In July 2012, Patrick Beverley participated in the Chicago Bulls’ summer-league minicamp at the Berto Center, an undrafted player aching for an opportunity to play for his hometown franchise.
So, yes, the newest Bull had a moment Wednesday when, after 11 years in the NBA and four teams, he finally practiced with the real team following his acquisition from the buyout market.
“Obviously, an honor. The way I play, I run through a wall for any team. This is even more,” Beverley said at the Advocate Center. “It’s the city where I’m from, so I don’t know what might happen. I might pull some (expletive) out I ain’t never did before. I’m super stoked and can’t wait to get started. This is good energy, fresh energy.”
Beverley’s excitement for his latest opportunity, which arrived when the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Orlando Magic and he agreed to a buyout and after the Bulls had a dalliance with Russell Westbrook, was palpable. He said his phone is filled with text messages from family and friends, who know his first priority and focus for now is to impact winning for his new team.
“Energy and effort,” Beverley said in answer to what he can bring to the Bulls. “The game is about putting the ball in the hole and stopping the other team from putting the ball in the hole. When it comes to shooting and stopping people, I’m pretty good at that. I just want to keep that going. Whatever my persona or attitude is, kind of bring some of that on the team.”
That persona and attitude has been present since Beverley was trading proverbial blows with Derrick Rose’s Simeon squad as Beverley played for Marshall High at the IHSA State tournament. Beverley said his leadership style comes in part from his grandmother, who helped raise 11 kids.
And Beverley said strong, longstanding friendships with DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Billy Donovan will allow him to implement his style and use his voice immediately.
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“My voice is always the same. I echo the same thing and that’s all about winning,” Beverley said. “I don’t echo, ‘Give me the ball.’ I don’t echo, ‘I want to do it my way.’ My echo has always been winning and impact winning at any level.”
The Lakers have yet to play the Bulls this season, so Beverley hadn’t faced his hometown team in person. But with the Bulls currently out of the playoff picture and riding a season-high, six-game losing streak, Beverley said fixing the fortunes is possible.
“In every game. Just gotta learn how to finish,” he said. “You got problems like that, those are good problems. You can adjust those. It doesn’t take a lot of cooks in the kitchen to fix those type of problems. I’m excited to see where it goes.”
In fact, Beverley said this situation reminds him of last season in Minnesota, where Beverley helped propel the Timberwolves to their first in four years and jumped on a scorer’s table to celebrate before collapsing in a ball of emotion.
Even trading Los Angeles’ sunny weather for Chicago’s, well, Wednesday yuck made him feel welcome.
“The weather kind of made it, ‘OK, I’m home now’ when I got off the plane. It’s a vibe here,” Beverley said. “The morale of the team is very excited to hoop again and try to make a playoff push.”