NEWSLETTER
Patrick Beverley could have played for the defending champions.
According to the man himself on the latest episode of the Pat Bev Podcast, his post-buyout options were boiled down to two teams: The Golden State Warriors and the Chicago Bulls. While immediately booking a ticket for San Francisco may have seemed like the easy decision, Beverley made it sound like he didn’t hesitate to do the opposite:
“It was between Golden State and the Bulls, and I mean the Bulls have been after me the last couple of years. And, I f**k with Billy Donovan, I really do,” Beverley said on his podcast. I like how he goes about things. So I couldn’t kind of say no to that. Obviously, it’s always good to play with a lot of great talent in Golden State, but there’s a lot of guards over there, ya know? So I figured I could make a playoff push with the Bulls right now and kind of pump them up a little bit. The East is kind of weak right now.”
Of course, we’ll have to take Beverley’s word when it comes to how genuine the Warriors’ interest was. But working under the assumption that he did have the choice between the two, you certainly have to respect him for picking the lane he did.
We all know the Bulls’ have a much more dark and cloudy path to the postseason. The organization is currently 11th in the Eastern Conference and on pace for just 36 wins. While at least cracking the Play-in Tournament might be in the cards, actually securing a first-round series will be a tough uphill battle.
I guess tough is what Beverley is all about, though. Not only has he built a reputation for being a hard-nosed defender whose mouth is rarely shut, but he does get to call himself a true Chicago hooper. The Bulls’ new point guard played his high school basketball at John Marshall. Now, 17 years later, he’ll sport a Chicago Bulls jersey less than 2 miles away.
And it sure sounds like that close-to-home feel played at least a small part in his decision:
“I get to rep my city on my chest proudfully. If you think I went hard for other teams just imagine how I’m going to go hard for this one,” Beverley said.
Still, a feel-good story is only as good as its ending. As fun as it might be to see the smile on Beverley’s face when he walks into the United Center, what will matter most is the impact he brings on the floor and in the locker room.
The good news is that Beverley feels like the best fit among the buyout candidates the Bulls were originally linked to. He may not be the kind of true point guard and ball distributor this group needs, but he is an unselfish player who has made filling a complementary role his whole career.
We’ve seen this show up mostly on the defensive end, where Beverley has finished as a plus defender every season of his career. But it’s also his willingness to hunt down an offensive rebound, push the ball up the court, and find the right spot to nail a catch-and-shoot 3 that could prove valuable for this Bulls team.
Now, will his skills help significantly bolster Chicago’s struggling halfcourt offense? It’s not likely … but maybe his mouth can. If anyone is going to say what needs to be said and try to motivate his teammates with a little tough love, it’s Beverley.
“You know me, I’m going to be on Zach LaVine’s ass,” Beverley said. I’m going to give him all the energy he needs. Destroy people. Me and DeMar DeRozan, we’re good … I’m excited, man. I’m really excited.”
For the first time in several weeks, I can say I’m a little excited, too. We’ll see if that changes tomorrow night when the Bulls resume action against the Brooklyn Nets.
You can catch Beverley’s full interview below:
