Should The Pistons Look To Bring Back Beasley? | The Valenti Show with Rico

Should The Pistons Look To Bring Back Beasley? | The Valenti Show with Rico

Let’s get it going on a Friday. An absolutely gorgeous afternoon in Metro Detroit. You’re stuck with me. No Stony, no Rico, no problem. Show goes on. We got a lot to get to, so let’s jump right in. You heard Otto’s update minus the ethnic slurs, and we do apologize about that. Jeremy can’t control himself. The point is, David, you wanted one segment on Beasley. Let’s do it. Because I think this is definitely a case of both things can be true. A, the team couldn’t sign him when the news broke. And B, he has every right to be agrieved in that he didn’t do the things he’s accused of as it pertains to gambling. And it did cost him a lot of money. This is no different than when Lyel Collins came out of LSU and was accused, I don’t know what it was, of like shooting a pregnant woman or something. He didn’t do it. He went from a first round pick to undrafted. What’s your recourse? Now, the problem is that doesn’t mean Malik Beasley is a good guy and it doesn’t mean he belongs in this locker room. He still owes half of Detroit money. He’s still not somebody I want around. And I do feel like the team moved on from him and I do feel like most mo most people liked him more than they should have, thought he was better than he actually is. But I have no problem if he feels agrieved because that came out so fast right as he was about to sign a contract. And I mean, David, let’s say he was going to sign three at I don’t know the report was three at 42, I believe. All right. I was going to say three at 50. I mean, David, is he going to get one at eight? Someone will sign him, but my point is it shouldn’t be us. Yeah, someone will sign him, but it should not be the Detroit Pistons. Look, just just this past Saturday, I actually got into a colorful conversation at the barberh shop about Malik Beasley. Again, you’re out of control. This barbershop brings out the worst in him. It does not. It only does when people bring up things that I don’t agree with. And welcome to America 2025. You get it? I do. And so this gentleman, it begins to say, “Well, you know, there’s reports out there that he may be, you know, a free man and they’re not going to charge him.” And I’m like, “Okay.” And well, I want to sign him. No, thank you. We have a young core here. We have a foundation that we’re trying to build and develop in Detroit for the Detroit Pistons. I don’t want Malik Beasley any part of that. I don’t want to sign him. And I get it. There are worse individuals out there. No, he didn’t kill anyone. No, he didn’t sexually assault anyone. No, he just didn’t pay anybody. He just didn’t pay anyone. And I don’t need that, though, because there’s a pattern here with him that I don’t want anywhere near my young players. I don’t want anywhere near when I’m trying to continue to build and be a great franchise. I don’t need it. So, I’m against signing him, okay? I don’t all these, oh, my friends texting me, oh, let’s go get them. Let’s go sign them. I’m I’m Please miss me with that. It does feel the organization moved on. And look, just cuz I don’t love what they did this off season, it doesn’t mean they didn’t do anything. And I don’t think there’s a role for him anymore. I was more focused on David, like he does have a right to be a grief cuz he got put through the meat grinder. Now, that doesn’t mean he’s innocent of being a bad guy. You you stiffen everybody all over town. You got evicted from your apartment. You owe your barber 30 grand. You owe your jeweler 30 grand. Come on. You’re not a good guy. And that’s before we get to some of the other things in his past. The point I’m making is the criminal investigation for gambling is a scarlet letter that ends your career. He didn’t do those things. So, I do think he should be signed by someone. I just don’t think it’s us. But if you wanted a reprisal of it, we wanted to at least open the show with one segment on it. I’m not mad if you want him back, but I’m sure as hell not going to be the guy pounding the desk saying we need to do this. Uh, I moved on from him. And also too, he was atrocious in the playoffs. Because once again, he’s not a playoff player. He’s not. And I I’d rather move on. So I David, I I do you at least understand my point? He does have a right to be angry now. No, I don’t think he should go to social media. That’s the thing. And that’s another reason why I don’t want him. He’s showing his immaturity. You’re right. He should be upset. Speak through your agent, though. I don’t need you to get on social media tonight and and spill everything of your anger. I don’t need that. And you’re right. I think the team moved on. Clearly, they had the mid-level exception set, all set for him. And they moved on from him. There’s only about 7 and a half million left. That ain’t the mid-level exception. Do NBA contracts even go that low? I don’t even know. I feel like G-Leaguers are making 7.5 the way the NBA is going. So, they’ve clearly moved on. Getting Duncan Robinson and others. They’re moved on. I moved on. That’s okay. But he’s got a right to be pissed. I mean that that report came out and you’re like, “Wait, so that cost you all that?” But I don’t need them here. Uh, also, side note real quick, I David, this barber shop continues to be a mystery to me. It has quite a reputation. I But would Kenny be welcome there? No. Okay. No, he would not be welcome there. Wow. That’s a quick answer for me. Wow. So, so your barber shop is like Georgetown basketball in the ’90s. Not exactly. I I just don’t think Kenny will be welcome. Wow. So, it’s not white people. It’s that white person. There are white people that come through. Now, do you have to earn Do you have to have like a VIP membership? Uh, you don’t have to have a membership. There’s there’s like a um a reference process. A reference. So, how do we go there? How do we get tapped into the black barberh shop? Um, like how does that work? I can send some messages. I can find out. But Kenny would not be allowed. Oh, I know he would not be allowed. Not even close. Just two hillbilly. There’s no amount of reference point that would allow him to get his haircut. He