Michael Beasley and the San Antonio Spurs are NOT a Perfect Fit

The San Antonio Spurs currently have 14 roster spots filled, meaning they have one spot which they can either leave open or use to sign another player. If they do choose to add someone to the roster, they have no shortage of options.

Aron Baynes is an option. The Australian big man is a restricted free agent with his rights being held by the Spurs. Gustavo Ayon comes to mind as another option, especially after his strong performance for Mexico at the FIBA World Cup. The San Antonio Spurs have even expressed an interest in Ray Allen.

One player who was on nobody’s radar was Michael Beasley, the volatile and mercurial free agent forward who was last seen with the Miami Heat. But against all odds, adding Beasley has become a real possibility, as the Spurs are reportedly working out the former Kansas State star.

The Spurs typically go after a specific type of free agent: solid veterans who can play unselfishly and put the team first, players who can fit into the Spurs system and culture, guys who try on defense, high-character individuals without off the court concerns.

That sounds just like Michael Beasley, right?

All kidding aside, Beasley would be a weird fit on the Spurs. He’s had no shortage of off-court incidents, many involving marijuana. and he doesn’t have the greatest reputation in league circles. That doesn’t seem like the kind of guy the Spurs would want representing their team.

Michael Beasley, while talented, doesn’t seem like a great fit on the court either.

The 2nd overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, Michael Beasley was branded as a Carmelo Anthony-esque go-to scorer coming into the league after lighting it up as a freshman at Kansas State (26.2 PPG on 53.2% shooting). Unfortunately, he never quite translated those numbers to the pros.

Michael Beasley has become an inefficient and selfish scorer who launches a lot of bad shots, and his shoot-first mentality and tendency to play in isolation could stall a Spurs offense built around passing and ball movement.

Beasley’s best season as a pro was when he averaged 19.2 points for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2012 and that was largely due to the talent-strapped Wolves giving him free reign to shoot at will.

While Beasley averaged 12 rebounds per game at Kansas State, his highest average as a pro has been only 6.4 rebounds during the 2009-2010. Additionally, Beasley has never been regarded as a good defender.

If any team can turn Michael Beasley around and make him a useful contributor, it’s the San Antonio Spurs.

Coach Popovich and the Spurs organization will demand a certain level of professionalism from Beasley, and he’ll be surrounded by high-character players like Tim Duncan, who can serve as mentors.

Is it really worth the risk for an inefficient scorer who doesn’t really fit a specific need though?

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Michael Beasley is a talented journeyman, and the San Antonio Spurs have had success with guys like that, but Beasley isn’t a player in the same vein as Boris Diaw and Marco Bellinelli, players who didn’t have character concerns and were great fits for the Spurs system.

The team would be better off looking elsewhere for the last roster spot. Baynes and Ayon would be better fit as big men, while Ray Allen would be the ultimate prize. Beasley has enough talent to merit another shot at NBA relevancy, but it shouldn’t be with the Spurs.

What is your take about a possible relationship between the San Antonio Spurs and Michael Beasley? Should it happen? Let us know in the comments!

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