來源：http://ppt.cc/lLub Growing pains: Beasley finding his way through Heat lessons Probation formally ends Tuesday at 5 p.m. But Michael Beasley appreciates it's not that simple when it comes to his role with the Miami Heat. While his contract becomes guaranteed at Tuesday's NBA deadline, acceptance remains a season-long quest amid this career revival. "On an unguaranteed contract," he said, "basically you get comfortable and that's when you start to take a step back." And so, the versatile sixth-year forward insists that mindset won't change Tuesday, not that money ever was the issue, considering he signed in September at the league minimum of just over $1 million, after previously earning over $30 million in his first five NBA seasons. Instead, this has been about resurrection, an uneven process that has produced nights such as Sunday's victory over the Toronto Raptors, when he led all reserves with 17 points on 7-of-12 efficiency from the floor but also so struggled with his defense that he was benched for the decisive fourth quarter. "I'm still working hard," he said. "I'm not going to work any less come Tuesday." That, that resolve, more than a scoring average that on a 48-minute basis has him second on the team only to LeBron James, is what has impressed teammates, has allowed for Tuesday's step, four months later, into a contract guarantee. "It's not easy being in his position," center Chris Bosh said of the resurrection from former No. 2 overall NBA Draft pick in 2008 by the Heat to know-your-place bench contributor on a two-time NBA champion already in progress. "It's like having to learn how to play basketball all over again. "But the main thing I want him to do is just continue to really just keep his mind sharp, keep his head sharp and just continue to play. Every day isn't going to be good. Especially in his shoes it's going to be difficult, because there's going to be a lot of ups and downs." To a degree, that's why Beasley was left hanging his head Sunday, when at another time in his career he would be strutting about his scoring, his 11-point first half against the Raptors his highest-scoring first half of the season. "I think I took a step back today," he said of his defensive performance. That side of the ball, he said, now means far more than it ever did during those initial two seasons with the Heat, or his intervening three seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns. "Definitely, definitely, definitely," he said of defense having to stand as a priority, "especially when you realize the stakes that we're playing for. But, like I said, I'll get better." And that's all teammates and his coaches want to hear. "I like how he has been progressing," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I didn't set a lot of expectations. I think I mentioned that in the first press conference about Michael Beasley. "We built up a very structured routine for him every single day, of learning what we do and fast-tracking what this group has been doing for the last three-plus years. He has embraced that fully and wholeheartedly." To say teammates have his back would be an understatement. "It can be hard for him sometimes, because as a young guy on the team, the older veteran guys are always telling you what to do and there are maybe nine different people," guard Dwyane Wade said of Beasley's mentorship circle. "But he is handling it very well. It is a good change this time around." The comfort zone is gone. And Beasley said he won't allow it return even when the NBA's guarantee deadline comes and goes. "I'm not really worried about how far I've come or how far I'm going to go," he said. "I'm just trying to worry about the now, trying to stay in the moment." To a degree, Tuesday is a false deadline. While these first 10 weeks of the season have removed the threat of his release, the process of going from scorer to winner is ongoing. "I told him he'll figure it all out once the season's over and have all summer to think about it," Bosh said. "But he's going to get it. "Winning the championships isn't easy. I try to tell him that every time I get the chance. We just need to stay on him. It's going to hurt, but he'll be better for it." --

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