Isn't calling Beasley the best player on KSU like calling someone that smartest rider of the short bus? Can anyone honestly make the argument that an Eric Gordon, Kevin Love or even Psycho T wouldn't be able to score 40 ppg on that team with them REQUIRING them to do so? KSU's offense has two plays.
#1 Pass to Beasley
#2 If #1 is not an option fall into fetal position
This is not an indication of his talent but more so the lack of talent around him! He is a talented player no doubt. I am not making the argument that he is not. Mentioning him with Gordon, Love and Hansbrough should make that clear. But look at more than the numbers that he puts up for a below average team!
UNC, IU and especially UCLA don't need those players (and many more through the nation on teams that will last past the first weekend of the tourney) to score 40 points to win games. Could those players put up those numbers? Easily! But they don't need to for their teams to be successful! A great player makes the players around him better and really makes his team better in the process.
The last time I checked KSU just finished a 3-5 stretch with wins coming over the #10, #11 and #12 teams in the Big XII. A blowout of Missouri, a 6 point win over 11-19 Colorado and a 4 point win over 14-17 Iowa State. This is not the material of a team that has a true leader. This is NOT the material of the team that has someone deserving this NBA hyped recognition. A true player of the year would not stumble so harshly down the stretch as the nations eyes are finally rested on him!
I don't like Coach K but his quotes shed some real light on this sad situation. "Beasley's terrific, but you don't give player of the year and all this because somebody says he's a better pro prospect." And this is what it is. Beasley will make his millions and be a star in the NBA. A league that plays "basketball" by name only. But he is NOT the best player in COLLEGE basketball.
He is the best player on a horrible KSU team that needs him to put up those numbers to win a game at all. The players I mentioned and many more like them could and would put up those numbers on that team if they were needed too. That doesn't make them the best in the land.....just the best on that team.