Forward Michael Beasley's stay at a Houston-area rehabilitation center was required because Beasley is in the NBA's substance-abuse program, it was revealed by multiple media reports. Beasley, the 20-year-old who was selected by Miami with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft, first entered the program after an incident at the NBA Rookie Symposium after the draft, according to an NBA source. Confidentiality rules prohibit NBA officials and Heat officials from commenting on Beasley's status. Further, teams typically don't know a player is in the program until the third "strike," which results in a five-game suspension.
Beasley was expected to be released from the rehabilitation center well before the Sept. 28 start of training camp.
Beasley had an up-and-down season as a rookie. He averaged 13.9 points per game, second on the team behind guard Dwyane Wade, and 5.8 rebounds per game. But his struggle to grasp the Heat's defensive concepts meant he had to be yanked from the starting lineup after starting the first 16 games of the season.
Beasley has been regularly drug tested after the Rookie Symposium in Rye, N.Y. He was in a hotel room along with Heat guard Mario Chalmers and Memphis forward Darrell Arthur when hotel security investigated the smell of marijuana. Beasley was fined $50,000 and put in the substance-abuse program. His most recent stay in the rehabilitation center was caused by a slipup that is believed to be procedural rather than a failed drug test, according to a source.
