About this time last year Kansas State rookie Michael Beasley started turning heads in college, hanging monster numbers virtually every night. For most the 2008 NBA Draft process he continued to turn heads, mostly for all the wrong reasons.

There were stories that the Miami HEAT, who ultimately drafted Beasley with the #2 overall selection, were torn on whether to take the mercurial forward with the boyish grin, or the impact swing guard in OJ Mayo. The debate was real, as HEAT president Pat Riley had to be convinced by his staff that Beasley could mature in Miami.

While most of the players drafted in the top five are playing major minutes, Michael Beasley has found himself in uncharted waters trying to find his way.

"It's not fun all the time," explain Beasley in a candid sit down with HOOPSWORLD.

"I gotta do rookie stuff," explained Beasley about life with the Miami HEAT. "I mean they're not terrible, but they make you do stuff when you're tired. After practice or after shoot around, when we're in another city, they will make you walk to the Popeye's and get everybody food. Sometimes they won't eat the food. They make you pay for it."

The Miami HEAT are an interesting match for the free-spirited Beasley. The HEAT pride themselves in their structure, routine and work ethic, areas most pundits questioned about Beasley before the draft.

"There are a lot of people on this team who've been through it," explained Beasley about being on a team with proven veterans like Dwayne Wade and assistant coaches like Bob McAdoo. "We got vets; we got coaches, Hall of Fame players. A lot of people who have been through it, that have seen it all. People that I can learn from, that can help me through it. It's good to have that."

Beasley's transition into the NBA has not been a smooth one, starting with the much-publicized Rookie Orientation scandal that found Beasley and teammate Mario Chalmers in trouble with the league before they'd played their first game. When training camp opened, Beasley found support from an usual source.

"Udonis," confided Beasley about his locker room mentor. "He is a good dude, a very good dude. He is the one that keeps me out of trouble basically. Not trouble, but keeps me on my toes. The one who's always in my ear talking about practicing, the stuff I gotta do. What to do on the court. Don't lose your confidence and stuff like that. He is the one in my ear the most."

The paths both players took to the NBA couldn't be any more opposite, with Udonis being undrafted and counted out his entire career, and Beasley being a heralded top pick who was handed his NBA dream. But for Udonis he sees his advancing years in the league and his experience as invaluable in Beasley's continued development and for his team's immediate success.

"We complement each other pretty well," admits Haslem of his mentor role. "Defensively is probably the best place I can help him. If I can teach him to be ahead of the play defensively, be where he needs to be, how to sniff out the play the guys are running, to be as alert defensively as he is offensively then he's gonna be a great player."

"I have been around. I have seen a lot and learned a lot," said Haslem who was mentored in Miami by Shaquille O'Neal. "With him coming in as such a talented player, he's going to be challenged a little more than he's ever been challenged before. My job is to help him along and make it as easy as possible, but at the same time make it kinda hard because it's not gonna be easy."

Beasley is the first one to explain how tough it is to be a rookie on a playoff-caliber team. He is not afforded the unlimited playing time and shot selection some of his draft class peers are seeing.

"It's tough," said Beasley. "It ain't easy. I have been 'That Guy' my whole life basically. To just switch it up is different. It's a learning experience. It gets hard, but for the most part it's fun."

The HEAT had argued through the draft process that they were an unusual top draft pick team, in that they already had the pieces to compete and picking the right rookie mattered more than the best rookie.

"Mike is handling it well," explained HEAT head coach Erik Spoelstra, also a rookie himself. "He's only 19. We all have to remind ourselves that he will get better. It not always going to be immediate progress, it could be up and down. He's come a long ways just defensively from where he was when we got him this summer."

The HEAT have a long-term plan for Beasley, as his minutes and scoring show. Beasley is averaging just 24 minutes per game, compared to top pick Derrick Rose's 37 minutes per game. The HEAT this year are not as focused on developing Beasley as they are on getting into the playoffs behind Dwyane Wade.

"Just like a rookie, he's gonna go through ups and downs," explained Wade after hanging 33 points on Orlando.  "Today was a down game for him, but tomorrow might be an up game for him. He's gonna have stay aggressive and continue to stay positive and just know that's how the season is gonna go for him."

Beasley understands his situation, and says playing the backseat role isn't all bad because of the guys he plays with.

"It's fun when you have a guy like Dwyane Wade," explained Beasley. "Score 40 points a night. It's fun, but it's weird sometimes. You find yourself watching. I got the best seat in the house. He'll run off six or eight points straight, it's like alright, stand out of the way and watch something amazing."

Beasley may see his teammates as amazing, but they see something special in him, as well.

"The sky is the limit," admitted Wade of Beasley's potential. "As he continues to keep learning the game and as he starts getting more respect, right now he's finding it tough because he's not getting that whistle. He's not getting the benefit of the doubt. Once he starts to gets more respect in the league and his game continues to develop he's gonna be pretty good."

Beasley has some fans from the opposing locker room, too. Orlando's Dwight Howard, who is becoming a mega-star in his own right, sees huge upside in Beasley as a player, mainly because of his versatility.

"I like his game," said Howard. "He can shoot the ball, face up he can get to the basket, he's crafty around the rim. He's a real good player. He is a tough matchup for any four or five because he can shoot the ball out to the three-point line and he can beat you off the dribble. I love watching him play."

The biggest challenge left for Beasley is continuing to be patient; his peers from the 2008 Draft class are certainly getting more press and more exposure.

"I'll take the playoffs; I'll take a ring over any individual awards," admitted Beasley about his situation in Miami. "Rookie of the Year and all that stuff is nice, but it's not fulfilling. You can be the best player in the league and never have a championship. You see Charles Barkley and he's still upset, so I would rather have a ring before anything."

There is no doubting that not being "The Man" in Miami has been a humbling experience for Beasley, earning his way in Miami might be a first for him as a player and a person. But one thing is clear, he is not concerned about what others may expect of him.

"I don't care about expectations," explained Beasley. "I have never cared about expectations. I do what I do; I do the best I can. If I am not satisfying somebody else they need to find a new hobby."

Walking into a discussion with Michael Beasley you really do not know what to expect, leaving the discussion it's pretty clear. Beasley is a 19-year young man trying to find his way in the NBA.

The HEAT may have had doubts about whether Michael would fit into their system, but there is no doubting that their system is exactly what Beasley will need to be the NBA star everyone in Miami believes he can become.