Patrick Beverley says Suns should have benched Chris Paul in blowout loss — 'He's a cone'
Patrick Beverley has a lot to say about Chris Paul.
On Monday morning, less than 12 hours after the Phoenix Suns got embarrassingly eliminated from the playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks, 123-90, Beverley woke up bright and early to talk about the Suns' Chris Paul on ESPN. The Minnesota Timberwolves player was in full-on truth mode, and let his opinions fly.
Pat Bev: Chris Paul should have been benched
Beverley's first declaration about Paul was that Suns head coach Monty Williams should have benched him instead of DeAndre Ayton. Paul had just 10 points with four assists against the Mavs, and he didn't make his first field goal until the third quarter — when the Suns were already down by 40.
.@patbev21 says the Suns should've benched Chris Paul instead of Deandre Ayton 👀
"They benched the wrong person. They should've benched Chris."
(via @GetUpESPN) pic.twitter.com/wjMBWVybRV— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 16, 2022
"Coach the game, not the player," Beverley said.
Pat Bev: CP3 can't guard anyone
Next, Beverley called Paul a "cone" who can't guard anyone anymore, and called on people to give him "the Ben Simmons slander."
“CP can’t guard nobody man. Everybody in the NBA know that. ... He’s a cone. ... Give him the Ben Simmons slander.”
👀 @patbev21
(via @GetUpESPN) pic.twitter.com/9bh8HOdJ0J— ESPN (@espn) May 16, 2022
Pat Bev on @GetUpESPN: "CP can’t guard anybody man. Everybody in the NBA know that. You know those cones in the summer that you dribble around? What does the cone do? Nothing. He’s a cone... It’s just that y’all don't want to accept that. Give him the Ben Simmons slander."
— Jenna Lemoncelli (@jennalemoncelli) May 16, 2022
Those are some sharp words about a guaranteed Hall of Famer (though calling him a traffic cone is hilarious), but Pat Bev had even more.
Pat Bev just now on ESPN:
"Do i go to bed at 10 pm the night before playing Chris Paul? .. Hell no.
But if i'm playing Steph Curry tomorrow, i'm going to bed at 8 o'clock. Telling my girl not to call me!"— sam samolians (@SamoliansSam) May 16, 2022
Pat Bev: CP3 doesn't 'deserve' championship more than anyone else
Beverley's CP3 chatter started on Sunday night, after the Suns got blown out and Paul again lost an opportunity to get his first championship ring. Former NBA player Jeremy Lin tweeted that he thinks Paul "deserves" to win a championship before he retires, but Pat Bev was having none of it.
What u mean deserve why does he deserves it more?? https://t.co/Y0t0Sxbabu
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) May 16, 2022
Lin was trying to make the point that Paul has spent 17 years in the NBA and is considered to be one of the best point guards of all time, and winning a championship would be a heckuva topper to an outstanding career. Beverley obviously thinks differently. Either way, not winning a championship wouldn't make him less worthy of the Hall of Fame. Patrick Ewing never won a championship, and neither did Charles Barkley or Elgin Baylor. That's pretty great company to be in.
Damian Lillard, Matt Barnes not here for Beverley's take
Beverley's comments drew backlash from some fellow NBA players — one current and one former. Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Damian Lillard can't fathom why Beverley's attacking Paul.
@patbev21 what CP do to you?
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 16, 2022
Bra on TV acting like his word law. Speaking on private convos and praying on mfs downfall. This weird behavior smh 🤷🏽♂️ … I ain’t got a horse in the race https://t.co/F6Cln8BBst
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 16, 2022
He also turned the tables on Beverley, suggesting that maybe he's not in the best position to criticize a future Hall of Famer.
Cuz nobody guarding this man . https://t.co/MlnKvLvWrh
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 16, 2022
Barnes, now working for ESPN after a 14-season NBA career, took a more direct approach in calling Beverley out.
.@Matt_Barnes22 sounded off on Patrick Beverley’s criticism of Chris Paul.
“The disrespect we saw earlier today on the ESPN show needs to be checked because he was way out of pocket.”
🎥: @espn
pic.twitter.com/3aqF9T7KzH— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 (@sportingnews) May 16, 2022
"I feel like what Pat Beverley did today to Chris Paul was completely disrespectful and out of the line," Barnes said on ESPN. "Pat Beverley's 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. ...
"All he needed was the red clown nose, 'cause he was out there talking like a clown today. ... I know no one else is gonna tell him that, so I'm gonna tell him that."
