ORLANDO - It was the game everyone was waiting for. Well, at least as far as summer leagues go.
Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley tipped off their NBA careers on Monday afternoon in the Orlando Pro Summer League.
Beasley's Heat ran roughshod over Rose and the Bulls, picking up the first win of the summer 94-70.
As for Rose, the No.1 overall pick in last month's NBA draft, it was a game that he will hope to forget.
Rose finished his first game as a professional with five turnovers and only four assists.
"I think that I played horrible," Rose said. "I hope tomorrow you will see a better side of me. Tomorrow's a new day."
Rose did look spectacular at times, scoring 10 points on the day.
For Beasley, the NBA seemed to come as easily as college.
The No. 2 pick poured in 28 points in his debut, the ninth-highest scoring performance in Orlando summer league history.
Beasley took 21 shots in 23 minutes of play, a pace that he said he wasn't aware of.
"If I knew I had taken 21, I would have stopped shooting," Beasley said.
Beasley went 9 for 21 from the field with nine rebounds and scored 19 points in the second half.
It wasn't all smiles for Beasley, however. The rookie had his very first shot of the game blocked by Chicago's Tyrus Thomas.
"I caught a flat, man," Beasley said.
The performance was only good enough for Beasley to give it a C.
"Could have played better," Beasley said. "Could have had a couple more assists, made a couple extra passes. Could have had a couple more rebounds."
Heat coach Keith Askins was pleased with what he saw out of the first-round pick.
"Well, he's a hell of a basketball player," Askins said. "But we already knew that."
Askins said that he was impressed with how well Beasley played considering it's been a while since the former Kansas State forward has played in a real game.
Rose was a little more impressed with Beasley than Beasley was with himself.
"He's a great player," Rose said. "He's a force."
Beasley tried to downplay the rivalry between he and Rose after the game.
"You can put the Jolly Green Giant out there," Beasley said. "I'm going to still play, man."
Maybe Beasley didn't think it was that big of a deal, but his fellow NBA players did.
Many of the players from the day's first game between Indiana and Oklahoma City, which is still without a nickname or logo, stayed to watch the two top picks.
Not only did Beasley fill up the stat sheet, he gave the other players on the court a concert as well.
Beasley said that the other players asked him to stop singing during the game - something that he was not willing to do.
"I didn't want to," Beasley said. "I was happy, singing a happy song."
