"I didn't like them at all" - Michael Beasley opens up on rumored narratives around him during his stint with Miami Heat

Michael Beasley was vocal about how he felt about his time with the Miami Heat, according to the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang.

"I love the Heat organization," Beasley said. "But I had to grow into those feelings. When I was a player, I didn't like them at all. I didn't like the narrative behind me not getting an opportunity was my defense. I don't like the fact that I never played more than 20 minutes, which means I always watched more than half the games."

Beasley was the No. 2 pick in the 2008 NBA draft by Miami after Derrick Rose went first. In his rookie season, he averaged quality numbers with 13.9 points per game (47.2% shooting, including 40.7% from 3-point range) and 5.4 rebounds.

Beasley average 14.8 ppg in his second season; however, his shooting efficiency dipped. Because of his increase in field-goal attempts from 11.8 in his rookie year to 13.3, he shot 45.0% in his sophomore year. He increased his 3-point attempts as well from 1.0 to 1.3, resulting in 27.5% shooting.

Beasley was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for 2011 and 2014 second-round draft picks. This would lead to the Miami Heat being able to have enough cap space to sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh. They were also able to re-sign their star shooting guard, Dwyane Wade.

The move ended up going well for Miami as they got two straight championships out of the "Big Three" era.

Beasley had his best season with the Timberwolves during his first year in Minnesota. He averaged 19.2 ppg (45.0% shooting, including 36.6% from 3-point range) and 5.6 rpg.

His numbers went continuously down season after season across different teams. Beasley spent one season with the Suns, Rockets and Bucks. He also played one season with the Lakers as his final season in the league.

In his one season with the New York Knicks (2018-18), he was able to somewhat replicate his rookie numbers by averaging 13.2 ppg. Beasley shot an excellent 50.7%, including 39.5% from 3-point range.

After his one season with the Suns, he went back to play for the Miami Heat for two seasons. However, he struggled in both seasons with numbers that are far from where they were the last time he was part of the team.

Michael Beasley talks about the current NBA landscape

In an interview with Cory Nelson from Fan Nation's "Inside the Heat," Michael Beasley talked about what he sees in how the NBA is played today.

"If you pay attention to how I play, that's how the NBA plays today," Beasley said. "Donovan (Mitchell) scored 71, Luka (Doncid) 50, LeBron still scoring 40. The game is wide open. When I was playing, the game was about defense. It is about holding teams to 75, 80, 90 points. Now, it's like a rodeo."

In the scenario with Michael Beasley arriving in today's NBA, it could have been an interesting one as the league has catered to favoring offense over defense. He could certainly land on a team with his scoring ability alone if he entered the NBA today.