Getty Patrick Beverley #21 and DeMar DeRozan #11 of the Chicago Bulls.
There is a challenger to Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan’s throne for the team’s most creative wordsmith.
“If I’m a spoon, [Bulls head coach Billy Donovan] is using me as a spoon,” Beverley said of his fit with his new squad, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press. “The Lakers, you know, I was a spoon and they used me as a fork.”
That doozy of an analogy is humorous but also quite telling.
The Lakers are at risk of falling into 10th in the Western Conference with the loss to Chicago and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder both notching victories. But, more pertinent to Beverley’s comment, they were also just beaten by a player they rostered earlier this very season — a player they openly admitted to using in a role that he was not suited for whereas the Bulls keep him at the point of attack.
Oh wait they just came out and said it I forgot
t.co/IOaszcCOnH
Beverley finished this game with 10 points, five assists, four rebounds, and one steal. Since coming to Chicago he is averaging 6.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists.
Perhaps, that is part of why Beverley sought a change of scenery.
“To some people it can be that, ‘Pat Bev got traded’,” Beverley said on the ‘Pat Bev Podcast with Rone’ on February 28. “When in all reality it was like oh I didn’t like what was going on. Let’s find a better home for me.”
Beverley was traded to the Orlando Magic for Mo Bamba who has been sidelined for the last couple of weeks with an ankle injury.
The Bulls are now 10-5 since signing Beverley after Orlando waived him.
Patrick Beverley walking right by Darvin Ham and Rob Pelinka
They have solidified their standing as the 10-seed in a still competitive Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament race. More encouraging, they have put themselves in a position to continue their ascendence with the eight-seed well within reach.
Even the six-seed – where they finished last season – is still in play, though unlikely.
While it is possible, it is fair to wonder if they would have been able to sustain this high level of play were it not for Beverley’s persistent fire which can lead to some hairy situations.
“It’s everything,” said teammate Zach LaVine — whom Beverley has been a big supporter of — per Mayberry. “Give credit to Pat for coming in here and giving us a jump of life, energy, a vocal leader. Give us credit for understanding the situation and going out there and playing desperate. If we keep playing like this, I think we’ll be OK.”
Patrick Beverley Gets NSFE Over Supposed Troll
Beverley made waves earlier in the week claiming that he wanted to put a dent in the Lakers’ playoff chances (which he did). That was met with a challenge from Lakers’s big man and fellow Chicago native Anthony Davis who urged Beverley to “try it”.
Things seemingly got ratcheted up after Beverley shared a post hawking toilet paper noting his return to Los Angeles.
Rollin’ back to Cali this weekend. Get your cameras out. 📹🧻 @charmin #charminpartner
“I got paid a ton of money to post something, and I was late posting it by like a week so I didn’t want the window to close,” Beverley said via the ‘NBA Action’ YouTube channel. “Good timing, bad timing. Whatever the f***, I don’t know. I’m not out here trying to troll anybody. I’m out here to be a basketball player. I’ll let you guys do all that.”
Patrick Beverley Gets Honest About Taunting LeBron James
Beverley did get a bit of trolling done during the game, hitting LeBron James with a gesture indicating he was “too little” to guard the outspoken guard.
Pat Bev said, ” YOU’RE TOO SMALL, LEBRON” 😂
“I do it to everybody,” Beverley said with a smile. “Just getting lost in the game, having fun, man. We’re not construction workers. We’re not guys that have to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning. We’re professional basketball players. It’s all about having fun, man. That’s what…I try to do.”
The Bulls are the ones smiling now but they would be wise to remain on high alert with the Lakers set to visit the United Center on March 29. They wouldn’t want a repeat of the home-and-home against the Philadelphia 76ers went they took it to the Sixers’ on the road but got shellacked at home leaving Donovan to harken back to last year’s playoffs.