wouldn’t he wouldn’t know what to do in that place. Now, is it like Armageddon of sports arguments? Is it like an episode of First Take? It It can. Is that what I’m walking into? It can become that. Evan has just walked in. I I like how Malik Beasley turned into you actually paying your barber. Evan, what what do you want? I go to the barber. There’s no way. Yes, I’m You go to his barber. I’m going tomorrow. Yeah. No. So, hold on. He said Kenny would not be welcome there. But why But why are you Why is this Why? First of all, hang on. Why am I not like 100% not welcome? Because they don’t You listen to Kenny Rogers. They don’t do the cut that Kenny gets. No, sure don’t. What is the Kenny cut? He always wears his hat. Take it off. Show the cut. What? What do you call that exactly? Is that the Teenage Ninja Turtle? What is that? So, but there are heated debates. I was like, they were trying to goat me into the LeBron Jordan debate last time I was there. I didn’t take the bait though cuz they know where I stand. There’s a part of me that almost wants to go to this barber shop and I don’t even want a haircut. I just want to listen to the arguments. So there’s always one guy in there on Saturday mornings when I go and he’s trolling for something. He’s a Packer fan, so he hates the Lions. That guy. I know that guy. So he’s always trolling Lion fans, which is pretty much everybody in there. They know my stance on the Lions, so they know I don’t get into it. But I pick and choose my battles there. Now, what happens if you just want to get your haircut and not talk to anybody? I’ve done that. You could do that. I can always sit there and be silent. But there was one time. Is it like a Brazilian steakhouse? You hold a paddle up there. It says red for no conversation, green for bring it on. They should have it cuz there’s sometimes where I don’t really want to talk in the morning. It’s early. I go early Saturday mornings, but one time a young buck was in there talking about how LeBron is so much greater than Jordan. Sitting there, I’m biting my tongue. And then I finally said it. I said, “You got to stop because you’re wrong. Why am I wrong?” I go, “You’re wearing Air Jordans right now. It’s over. You can’t be defending LeBron when you’re wearing the other man’s sho. What’s the application process for a white guy? Fly. Well, I Okay, I don’t know that that word’s ever been associated with me. So, I I would not be able to be tapped in to the black bar. You think And I’d like to state for the record, I think. Not everybody gets an invite. But my credentials are pristine because multiple callers have said I am welcome at the cookout. You are not. All I’m going to say is I don’t see color with you two. Thank you. With him, I see color. Oh god. Oh my looks like that. [Applause] Kenny’s skin tone matches a a a paper notebook. No, but you get a nice high tight fade. You could go there. I’d be fine. I think I’d be okay. I just I look. By the way, you want Beasley back? No. Okay. Absolutely not. There you go. We’ve concluded that. David, some ticket text, please. I actually would love to see Kenny have to apply to get his haircut there. I’m kind of interested. But right away, David went, “No, him. Never you.” Sure. Should I put us all on a FaceTime tomorrow morning and put Kenny on there and ask our barber Scott if he would cut Kenny’s hair? You can ask. Oh man, I can’t wait for this answer. If you do that in the morning, what’s Scott’s story? He’s a nice guy. Oh, great dude. Great dude. Great dude. He’s family to me. Great dude. What? So, what’s the story? He just doesn’t like white guys or like what’s the deal? No, no, no. He loves everyone. He does. He doesn’t like that person. I’m pretty sure every single person I see leave there, they say, “Hey, Scott. See you Sunday.” And they’re talking about church. And that’s probably why they listen. Please avoid racial slurs. All right. Now, this is tremendous. David, try to link Kenny up there. I’ll pay for the haircut. I just need you there when it happens. I got to I got to see what happens. That’ll be like Evan. That’ll be like Jurassic Park. They lower the yak into the velociraptor pit and he gets lowered into the chair. It gets destroyed in sports debates. I don’t think this had to do with a white guy, but a white guy came off the street and wanted a haircut and they flat out denied him and said, “We don’t have time for you.” And I like that there’s an exclusivity to it. Correct. Chris, you need an appointment. No walk-ins allowed. You need an appointment. It does say it on the front door. Okay. says, “No shirt, no shoes, no Kenny.” Kenny shows up shirtless in Wranglers from Tom. He says, “Is there a password for the black barberh shop? If I walk up and say colored is fine, do I get in or get jumped?” Yeah, you might get jumped. Yeah, I was going to say that’s probably not a good lead on on Malik Beasley. Yeah, miss us with this weak take, David. This is the NBA. Most of these guys are terrible dudes. Yeah, but I don’t need terrible dudes on my team. But David has a point. You know what? Malik Beasley served his purpose and now you’ve moved on and there probably isn’t a role for him anymore anyways. All I wanted to do is not to stand up for him, but to say, look, the things that bothered me most outside of the gambling are still relevant. How you live your life and the example you set does play a role. Now, if you’re a great player, which of course Malik Beasley is not, you might be willing to put up with more. Enter John Mor. But when you’re a role player who also is not a person you want your young rookies or young players learning from, it’s okay to say, “I just don’t need that guy here anymore.” But that doesn’t mean he’s a criminal. So, again, it’s it’s kind of a complicated thing, but no, I wouldn’t want him back. Go ahead. Yeah. Zion Williamson is talented enough where you deal with that. You deal with the outside noise, right? But his outside noise is he can’t keep it in his pants and he’s 400 lb. That’s different than he just didn’t pay anybody. Now, some other issues with Malik as well, though. So, okay. Also noted

Malik Beasley has been cleared from gambling allegations, should the Pistons bring him back? #pistons #nba

Image Credit: Getty Images