Michael Beasley played one season at Kansas State, and then entered the NBA draft.  Drafted by the Miami Heat, he ran into problems right away. Not basketball problems, since his talent is undeniable.  First, he got kicked out of the rookie orientation program due to an unfortunate marijuana in hotel room incident, but still managed to finish as the second leading scorer on the team, playing mostly off the bench in his rookie season.

He was supposed to be slotted in at the 3 spot this year, but all of a sudden, he’s in rehab for depression and unspecified substance issues.  The NBA has a program whereby people with a substance program can come forward and get smaller punishment while getting treatment…but Beasley was likely already in that program, and this latest rehab stint, at a undisclosed facillity in Houston, came as a surprise to his coach.  Beasley posted depressed-sounding stuff on his Twitter…and the next thing you know, he’s in rehab, in just the second season of what could be a promising career.

Beasley’s immature behavior was noted by teammates and press alike, but he made a good point in reply: he’s only 20 years old.

Young men like Beasley, who spend only a year in college, are unprepared for life as professional athletes, let alone life after their playing careers are over.  Many of them are talented enough not to need a backup plan, at least barring unforseen injuries, and many, like Beasley, have focused on nothing but basketball.  But Beasley, like many others, was thrown into a situation with almost unlimited money and priviledges: free drinks, great parties, and probably access to drugs as well.

Baseball doesn’t draft people out of college until junior year, and there’s a reason for that: baseball players, to make it through the slog that is the minor leagues, need their heads on straight and need some common sense and lifeskills.  A single-year college career mostly taken up by a NCAA March Madness run doesn’t fit the bill.  It’s time for the NBA to make sure there aren’t any more Beasleys, talents who become overwhelmed by their sudden celebrity.  Educate these kids, at least for awhile.  Let them have more experience living on their own, more experience doing their own laundry.  (Yes, we know athletes at places like KState probably don’t, but the point stands–college is a life experience.)

We hope Beasley makes it through…and we hope the NBA steps up, delays gratification for itself and some of its young players, and encourages them to go to school.  A culture shift like this may seem drastic, but its what the NBA needs: smart, young players who are dedicated to the game and who won’t get lost in the glitter.