I’m getting real tired of Pat Bev’s Vontaze Burfict routine.
I like basketball. I like that it’s supposed to be as contact-free as possible to avoid (and not promote) injuries.
I also like when the game gets a bit physical, a bit chippy. There’s absolutely a place in the game for chippy, aggressive play.
Pat Bev’s brand of basketball crosses the line.
If you remember, Pat Bev’s first career highlight (if you can call it that) was diving directly into Russell Westbrook’s knee diving for a loose ball in Game 2 of the Rockets’ first-round matchup with OKC.
The collision left Westbrook with a torn meniscus and saw him sidelined for the remainder of the 2013 playoffs.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Beverley tried to do the exact same shit again the very next season, driving through Westbrook’s knee as he backed down to call a timeout.
Lucky for Westbrook, he managed to avoid injury this time, but he was pissed.
Beverley then made a name for himself with his “physical” brand of basketball where referees routinely allowed him to foul opposing players without much of a whistle.
He even won the Hustle Award, which usually just means you suck so bad at everything else that we gave you this.
After a few seasons in H-Town launching himself at people’s extremities, he got shipped to LA to play for the Clippers.
Beverley got into a number of feuds while he was there, and in deference to him, most of those were “playing hard” on the court and not reckless behavior.
With that said, his enduring moment in a Clippers uniform came against the Suns in the 2021 Western Conference Finals.
In the series-clinching win for the Suns, a timeout was called. Both teams began to return to their huddles, and like the Sun itself, Patrick Beverley remained in Chris Paul’s orbit after the whistle.
Pursuing an unknowing Paul from behind, Beverley loaded up his arms and gave CP3 a shove, sending him sliding across the floor like a bowling ball.
Beverley found himself tossed for the push and suspended an additional game at the beginning of the 2021-22 season to compensate.
That would be Beverley’s final moment in a Clippers jersey as he would be traded with other players for Eric Bledsoe in a trade to the Timberwolves in the offseason.
After having one of the worst season’s of his pro career, Beverley jumped onto the scorer’s table after a 109-104 victory over the Clippers in the 2022 Play-In Tournament in a scene similar to this:
They went on to lose their series against the Grizzlies in six games with Pat Bev’s style of play leading the way with a paltry 11ppg.
In the offseason, he was traded to Utah before being traded yet again to the Lakers where he’s now teammates with…
Wait a minute.
No, that can’t be right.
*checks notes*
No way.
He’s teammates with Russell Westbrook.
Yes, that Russell Westbrook that he stole a ligament from.
The NBA world can be a bit of a weird place from time to time, and these two yucking it up and being friendly with each other is certainly one of the weirder turns I’ve ever seen.
In his 14 games so far with the Lake Show, Pat Bev has been abysmal.
He’s currently averaging 4.1ppg on 26% from the floor and 23% from 3 on 4.6 attempts per game.
Instead of allowing this dip in performance to humble him, he’s decided to take it out on other teams and players.
Enter DeAndre Ayton.
In last week’s matchup with the Suns, the Lakers played a surprisingly competitive game against the desert dwellers.
Down 10 points with under 4min to go, Austin Reeves drove on Devin Booker, and in an attempt to play good defense, Booker fouled Reeves on the shot.
Ayton caught the deflected ball and stood over Reeves, who likely felt that the Lakers’ rookie flopped.
Out of nowhere, Beverley did what he does best and inserted himself in a situation that didn’t involve him, bodychecking the 7ft Ayton in the back.
Ayton’s feet then tripped over Reeves, and he collapsed hard to the ground. Beverley then found himself rightfully ejected and subsequently suspended.
Unfortunately, many Lakers have come to Beverley’s defense, saying they would’ve done the same thing (they didn’t and wouldn’t.)
Beverley hasn’t shown any remorse for his actions, and frankly, I’m getting sick of this dude.
In another sports league, we’ve seen a player get permanently blackballed for reckless aggression: Vontaze Burfict.
Burfict was a gritty enforcer on the football field when he made his way to the Bengals’ roster. He continued to exhibit this reputation through the years, making players league-wide visit the medical tent and get a fuzzy light shined in their eyes.
After several suspensions for egregious hits, Burfict continued to hit people the exact wrong way, and during his most recent stint with the Raiders, he was found to have hit two Colts’ players in the head and was suspended for the rest of 2019.
Since then, Burfict hasn’t declared retirement and has sought out being a football field again, but no one is willing to accept the risk of having him.
In all, Burfict’s career was marred with nearly $6mil in fines and found himself sent home 22 times for assaulting other players.
In a sport designed to not embrace contact, Pat Bev’s behavior has gone on long enough and needs to be looked at with a more magnified lens.
Is this how we want the players of tomorrow to play?
I don’t think so.
The Wide World of Dirt 
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