Getty Chicago Bulls point guard Patrick Beverley reacts during a game against the LA Clippers.
Patrick Beverley’s relationship status with the Los Angeles Lakers probably warrants the “It’s complicated” tag at this point. After the veteran signed his rest-of-season deal with the Chicago Bulls following a trade from the purple and gold (and a buyout in Orlando), Beverley issued something of a warning to his former team.
“Knock them out the playoffs,” he said on The Pat Bev Podcast in February when asked what his objective would be in reuniting with the Lakers for games on March 26 and 29. “We gotta get in the playoffs. So, excuse us — like, a little elbow scooch.”
During the first of those contests — a 118-108 win at Crypto.com Arena — Beverley took the saltiness to a whole new level when he got into it with Lakers fan/Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and hit LeBron James with a “too small” taunt after making a shot over him.
Those antics notwithstanding, Lakers coach Darvin Ham had only good things to say about his former floor general heading into Wednesday’s rematch.
Lakers Coach Darvin Ham Sounds Off on Patrick Beverley’s Professionalism
Regarding Beverley’s on-court antics and recent commentary — the latter of which also includes Pat Bev saying Ham used him like a “fork” when he’s actually a “spoon.” — the Lakers coach noted that he’s not really checking up on his former player’s comings and goings.
“As one of the few cave people that’s still around, I’m not on social media so I don’t see a lot of that stuff,” Ham said, via Lakers Nation.
And while he did confess that some of those things may have been brought to his attention by others, he was overwhelmingly positive in his assessment of Beverley’s Lakers tenure and everything he brings to the table as a basketball player
“Sometimes it’s texted to me, screenshots or something. But all in all, me personally, I appreciate everything Pat did in trying to do everything myself and my coaching staff asked of him. He’s a hell of a pro and wherever he goes, his impact is felt. I wish him nothing but the best.”
In his first game against Los Angeles over the weekend, Beverley scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and added five assists, four rebounds, a steal and zero turnovers in 23 minutes of play.
Bulls Andre Drummond Missing Lakers Rematch Due to Personal Reasons
Big man Andre Drummond acquitted himself particularly well during Chicago’s previous go-round with LeBron and Co. In 18 minutes of action, the two-time NBA All-Star turned backup pivot scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting while grabbing eight boards and nabbing two steals.
Meanwhile, the Bulls outscored the Lakers by 20 points when he was on the court — the best mark teamwide.
Alas, Drummond was scratched from Wednesday’s game due to personal reasons. His absence came one day after the baller announced he would be deleting his social media accounts in order to focus on his mental health.
“Your heart goes out for anybody. I think a lot of times as we come here and play games, there’s also a human side and personal side to all these guys. And you feel bad when anybody is going through something like that,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said, via NBC Sports Chicago.
“I think you try to give as much support as you can. We have the resources inside the organization to help.”