LeBron James is billing Michael Beasley as "one of the NBA's most talented players" and Dwyane Wade calls him "the sparkplug this team needed."
But after flaming out in Minnesota and most recently Phoenix, Beasley admits "he is petrified" by his return to Miami because the two-time defending champs don't need the one thing he's always most prided himself on.
"I'm going to have to make hustle plays," Beasley told the Miami Herald, readily admitting that he knows the Heat offense will continue to run through James and Wade. "I'm coming in here with an open mind," he added. "I'm here knowing that this team doesn't need me. I just want to show them that I can help. I just want them to want me."
It's a far fall from grace for the man selected as the No. 2 pick, behind only Derrick Rose, in the 2008 draft. But those in Miami, the first NBA team that actually drafted him, see the wayward forward's return to South Beach as something that almost seems preordained.
"He doesn't have to worry about having to perform to what people expect," said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. "In terms of expectations, this team is only about 'how can you help us win.' We'll see how he fits in. There are some open spots."
"It's just me at the point of my life and my career where] I just didn't want to guess anymore," Beasley told The Herald of his decision to return to South Beach. "This is the perfect place for me. I'm grateful that they still even care. Just to be here, it's hard to explain, coming from where I came from."
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