Listen up, folks. Michael Beasley is saying something.

The former second-overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft is demanding respect and he wants that to manifest in an increased playing time he believes he fully deserves.

According to a story by Ian Begley of ESPN, Beasley implied to reporters that as a veteran and proven scorer, a heavier usage is just apt for him to get. Perhaps hoping that what he’s saying would reach New York’s coaching staff, Beasley even mentioned his per-36 minutes performance on offense, which carries some weight in it.

“I’ve came in and out of this league. Every year my per-36 [minute average] has been top of the league. And still everybody looks at me as a bust. I just want an opportunity to play more than 15 minutes. And you know if I play more than 15 minutes I’m going to score more than 15 points. And if I can do that for 82 games, that’s an All-Star level. I don’t know. I’m just talking. I just want an opportunity to play basketball. I just want the respect I deserve. Not for what I can do in the future but what I’ve done in the past. And I just want a fair opportunity, a fair chance, a fair shot to play basketball.”

Michael Beasley has averaged fewer than 20 minutes per game in each of his last two seasons, yet managed to score 10.3 points per contest. He has also shot no worse than 52.2 percent from the field in any of those seasons, which might have pumped in all these confidence into Beasley’s system to talk so candidly about campaigning for more minutes. That said, he’s played in just 76 games the past two seasons, and he still has deficiencies on other parts of his game to work on.

The NBA has evolved to the point that being one-dimensional just won’t cut it for players aspiring to get top minutes like what Beasley is asking indirectly of the Knicks.

Beasley signed with the New York this offseason on a one-year deal that’s worth the veteran’s minimum.