NEWSLETTER
After Patrick Beverley spoke to reporters for the first time as a Chicago Bull on Wednesday night, Zach LaVine immediately took the lectern.
The Bulls max player went on Instagram this week to voice his excitement about his team’s mid-season pick-up, and we now understand where that excitement stems from. LaVine shared that he’s been trying to recruit Beverley to Chicago for the past couple of seasons, giving quite the high praise when asked about the kind of energy the vet can bring to the team.
“Maybe a lot of you guys don’t know, I was trying to get Pat here at least a year or two ago. I’ve been texting him,” LaVine said after the team’s first post-All-Star-break practice. “We used to be at the same agency. He’s somebody you hate to play against but love as a teammate. You know what he brings, the type of mentality he brings. We’ve been missing that.
I think we’ve been missing that since Thad was here. A vocal leader, somebody that is very out and open with how he thinks about things and how he approaches the game I think it’s great to have someone like that on the team.”
LaVine isn’t going to throw around Thaddeus Young’s name lightly. Not only is the former Bulls forward one of the NBA’s most revered teammates and veterans, but he’s long held a close relationship with LaVine dating back to their days in Minnesota. Indeed, the fact the two-time All-Star compared Beverley’s potential off-court impact to Young’s only further underscores how respected he is.
Having said that, I do think these are somewhat startling words for LaVine to speak. While I don’t want to sit here and overthink the comments, it’s certainly concerning that he feels this team has been missing a vocal leader since Young left two seasons ago. In fact, it’s also kind of a self-own, if you will, as LaVine should be the one taking on a larger leadership role.
But, again, I don’t want to necessarily overthink this because I do get what he’s saying. There are those glue-guy role players who are needed on every team. Somebody has to not be afraid to shake things up and make others uncomfortable. According to LaVine, he expects Beverley to do just that and has already heard him barking out some orders.
“Pat doesn’t want me to pass the ball,” LaVine laughed. “Obviously, I’m going to play my game either way. But, Pat, he’s going to be great for all of us. He’s going to hold people accountable – from the best player on the team to the coaching staff to himself … that’s what you want. I think that’s what we needed.”
I also think it’s at least worth a note that LaVine has wanted Beverley in Chicago … and now he’s in Chicago. Could it have merely been a coincidence? Sure. But we know that front offices like to take what their max talent says to heart, and I think this could be an example of the organization still very much valuing LaVine’s overall happiness. I just think that’s something we might as well keep in mind as those LaVine rumors continue to swirl.
