The 2017-18 season for the New York Knicks has so far been filled with thrilling victories and crushing defeats. They have dethroned King James and the Cavaliers in Cleveland but have fallen to the lowly Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. The team’s lack of consistency has left the Knicks fighting for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. After spending big in free agency just a year ago and then proceeding to dump several veterans, the Knicks seemed poised for a rebuilding year. With Kristaps Porzingis continuing to develop into an elite talent, a young core that also includes Enes Kanter, Tim Hardaway Jr., Doug McDermott and first-round pick Frank Ntilikina has given New York a solid base, but nothing more. This team was far from playoff contention, especially after its second leading scorer (Hardaway Jr.) suffered an injury in early December. The Knicks had no business coming into Madison Square Garden a few weeks ago and even thinking they had a chance at defeating Russel Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder. The game was expected to be a blowout. In his return to the Garden, Carmelo Anthony would drop 40 points on his former team while Westbrook chalked up yet another triple double. But the Knicks proved everyone wrong, and won. Not only did they win that game (without Porzingis and Hardaway), but they they beat the Celtics, and then the Pelicans. And while bench players for New York, (Kyle O’Quinn, McDermott, and Ntilikina) have played exceptional for the team as of late, one man stands out as the true savior and catalyst for the Knicks.

Michael Beasley was drafted with the second overall pick out of Kansas State in 2008. Starting off his career with the Miami Heat, Beasley showed promise in his rookie year. While his points per game remained consistent over the course of the 2009 season, the Heat realized they needed to head in a different direction following an early playoff exit. Enter Lebron James. The King joined Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade to form a super team that would dominate for years to come in Miami. But Beasley was the odd man out, subsequently traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in order to create cap space and a roster spot. Since that trade, Beasley has never been able to cement his role on any team. He has bounced around from team to team – Miami, Minnesota, Phoenix, back to Miami and Houston – before playing 56 games with the Milwaukee Bucks last year. Beasley even spent two seasons playing for teams in China. But he has never been able to establish himself as a legitimate star in the NBA. Violations of team policies, injuries, and an arrest for drug procession has prevented Beasley from ever living up to the lofty expectations commensurate with his enormous talent. After another pedestrian season with Milwaukee, Beasley was not offered a contract. Instead, he signed a one-year deal this off-season with the New York Knicks. As the Knicks worked diligently to find an acceptable trade for Melo, the front office hoped that Beasley might be able to make up for some of the lost offensive firepower that a trade lead to. New York was willing to take the risk of signing Beasley, desperate for a scoring threat off the bench. Interviews done at Knick practices were centered around the unpredictable Beasley who stated that he had finally turned his life around. Also claiming that he was “better than both Kevin Durant and Lebron James,” The Walking Bucket looked to restructure his entire image.

For the first 18 games, Beasley continued to languish in relative obscurity, earning several DNPs – Coach’s Decision. But with Porzingis out on Saturday, November 25 in a game against one of the top teams in the league, the Houston Rockets, Beasley received quality time. Beasley scored 30 points in 36 minutes, not enough to beat the juggernaut Rockets’ team, but certainly enough to justify becoming part of head coach Jeff Hornacek’s rotation. Beasley’s performances have compelled the Garden faithful to stand on their feet every time he touches the ball. His scoring prowess and ability to make big plays during crunch time earned him his incredible reputation while at Kansas State. Suddenly, he seems to have recaptured that skill. Whether he is standing in for a “tired” Kristaps Porzingis or coming in as the sixth man off the bench, MV-Beasley has stepped up for the middling New York Knicks team. Propelling them over championship hopefuls has kept the Knicks in contention for an eighth seed and sneaky, sleeper team in the NBA playoffs. Michael Beasley certainly has my vote for the league’s Most (Surprising) Valuable Player.