Patrick Beverley spent 45 games as part of the basketball cacauphony that was the Los Angeles Lakers. After being traded to and being bought out by the Orlando Magic, Beverley signed with the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls have went 8-5 in the 13 games since Beverely’s arrival in the Windy City and the veteran guard offered his opionion on differences in between the fanbases of his former and current teams, sayng this on his podcast (via NBA Central):
“I play a bad game with Chicago, I ain’t gotta look on Twitter and hear ‘he’s a bum, get him outta here!’Like I was hearing that s**t in L.A.”
Lakers fans have become accostomed to a certain level of success and as their team has won 17 NBA chammpionships, the high level of expectation is underdstandable. Howevver what Beverley is alluding to is not the rank-and-file Lakers fan, he is referring to a pernicious infestation of sychophants that has infected Laker nation over the past four years- the LeBron James fanbase.
This was the fanbase that issued death threats to Danny Green for missing a game-winning shot in the post season. The same group of people helped turn the denigrating Russell Westbrook into a sport and the same group has now placed Anthony Davis in their crossheirs. This fan base , or at least the zealots of this group has made it fashionable to tear down other players and eras to prop up you-know-who. They are the Beyonce fans of the basketball world and I am not offering that in a complimentary manner and represent all of what is wrong with the contemporary basketball fans.
PatBev is assuredly pleased to be 2015 miles away from their mania.
