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Dorell Wright (right) has soared this season after being cast off by the Heat over the summer.
Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Heat's offseason moves give Beasley, Wright ticket to thrive

Posted Jan 5 2011 9:44AM

Things are going so well in Miami that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have resorted to blasphemously calling themselves The Heatles (we'll let you decide if LeBron is Lennon and Wade is McCartney, or vice versa).

But this much, we know: There's a pretty good fight over who's got dibs on Pete Best.

Like the poor drummer who missed out on The Beatles' fun and fortune, ex-Heat players Dorell Wright and Michael Beasley were cast aside to make room for a budding Goliath, a team of stars rising up the charts. The difference is Wright and Beasley are actually making the most of their second lives, and while nobody in Miami misses them now, might the Heat eventually regret this at some point on the long and winding road?

Wright and Beasley -- in Golden State and Minnesota, respectively -- are in the running for the Most Improved Player Award, their reward for blossoming in their new homes after underachieving in Miami. They were cut loose mainly to clear salary cap space, although not totally; long story short, Pat Riley wanted Mike Miller and had to make a decision. That makes it even more important for Miller to find his stroke again after missing two months with a broken thumb. He needs to ease some of the scoring burden from James and Wade.

Wright is getting big minutes (42 per night in his last five games) and producing in his first taste in a major role. He's finding a way to score on a team with Monta Ellis and Steph Curry and developing into a dangerous shooter from distance. The NBA's leader in 3-pointers made (87), he is comfortable on the perimeter and is second only to Manu Ginobili in 3-point attempts (212). He's scored 32, 30 and 28 points in recent games and is looking comfortable taking big shots for the Warriors. Scoring 16.2 points a game, he's already doubling his best season with Miami (7.9 ppg in 2007-08).

"I'm bringing more stuff out of my game, getting to the basket more, getting steals," he said. "I had to go somewhere where I could fit in."

With the Heat, Wright spent his first few seasons dealing with maturity and injury issues, and when he finally began to show a pulse, a knee injury held him back. He didn't want to leave Miami last summer, but Riley never made a move to keep him -- even though the Heat could've signed him for half of what they gave Miller. With James Jones -- a similar player -- under contract, they let Wright walk, a move that didn't agree with Wade, who wanted Wright to return.

He certainly wouldn't have seen as many touches had he stayed in Miami, and while praising Wright, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made an interesting point to say, "Dorell is fitting in very well with that system and their players."

Beasley was more of a cap casualty in the effort to sign James, Wade and Bosh and to have enough cap space to bring back Udonis Haslem, too. The real issue is how and why the Heat could get only a pair of second-round picks for a player taken No. 2 overall. That's the best they could do?

Sure, Beasley's checkered past and drug rehab stint didn't help his trade value. But after what he's been doing for the Timberwolves -- where he's averaging 21.8 ppg and shooting 47 percent -- Beasley is looking like the offseason's best heist.

"He has a Carmelo ability to score," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I think one day he may lead the league in scoring."

They may not come back to haunt the Heat if only for this reason: Neither Beasley or Wright play positions of need in Miami. Meaning, neither is a center or point guard. Their roles and minutes would be diminished had they stayed, and besides, they're with teams that shovel minutes their way. In a sense, the Heat did Beasley and Wright a favor, allowing them to go someplace to find themselves and make an impression in the league.

Whether all that works out for the Heat depends heavily on Miller. The thumb injury in the preseason could've happened to anyone, but since returning (with a soft splint that he must wear as a precaution) Miller has been dreadful. He's made one basket in his first five games and hasn't aggressively looked for his shot.

As he heals, that may change, or at least it should. The great unknown about the Heat is Miller's role and whether he can give them significantly more production than Jones, who not only has hit 42 percent of his 3-pointers, but also brings an amazing ability to draw charges.

The postseason will tell. Until then, as Beasley and Wright flourish in different uniforms, you wonder if one would've been a good fit in a supporting role for The Heatles.

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