Why Malik Beasley Got Suspended
Minnesota Timberwolves’ Malik Beasley has found his niche on the team after being traded from the Denver Nuggets in a four-team deal. He has been shooting the ball at an excellent rate from behind the arc at 40.6% this season. However, he is currently serving his twelve-game suspension due to pleading guilty to a felony count of threats of violence.
He may be thriving in his new role as a starter averaging 20.5 points in approximately 33 minutes of playing time in 33 games played. However, he has been involved in off-season drama that hasn’t helped his image as someone you would look up to.
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas stated,
“As an organization, we fully support today’s decision by the NBA.” He continued on to say, “As we work together with Malik to advance his development as a player and a person, we look forward to seeing his growth.”
The guard will not be paid during his twelve-game suspension. This will cost him around $1.1 million dollars during that span.
WHAT WERE THE CHARGES
The first incident was a drug and theft charge that dates back to the month of September. Beasley had charges due to the possession of marijuana and receiving by concealing stolen property. The player agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this month, leading to the drug charges being dropped.
The serious incident came when Beasley pointed a loaded rifle at a family in his suburban Minneapolis neighborhood. The family was touring the neighborhood in search of a new home. The family pulled up close to Beasley’s residency, which leads to his lapse in judgment.
He will be required to take an anger management class and was sentenced to 120 days in jail to be served after the season’s end. He is also never allowed to own a firearm ever again in his life. His sentence could possibly be served in the county workhouse or in-home confinement, depending on the severity of COVID-19 in mid-May.
Beasley did apologize for his actions as his suspension began on Saturday against the Washington Wizards. He will be eligible to return to the floor on March 27, when the Timberwolves play the Houston Rockets at home.
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IT WILL BE A TEAM EFFORT TO REPLACE HIS PRODUCTION
The Minnesota Timberwolves have not been doing great this season as the team has suffered through many injuries. There two stars Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell, have missed quite a number of games this season. Russell hasn’t played since February 8.
The organization also recently fired former head coach Ryan Saunders, and Chris Finch quickly filled the void. The Timberwolves’ record hasn’t looked promising either, as they currently have the best chances to win the lottery in back-to-back seasons.
Still, it will undoubtedly take a team effort to replace Beasley’s production in that span. It is not easy replacing a player who averages slightly over 20 points a game.
Finch has a few options he can turn to by rotating players in the starting shooting guard position. Finch could use Josh Okogie. Other options include Jarrett Culver, who is close to being ready to return from an ankle injury, which has kept him out since January 25. Another intriguing option could be Jaylen Nowell, who has scored 46 points in his last four games.
What would you do if you were the General Manager of the Timberwolves? Do you hope that Beasley learns from his mistakes, or do you try to trade him at the trade deadline or offseason to get rid of the possible distraction?
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