Heat Blow by Bulls

It was supposed to be Beasley vs. Rose in one of the most hyped summer league games in recent memory. It ended up as a Miami Heat blowout of the Chicago Bulls on Monday. The second overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft showed no signs of a cracked sternum, going for 28 points and nine rebounds in just 23 minutes of action. Derrick Rose, meanwhile, shot an uneven three-for-eight from the field and four-of-eight from the charity stripe on his way to 10 points in 29 minutes.

Miami, coached by assistant Keith Askins, jumped out to a seven-zip lead early on and never looked back. Michael Beasley scored an impressive nine points in the first quarter. An early layup got blocked by Tyrus Thomas, but B'Easy was able overpower Thomas and blow by Joakim Noah later on. He realized his jump-shot was not falling for him, and decided to take it in strong. He made it to the free-throw line 12 times. From then, Beasley's jump-shot came to him, as he made a three-pointer in the third quarter.

Derrick Rose looked extremely tentative. He rarely drove to the rim and was not in-sync with his teammates. Mario Chalmers played excellent defense on the first pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Chalmers fought through screens, stayed with Rose for the most part, and never let Rose take over when he needed to. It wasn't just the defense that was impressive from Chalmers. He made it to the charity stripe on seven occasions, dished out six assists, collected four steals, and committed just one turnover. Having a chip on his shoulder after slipping down to the second round, Chalmers out-played Derrick Rose.

Beyond Beasley and Chalmers, there were a few standouts from the game that could receive an invitation to join the Heat's training camp in October. Kasib Powell had a solid game with 15 points on five-of-nine shooting and two-of-four from downtown. Powell, 6'7", has good size for a small forward, but minutes will be hard to come by at his position. Stephane Lasme also played well. The 6'8" forward scored 10 points and made it to the free-throw line six times in just 17 minutes. Lasme showed a nice pick-and-pop game, as well as a jump-hook after posting up.

Antonio Graves was very quick in the open court. Moreover, he displayed the ability to take defenders off the dribble with ease. He made some mistakes in the fast break, but showed potential in the game against Chicago.

With no player who has played a game in the NBA, Miami dominated against an experienced Chicago Bulls team. The Bulls fielded Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, JamesOff Curry, Aaron Gray, and Cedric Simmons, all of whom have at least one year under their belts. In this game, however, it was Michael Beasley and the Heat who looked like the veterans and the Bulls who looked like rookies.

Miami will face off against the New Jersey Nets tomorrow at 3:00.