Matt Barnes calls Patrick Beverly a clown for the Chris Paul slander: "You're not that guy"
Patrick Beverly, Chris Paul, and Matt Barnes
© Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports © Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports
Patrick Beverly and his Wolves might be out of the playoffs, but the loudmouth guard made sure to keep his name in the headlines. Beverly made a few appearances on ESPN yesterday and went in on Chris Paul on various occasions with almost perfect timing after the Suns went out the way they did. Beverly didn't hold back, and it obviously drew a lot of reactions from the NBA world.
Long time beef
We all knew Beverly and Paul don't particularly like each other, and it definitely transpired in last year's playoffs when Pat shoved CP3 from the back in the WCF before getting eliminated. Beverly was faced with harsh criticism back then, but it looks like he hasn't learned a lesson.
Pat went on ESPN and, in his style, spoke his mind without holding back the slightest. The main target was Chris Paul, calling him a cone on defense, fraud, and someone nobody in the league fears. Stephen A., on the other side, couldn't fathom what Beverly was saying, but Pat was dead serious and firing on all cylinders.
Recommended Articles
Those comments made the rounds over the NBA world today, and obviously, a lot of people stepped into the defense of one of the best point guards in history. CP3 maybe shrank versus the Mavs when it mattered, but it doesn't mean his peers will let him become the main target of criticism.
CP3's former teammate with the Clippers, Matt Barnes, is also known as a tough guy that never held back from voicing his opinion. Matt maybe gave the best response to Beverly's words, destroying him with facts and defending his brother Chris.
"There's a thin line between being critical and disrespecting. And I feel like what Pat Beverley did today to Chris Paul was completely disrespectful and out of the line. And Pat Beverley talking like he's that guy. You're not that guy, plain and simple. Chris Paul played terrible this series, and his numbers are still better than your career numbers have ever been. I just think you have to understand, Chris is a 12x All-Star, 7x first team All-Defense, he'll be a Hall-of-Famer. Pat Bev and I are similar type role players. They don't talk about us when we go. They're gonna talk about CP3 when he's done and I just think the disrespect we saw earlier today on ESPN show needs to be checked cause it was way out of pocket."
Matt Barnes, ESPN
The verdict
It's safe to say that Barnes really roasted Beverly and put him in his place. Although it's fun, especially for us fans, to see a character like Beverly go at all the biggest stars in the game and annoy them, you have to know when to draw the line.
Beverly is a good role player, but he talks way more than he back up with his game. Being nowhere near Paul's level doesn't sit well with Pav. However, that doesn't justify him constantly attacking the star point guard. But all that matter is that the players and coaches will stand up for CP3 and acknowledge that Beverly's opinion doesn't really mean that much.
