Michael Beasley believes in himself, and he should. He's having a very solid season for the New York Knicks.
The 29-year-old is averaging 12.8 points and 5 rebounds per game, and he's really come on of late, routinely hanging 20 points. In the Knicks' loss to Golden State Tuesday night, Beasley put up 21 points.
It's easy to forget now, but Beasley was one of the most promising players of his era. He was a dominant forward at Kansas State, and the Miami Heat picked him No. 2 overall—ahead of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, and others—in the 2008 draft.
Before this season, Beasley said that talent-wise, he matched up with LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
After Golden State's 123-112 win against New York, Durant actually agreed with Beasley, saying his old friend from the Washington, D.C., area "never got a fair chance."
"I love Beas," Durant said. "I love his family. I love what he's doing. He never had a fair chance. I said in a comment earlier this year before the season where he said he was just as skilled as LeBron [James] and myself, and I was feeling him on that.
"I was feeling him, because he is," Durant said. "He can score from anywhere. He can score on anybody. He can use both hands, but there's something else that separates. You know what I'm saying? I think that's just the difference, the mental part of it. And he's got the foundation of his game set, it's just time to build on top of it."
It was a pretty thoughtful response from Durant, who is a real hoops savant and is having an outstanding season for the Warriors.
Beasley is playing under a one-year contract with the Knicks, so—considering how well he's playing this year—he could have a nice payday awaiting him when he hits free agency this offseason.
