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Issue link: http://dimemagazine.epubxp.com/i/56522
H HELLO, AND THANKS so much for coming, everyone, down to NBA Fan Central. Can everyone hear me? We're really glad you took the time to be a part of our survey today, and sit anywhere you want on the left there. Comfortable? Great. Well, we know you're all excited about this, and so we're going to kick it off with some discussion topics. Word association. Great – and we want this to be informal so just yell out with your thoughts about the topic. Michael Beasley. Oh boy. Sorry everyone, but can we all be a little more calm? We value your opinions, but maybe we should raise hands instead. No, there is no physical NBA Fan Central where fans talk about the game's most mercurial players. But whether it's on the Internet or how we feel within our hearts, from diehards to seasonal drop- ins, discussions won't range much wider than when talking about Minnesota's fourth-year forward. After bouncing around high schools and one year at Kansas State, the 6-8 scorer is one of the league's undisputed best at finding his own shot. He averages 15.8 points in 28 minutes per game for his career, and in 2010-11 was 15th best in the league in scoring per minutes played, put- ting up 21.4 per 36 minutes played. To put it bluntly, he is an unapologetic scorer. He's a black hole with the ball. He'd only see an open teammate if he was in the hoop. He's such a defensive liability an insurance policy wouldn't cover him. They might say that. But is it possible to see a player, who by his own admission, wants nothing more to do than a chance to ball and get better? We caught up with Beasley just weeks after he'd come back from a foot injury that cost him 11 games. With his rookie contract expiring at the end of the season, Beasley knows lost time now to show he's improved his game and his troubles off the court means fewer chances later. He knows his weak spots, and knows his strengths – and he's working on one just as much as the other. 58