The Patrick Beverley-Chris Paul beef has been one of the bigger storylines of the NBA Playoffs so far, despite it all unfolding off the court.
Basketball Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady can only empathize with Beverley, even if he can’t speak for him, and when he joined Carton & Roberts on WFAN Thursday, T-Mac chastised those chastising Beverley for his opinions.
“Is he taking shots, or is he telling the truth? I can’t answer that because I don’t know how he feels – but why are we hating on a guy for speaking his truth?” McGrady asked. “He’s played against Chris Paul and they were traded for each other one point; I get it that CP3 should be well-respected, but why are we knocking a guy trying to express his truth about another player?”
Beverley and Paul had beef last season, with Beverley suspended one game for pushing CP3, but it was the Timberwolves guard’s comments on ESPN after the Suns were eliminated from the playoffs – stating that Paul should’ve been benched in their blowout loss in the final game, and that he’s a “cone” who can’t guard anyone anymore – that brought the beef back to the forefront.
In his role as a playoff analyst on ESPN this year, Beverley has given a lot of hot takes and spicy opinions, and T-Mac, when asked about his own experiences, recalled that he had to earn his respect in the NBA.
“I came in when some of the veterans were legends of the game; Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing,” he said. “I got treated as a rookie, but that’s how I earned that respect.”
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He also recalled his biggest detractor: his first head coach in Toronto, Darrell Walker.
“It wasn’t about being cocky – I felt coming in as a rookie I was good enough to be playing – but I was just bumping heads with a head coach who had something against young players,” McGrady recalled. “I had all the physical tools and was mentally tough enough to play the game, but he wasn’t feeling me. It’s like, well, okay, coach, be a leader. Give me structure. Help me develop as a player that I know I can become. Don’t tear me down and not build me up.”
McGrady eventually got over it, and admitted he didn’t carry a grudge when he left Toronto for Orlando – but it did motivate him while he was north of the border.
“My mission and path was different (in Orlando),” McGrady said, “but in Toronto, proving him wrong was my motivation. He said I’d be out of the league in three years? I took that personally, and it was a chip on my shoulder.”
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