worth every penny of the $60 million deal he signed way back when... Jason Hart was the least clutch bench performer of the evening, going 1-for-5 (-25), in helping cost L.A. its first win. Baron Davis, who he tried to help replace, was +9 in his 13 minutes before succumbing to a hip injury... Although San Antonio dropped to 0-2, one encouraging performance was dropped by Roger Mason, who shot 6-for-7 from the field (-2) and at least looked capable of filling some of the void left by the absence of Manu Ginobili. He was confident down the stretch, looking well beyond where most thought he'd be at his stage of his Spurs career...LaMarcus Aldridge (+6, 23 points) was terrific, but it's disconcerting that it took Greg Oden to be gone for him to show up. He'll have to learn to assert himself when the Blazers' franchise center returns. The difference between Friday night's win and Tuesday's first effort was glaring, which has to be a concern given how much is hinging on he and Oden co-existing effectively.