The Minnesota Timberwolves don’t have much to play for tonight as a team, but forward Michael Beasley probably has a bit to prove as he faces LeBron James and the Miami Heat — the team that drafted him — on his new homecourt.
Beasley, a 6-foot-10 forward and the former No. 2 overall pick by the Heat in the 2008 NBA Draft, is averaging 18.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 66 starts for the Timberwolves this season after being traded by Miami to Minnesota during last summer’s Vegas Summer League for two future second round picks and cash considerations.
The reason Beasley was traded from the Heat was to make room for LeBron James in the starting lineup. With Miami this season, James is averaging 26.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists while helping Miami — along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — to the second best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
If the Wolves lose tonight, it will be the team’s ninth-straight loss.