Gary Parrish

Here's Wednesday's Dear Gary ...

Dear Gary: Is there any meat to the rumor that the Grizzlies are trying to trade up to get Michael Beasley?

-- Musgrove

Considering it's been pretty well established that Miami isn't enamored with Beasley, it's likely a slew of teams picking later in the lottery are trying to determine whether it's possible to package players and draft picks to grab the Kansas State star, among them the Grizzlies. If they aren't, they're stupid. And if Miami passes on Beasley, I think that's probably stupid, too.

Look, I know there are dissenting opinions on Beasley.

I know Pat Riley thinks he might be immature.

I know Pat Riley might be right.

But the consensus on Beasley is that he's not a bad kid, just goofy. I honestly don't hear evil things about him like I do other guys who shall remain nameless, and I think that's important. To be clear, I wouldn't want a bad dude in my franchise, which is why I'd never sign a player like Pac-Man Jones. He's a bad dude. But Beasley doesn't seem to be bad like that, which is why I wouldn't pass on him for anything other than Derrick Rose.

I mean, you saw what Beasley did in the Big 12, right?

He got 26 points and 12 rebounds per game despite being the focus of every opponent's defense. He helped a school that doesn't beat Kansas beat Kansas and took a program that doesn't go to the NCAA tournament to the NCAA tournament. That's strong. And it's worth noting that Frank Martin swears by the kid, and that's got to be a good sign, too, considering not every Big 12 staff that coached a freshman lottery pick last season has good things to say about the experience.

(Yes, that's a DeAndre Jordan shot)

Bottom line, I'll be shocked if Beasley isn't a future All-Star. I don't see how he can't be very good to great. So if the Grizzlies can move up and get him, I'd advise them to do it because All-Stars are hard to come by, particularly for a small-market franchise with a stupid owner.