First reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday afternoon, Patrick Beverley has signed with the Chicago Bulls for the remaining 23 games of the 2022-23' season. Chicago sits two games out of the play-in tournament and is slated to miss the playoffs entirely. Desperately needing a sense of urgency and a true point guard, Beverley embodies each of the two and may be the saving grace that catapults the Bulls to the postseason. Having only missed the playoffs once in his 10-year NBA career, he'll undoubtedly be on a mission with the odds stacked against him for the last two months of the regular season. When asked about some of the players he'd be taking the floor with, he had some answers that were par for the course, given his underdog mentality and fierce competitive spirit.
Coming Home
"I get to rep my city on my chest, like prideful. If you think I went hard for other teams, just imagine how hard imma go for this one, just excited man."
Patrick Beverley via The Pat Bev Pod
"Taking my talents back home," says Patrick Beverley on a podcast that just gained a city full of listeners. Sponsored by Barstool Sports, Patrick Beverley hosts The Pat Bev Pod, and on his latest episode, spent some time talking about the excitement and privilege of playing back home and joining the Chicago Bulls for the remainder of the season. He wasted no time also mentioning that Chicago will play the Los Angeles Lakers twice in the final few months, and his only intention is to "knock them out of the playoffs."
"They Didn't Bring Me Here To Tank"
While tanking is still mathematically the best option for Chicago, this move closes the door on that prospect and means the Bulls are full steam ahead for a play-in tournament berth. Not all hope is lost, they currently have the 19th weakest 'Strength Of Schedule' metric league-wide for the remainder of the season, and only one team above them in the Eastern Conference has an easier slate of games ahead, meaning there's a lot of winnable games in the future for the Bulls and opportunity to climb the ranks.
Windy City Hype
Beverley ran down the Bulls' organization and highlighted the top assets during his summary, including head coach Billy Donovan and the big three of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic. He had some firey words when referencing how he'll treat each of his new teammates and the impact he plans to make starting with his debut on Friday, February 24th, against the Brooklyn Nets. Here's what he had to say about each of his fellow Chicago Bulls after choosing his hometown franchise over the Golden State Warriors.
"I F--- With Billy Donovan I really do, I like his structure and how he goes about things, I couldn't say no to that."
Patrick Beverley via The Pat Bev Pod
Continuing to who he'd be sharing the court with, he's no stranger to the weaknesses Chicago has run into this season, including missing a true point guard, lacking a sense of urgency and pride on the floor, and defensive intensity for 48 minutes a night. While from an outside perspective, his words may seem dicey or problematic, many NBA fans know that Beverley is a player you want on your side and that his antics and energy are contagious throughout any roster he's on. Bulls' players may be in store for the wake-up call and intense accountability they've lacked for the entire 2022-23' campaign.
In a last-ditch effort to save the season, Arturas Karnisovas has finally made his first transaction of the season, and although it might be well overdue and moderately underwhelming, it's done nevertheless. They'll officially be chasing the 15% chance to squeeze into the postseason.
Does this push the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs, or is it too little, too late, and they'll be sitting on the couch after these last 23 regular season games? Vote below!
