Beasley catches elbow, leaves 1st Heat practice

[July 03, 2008]  MIAMI (AP) -- Michael Beasley's first official practice with the Miami Heat ended quickly.

Beasley was struck in the chest by an inadvertent elbow during a defensive drill about 45 minutes into Miami's first summer-league workout session Wednesday, and the No. 2 overall pick in last week's NBA draft was taken to a doctor for observation.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the move was strictly precautionary and should not affect Beasley's availability for Miami's five-games-in-five-days run through the Orlando summer league, which opens Monday.

"He took a shot to the chest," Spoelstra said. "He probably could have finished if it was the regular season or something like that, but we just wanted to be safe."

Spoelstra said he wasn't absolutely certain which Heat summer player was the one that struck Beasley.

"I looked and one minute he was there and the next minute he was gone," Heat guard Daequan Cook said. "I have no idea what happened."

The team did not immediately release an update on the extent of Beasley's injury or what sort of tests were being performed on the rookie, who averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds last season for Kansas State.

"He was very eager to learn what we were doing, especially defensively what we wanted to get accomplished in this practice," Spoelstra said. "When he gets back out here, he'll be fine and when we get up to Orlando, he'll be fine."

Beasley was gone by the time practice was open to reporters and not available for comment. His agent, Joel Bell, did not return a phone message.

There was one piece of good news on Wednesday for Beasley. He signed his rookie scale contract with the Heat, one that will pay him at much as $4.3 million this coming season.

Later Wednesday, Miami also announced the signings of center David Padgett and guard Jason Richards. Padgett shot 67 percent from the floor this past season at Louisville, and Richards led Division I with 293 assists as a senior at Davidson, which lost to eventual NCAA champion Kansas in the Midwest regional final.

"It seems like the best situation and the best opportunity for me, so I'm taking advantage of it," Padgett said.

[Associated Press; By TIM REYNOLDS]

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