Michael Beasley Push: Timberwolves Players Shoves Fan During Exhibition Game (VIDEO)

On a hot night in the big city, Michael Beasley lost his cool. Just a day after two-time NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant silenced a heckler with his play during an exhibition game at Baruch college in New York City, Beasley pushed a fan in the face after being heckled during a playground tilt at Dyckman Park in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood. The muscular 6-10 power forward, who has had the early stages of his NBA career marred by inconsistent play and marijuana use, singled out a particular fan in the tightly-packed area beneath one of the baskets. Beasley put his hand on his face and shoved him back.

WATCH VIDEO AT THE TOP

The New York Daily News identified the fan that Beasley pushed as Garland Quince, someone who frequents the games at the uptown park.

"He just mushed me. He mushed me in my face," Quince said. "I was arguing about a Kevin Durant call and he just mushed me in my face."

Coming on the heels of Durant's 66-point explosion at Rucker and his heckler-silencing 41 points at Baruch, it was no wonder that he had the NYC crowd on his side. Perhaps the partisanship eventually pushed Beasley to lash out. Or, maybe it was just getting crossed up and blown by on this play:

Of course, the night wasn't all fisticuffs and broken ankles for Beasley. He delivered his own highlight moments as his 21 points lifted his 914 squad to 80-77 win over Durant's Team Nike.

With NBA Players Union chief Billy Hunter betting on a cancelled 2011-2012 season, Beasley and Durant in many ways represent the potential and pitfalls for the league as a whole. Both are preternaturally gifted athletes, but only one seems to have sense in proportion to his skills. Durant has inked a long-term deal with a small-market club in Oklahoma City and clearly embraced his role as an ambassador for the game while Beasley seems to be fighting both himself and, in this case literally, the fans who come to watch him.

Comments

[Russ Marshall]

11:06 AM on 08/08/2011

make a big deal over nothing, anyone who played in pick up games has had this kind of thing
happen. anything for a story.

[butchcliff]

06:00 AM on 08/08/2011

Exhibition game. This abusive fan ruins it for everybody. Drawing attention to himself. Sit back and enjoy the game.

[Calculator]

06:48 PM on 08/07/2011

Don't let your mouth write a check that your a-- can't cash.
The guy shouldn't have been arguing with him in the first place.

[American Person]

08:15 AM on 08/07/2011

These guys need to be very careful auguring with simple-minded people in the stands as it will be just a matter of time before one of them is seriously hurt or worse! It’s a playground tournament why not just get in your car and leave if the game managers don’t handle rowdy fans?

[Down in FL]

01:14 PM on 08/06/2011

Good thing we took Rose.

[Valois]

04:10 PM on 08/06/2011

yep

[Kriol Kidd]

12:47 PM on 08/07/2011

My thoughts exactly.

[Rick Goodner]

11:33 AM on 08/06/2011

Way cool contact sports :-)
"Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!"

[gobluegocolts]

09:29 AM on 08/06/2011

sports page , really . I see you HP and I know what your doing . This sports page is full of the same similar story lines about the same type of person daily . If you want to see more go to the sports crime page/tab . really a sports crime page ? cutitout

[Rick Goodner]

11:36 AM on 08/06/2011

Sports Crime Awwwww great it is about time that useless sports becomes worth watching :-)
"Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!"

[Valois]

04:11 PM on 08/06/2011

you're right, HP has an agenda to show athletes in the worst light possible. You're 100% correct

[Wayne909]

05:23 PM on 08/06/2011

Many athletes are outstanding individuals. Here's an couple recent articles on Brad Meester (Jacksonille Jaguars' center) and his friendship with a very ill six-year old boy.

http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2011-08-04/story/jaguars-center-brad-meester-inspires-boy-6-learn-walk-again?cid=hp-afterlede

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/jaguars-c-brad-meester-learns-life-lessons-from-6-year-old-boy-learning-to-walk-again/2011/08/05/gIQAMliivI_story_1.html

I doubt he is alone in his efforts. It would be nice to see some reports on the way many athletes help their communities on this site. But, maybe that's too much to ask.

[Greatest Darthfruit]

08:44 PM on 08/05/2011

what a punk! those players act like gang members, not like pro athletes

[Iain Banks]

03:24 PM on 08/06/2011

Sigh

[Valois]

04:11 PM on 08/06/2011

sigh x2

[Iain Banks]

07:52 PM on 08/05/2011

Punk move, getting upset over a fan heckling? What pro athlete lets that get to him? Very childish. I'm surprised he wasn't k'od on the spot.

[LittlePurpleUSA]

07:39 PM on 08/05/2011

I can tell that half of the people commenting here (the half criticizing what amounts to nothing) would never set foot inside Washington Heights. I've lived all over NYC and played a ton of games in BK, BX, and Manhattan. This was absolutely nothing. This is, hate to break your SWPL view of the world, stuff that happens almost every day at a park. BTW, was that Bruce Willis as one of the refs?

[motoGpifupleez]

06:41 PM on 08/05/2011

Not a smart move. Where do you think you are? That is not a secure NBA arena with plenty of paid guards to handle the crowd. To lay a hand on someone, particularly a shove of the face, is just asking for retaliation.

It's sad to say this, but I'm betting this isn't the last of this story.

[pleasantlyny]

06:26 PM on 08/05/2011

I think beasley needs to grow up... fast. he could learn alot from Durrant. that being said. I will not read the comments as I know they are racial. I am sure THUG is used often. I will not battle these bigoted mental midgets over this one.

I do hope that somebody sends me a reply and says "pleasantlyny your trippin nobody talked about race"... that would be cool. But I know it can't happen. Their usual comments say alot more about them than it does the people and group of people they comment on.

[tigerwjr]

07:26 PM on 08/05/2011

pleasantl­yny your trippin nobody talked about race

[pleasantlyny]

07:52 PM on 08/05/2011

really? Not even any Thug comments? You know when blacks do that stuff they are thugs.

[jrfromdallas]

05:39 PM on 08/05/2011

It's really hard to imagine which one of these guys I'd be pulling for..

[tanya11111]

05:16 PM on 08/05/2011

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/02/03/derrick-rose-michael-beasley-and-the-importance-of-pre-draft-interviews/

this is a great article about the reason why the bulls passed on beasley when they had the pick. hint: yes he answered his cell phone during his interview, one of two cell phones he brought.

[gfs5541]

04:53 PM on 08/05/2011

Beasley is talented, but immature. That's why the Heat traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

[Help USA Taxpayer]

05:06 PM on 08/05/2011

Lebron plays the whole game so he would have been a bench player

[gfs5541]

05:44 PM on 08/05/2011

True, but I'm going to be frank: If Beasley had some of Kevin Love's maturity, the Wolves would've done better last year.

[Valois]

04:13 PM on 08/06/2011

He's not even that talented, his efficiency is not good.