The lines get blurred with Patrick Beverley.
There’s the Chicago basketball player who goes through it and talks about it, and there’s the podcaster who sometimes seems to be trying to create his own material.
Who is the real Patrick Beverley?
It is likely that both are, and this was evident in the Bucks resounding victory 113-97 Friday against the Bulls at the United Center.
Beverley, who was a Bull during the second half of last season, returned home to play an irritating role and scored 14 points coming off the bench to help the Bucks win their fifth straight game.
He had run-ins with DeMar DeRozan and Ayo Dosunmu and words with Nikola Vucevic.
This was all familiar territory for Beverley.
The Bulls went 14-9 with Beverley last season, arguably playing some of their best basketball after adding their hometown kid, but it wasn’t all great in the locker room .
The Sun-Times reported last March that Vucevic was embarrassed by the accusations that immediately surfaced after Beverley’s arrival, and that he was not alone. There were enough issues that when exit interviews took place between the players and the front office, it became clear that Beverley – a free agent – had to leave despite Beverley’s success and desire to stay with the Bulls .
Beverley shooting just 30.9% from three-point range made it easier to pick up Jevon Carter and sell him to the fan base by improving the shooting profile, but the loss to the Bucks was a reminder of another poor decision made by the executive vice-president. of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas.
Beverley helped turn the tide in her 18 minutes; Carter was not a factor for four uneventful minutes.
“Basketball is obviously a physical game,” Beverley told reporters when asked about his struggles. “I didn’t know how big the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls were until [Friday]. But that’s how the game is. It’s physical. You’re going to be hit. I like being the guy who hits people instead of getting hit.
In other words, be the hammer, not the nail, a motto these Bulls never fully embraced or understood.
The loss to the Bucks was a reminder of how far the Bulls are from being a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference and how the team’s roster might not be strong enough to handle adversity even if the level of talent was higher.
Too much emphasis on altar boys, not enough bad boys.
It’s just another box to check off on the offseason to-do list.
Beverley wasn’t the answer for this group, but that doesn’t mean adding a player who makes things uncomfortable shouldn’t be a priority.
Given the contracts and makeup of this Bulls team, there’s a good chance not much will change from a personnel standpoint. Maybe the Bulls will let DeRozan enter free agency, but all signs point to them trying to bring him back.
DeRozan is a great leader and an elite worker, but the good cop needs a bad cop. And it’s not Vucevic, and it’s definitely not Zach LaVine.
Coby White has established himself as a vocal leader, but he doesn’t act out of discomfort. At least not yet. Perhaps with another offseason and even more confidence, White returns looking to hold his teammates more accountable.
Either way, something needs to change.
Beverley reminded everyone. He always does.
