Michael Beasley Says He Will Be Blamed if the Miami Heat Don’t Win

Despite being of the youngest guys on the roster, Michael Beasley realizes that this season has quite a bit riding on it from an individual and team standpoint. Should the Miami Heat fail to defend their two championships, Beasley thinks the blame will fall on him. Per the Sun-Sentinel: “When Beasley finally gets on the court, he says being one of the youngest guys on the team will lessen the pressure during what could be his final chance for redemption. ‘I’m 24,’ Beasley said. ‘I’m like the youngest guy. Norris Cole is older than me. This is his third year and he’s considered one of the young guys on this team but he’s older than me. I’m the young guy again and it feels good.’ Beasley hinted he may have not been ready to handle the role of veteran once he was traded from the Heat after the 2009-10 season. He landed with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he was expected as the leader on an inexperienced team. He ran into the same problem when he was traded last season to the Phoenix Suns. Now, he is in a position to play in the shadows of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. It will provide opportunity to learn instead of lead. ‘The last three years I was the veteran,’ Beasley said. ‘To come back and be the young guy again, it’s a little different. I’m taking it all in stride.’ […] The biggest issue for Beasley is how he handles the pressure of this perhaps being his last chance to prove he isn’t a waste of talent. ‘It’s a lot at stake,’ Beasley said. ‘If I come here and we don’t win, I’m the one to blame. There’s pressure and then it’s not. It’s not pressure because I’m playing with some of the greatest the game has to offer. I’m really not that worried about that now. It’s good and it’s bad. Like I said, I’m working hard and taking it day by day.'”