Getty Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors and Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers
Patrick Beverley made headlines recently in an appearance as an NBA analyst, but especially on Monday, May 16, after his appearance on ESPN’s Get Up following game seven between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks. Perhaps still bitter about his team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, being eliminated by Paul and the Suns, Beverley unleashed an epic rant on the future Hall of Fame point guard.
“CP can’t guard nobody man. Everybody in the NBA know that. … He’s a cone. … Give him the Ben Simmons slander.”
(via @GetUpESPN)
“Ain’t nobody worried about Chris Paul and the Suns,” said Beverley. “Don’t get it twisted. He can’t guard. He can’t and everyone knows that… CP can’t guard anybody, man, everybody in the NBA know that.”
Beverley added his opinion that the Suns should have benched Paul.
“First off, I’m going to get a lot for this, but I don’t really care. They benched the wrong person. Should’ve benched [Chris Paul],” he said. “And I’m not saying bench him now. Once you see they started attacking Chris early and you know that might become a problem later on, you need to see how the team works without Chris in the game a little bit. I got benched. We won, though, so you don’t even remember that. So as a coach, you have to understand, they’re attacking my main guy, I can’t get buckets from him, I have to make an adjustment, whatever that adjustment is.”
Chris Paul wasn’t the only place Beverley tossed criticism in his time on ESPN.
Beverley’s Nets Criticism
On Tuesday, May 17, the Timberwolves guard added to his list of critiques again on another appearance on ESPN’s Get Up. In a rapid-fire segment, Beverley was asked if KD and Kyrie Irving could bring a championship to Brooklyn. His answer to each leg of the question was simply that the Nets need “a lot of help.”
.@patbev21 was at a loss for words answering these NBA questions 👀😂
After multiple reiterations of the Nets needing “a lot of help,” he gave a brief elaboration to follow.
“Can they bring a title to Brooklyn? They need a lot of help…three really good teams that’s gonna be in Eastern Conference next year for sure,” said Beverley.
Surely, Beverley is not the first to have criticism of the Nets’ supporting cast that surrounds their stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Many called out general manager Sean Marks for some of his roster moves this postseason. Now, ahead of the postseason, Brooklyn is making plans on elevating themselves to the next level, and recent comments suggest that that remains in the hope of Ben Simmons in a new role that head coach Steve Nash laid out last week.
Reaction to Beverley’s Comments
While Beverley’s comments have been shared, written about, and broadcasted extensively in the hours following a few NBA players have taken exception to his remarks.
Former NBA player, and former teammate of Paul’s, Matt Barnes took to NBA Today to share his thoughts on what Beverley said.
“There’s a thin line between being critical and disrespecting,” said Barnes. “And I feel like what Pat Beverley did today to Chris Paul, was completely disrespectful and out of the line.”
Barnes’ words didn’t stop there.
“Patrick Beverley’s talking like he’s that guy. You’re not that guy. Plain and simple. Chris Paul played terrible this year & his numbers are still better than your career numbers have ever been… Pat Bev and I were similar-type role players and they don’t talk when we go. They’re going to talk about CP3 when he’s done. I just think the direct we saw today on the ESPN shows needs to be checked because he was way out of pocket… All he needed was the red clown nose because he was talking like a clown… I know no one else is gonna tell him that so I’m gonna tell him that.”
And Matt Barnes was not the only NBA player to take exception to his comments. Damian Lillard added his thoughts as well on Twitter saying.
“Bra on TV acting like his word law,” Lillard wrote. “Speaking on private convos and praying on mfs downfall. This weird behavior smh … I ain’t got a horse in the race.”