The Michael Beasley Conundrum

When it gets tight on the basketball court there are different lights that come on for different players. Some light up and rise to the moment while others are just not built for that particular situation, neither good nor bad, but both types of players exist.

In the Phoenix Suns unique scenario they thought they signed their go-to scorer and lights on guy in Michael Beasley this summer.

During Beasley's rise to stardom from AAU ball to Manhattan Kansas, he has seemed to fallen short and it was most evident just south of the bigger, more famous Manhattan. On Sunday morning the wheels came off for Beasley as he lost his composure and did not play a good basketball game against the player he was supposed to become.

The duel between Beasley and Carmelo Anthony turned into a one sided laugher as Melo stolled to another 34 point outing while Beasley managed nine points, two turnovers, and an emotional technical foul.

That is basically a microcosm of his career and this season to be more specific.

Beasley played a little over seven minutes in the second half total and logged no minutes in the fourth quarter. That has become his role more and more as of late on this team which is not what the team signed up for.

It is hard to say this team or specific players do not have an identity, that is incorrect, but in this situation the identity is not something anyone wants to identify with.

The Suns are not a good team right now. Can they be? Yes, this collection of talent can jell to the point of 39-43 wins this season, but that is becoming more and more of a pipe dream. The play of Beasley has largely been the factor in this team being very good and what they are right now.

There is no barometer for Beasley at this point in the season, which makes him tough to read. His season high is 22, but that came in a loss.

On the season Beasley is averaging 12 PPG in wins and 11.6 PPG in losses. He has scored two points in a win and two points in a loss as well. What does that say? He is not a factor either way right now and something is not clicking. He has more freedom than he has ever had in his career from Miami to Minnesota, but it is not clicking. Before coming to Phoenix Beasley was scoring three more points per game in more defined roles with those teams and maybe that is what he needs.

The alternative?

Eat the six million per year and start either Jared Dudley or P.J. Tucker leaving that void Beasley creates to chop up the fluidity of the bench. As much as Tucker is a fan favorite his game is built for the bench with his high energy and lack of a scoring punch.

The solution?

Beasley just needs to have the light switch on like it seems to have for Melo and LeBron James. Not exactly like those two, however that would be very welcome. He is not on their level in terms of superstardom, but at one point he was considered in their weight class in terms of talent.