It’s not all roses between Patrick Beverley and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
On the debut episode of The Pat Bev Podcast, Beverley admitted that he was angered that Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch wasn’t the first person to call and tell him that he’d been traded to the Utah Jazz in the blockbuster deal that sent Rudy Gobert to Minnesota over the summer.
“When I get the call for the trade, I feel like the call should’ve came from the coach. That’s where my anger came from. Not eight hours later or seven hours later when the dust is starting to clear,” said Beverley.
Easily motivated, Beverley has found more fuel and plans to use it to “smoke” the Timberwolves if gets to play them in the playoffs.
“I respect that more. Just be real, especially when we have that type of relationship. That was my only issue,” he said of Finch not calling right away. “But that’s all I need now to play them in the playoffs and smoke their ass. That’s all I need, just that little bit.”
Beverley assumes the Wolves will pile up wins during the regular season and have no trouble making the playoffs, but that’s when he thinks they’ll run into a challenge.
“When it comes to winning a lot of games and making the playoffs, I don’t think they’re going to have a problem there. I think their problem is going to come when things get hard, who’s going to pick [people] up?” he said.
“Who’s the veteran over there that’s gonna, you know, when things get hard can go in the mud? Battle tested, battle proven. I think that’s the issue that they’re going to face.”
Beverley is expected to be in the Lakers starting lineup alongside Russell Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That group is scheduled to face the Timberwolves three times during the regular season.
- Oct. 28: Lakers at Timberwolves
- Mar. 3: Timberwolves at Lakers
- Mar. 31: Lakers at Timberwolves
They also meet Wednesday night in a preseason game at Staples Center in L.A.
Related: Towns, Gobert to debut together in final preseason game
Related: No reasons Timberwolves shouldn’t get off to a fast start
