For the briefest of moments in recent Knicks history, Michael Beasley was THE compelling player.
It wasn’t just that he was scoring in bunches for a bad team. He also turned an interview into a zany lecture on the human brain while wearing three watches: one on each wrist, one on his ankle. He was a character. And a sound bite.
Beasley also averaged 13.2 points over just 22.3 minutes during that 2017-18 campaign, hearing ‘MVP’ chants at MSG and donning the backpage of the Daily News.
But the Knicks were terrible that season under Jeff Hornacek, and Beasley left in free agency without much attention.
Over three years later, Beasley, the 2008 second overall draft pick and now 33 years old, revealed he was heartbroken by New York’s decision to only offer a minimum contract. He said he spent that lone season with the Knicks commuting back-and-forth to Baltimore to visit his cancer-stricken mother, which was only possible on a team so close geographically to her home.
“New York hurt my feelings so badly,” Beasley said in a lengthy interview with HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto. “I really wanted to stay in New York for the rest of my career.”
There were reasons to believe Beasley would return. He had a fan in team executive Craig Robinson, as well as a close relationship with Kevin Durant, who the Knicks were preparing to pursue in free agency a year later.
But his biggest ally in the organization — Kurt Rambis — was fired directly after the season, and Beasley’s exit interview with team president Steve Mills didn’t go smoothly.
“I patted myself on the back, walking into the exit meeting with Steve Mills,” Beasley told HoopsHype. “I walk into the meeting, and they look at me to my face and say, ‘Michael Beasley is one of the most talented players that ever put on a Knicks jersey, but how does that help us win?’ This is one of the times I wish I had more confidence because I was literally lost for words. That confused me. After maybe 20 or 30 seconds of silence, they said some positive things, and they’d keep in contact with my agent.”
The Knicks were capped out that summer and used most of their $8.6 million mid-level exception on Mario Hezonja, who stuck for one unremarkable season. Beasley signed with the Lakers for one-year, $3.5 million and was devastated about the separation from his mother.
“They wanted me to come back to New York on a veteran minimum deal. I was like, that’s not fair. At least give me $1 million more,” Beasley said. “While we were negotiating, they signed Mario Hezonja. They gave him my number, and they gave him the contract I asked for, which forced me to sign in Los Angeles with the Lakers,” Beasley said. “People think I wanted to go sign in Los Angeles. Not that I didn’t, but Los Angeles and Oklahoma City were the other teams that wanted me. To fly six hours away after being a three or four-hour drive away from my mom, that took a toll on me. That’s the part that hurt my feelings. I didn’t deserve that, and she didn’t deserve that.”
Beasley was disappointment with the Lakers and missed much of the season while visiting his mother, who died in December of 2018. Beasley hasn’t played in the NBA since that season in L.A. — although he was signed by the Nets for the Orlando bubble in 2020 before a COVID-19 infection ruined that opportunity — and is trying to get back in the league.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger had a quote when he was young and wanted to come to America. He didn’t know how. All he knew how to do was lift weights, so he was going to do as many curls as it took to get him to America,” Beasley said. “That’s kind of the mindset I have. I’m not sure how I’m going to get there, when, or if. All I know is if I get that call, I’m going to be ready.”
