You don’t need Danny Granger to tell you not just anybody can move the two-time defending champion Miami Heat to openly acknowledge they’d be willing to welcome them into the fold.
Just days after LeBron, DWade, and the Heattles got together to let management know free-agent forward Granger would not be welcome in South Beach or the Miami locker room, Wade took added pains in telling Fansided.com Heat players have fancied the style and services of Patrick Beverley since he was in camp with the team way back in 2010.
“He was great,” Wade tweeted after Beverley notched 19 points, three steals, two assists, and two blocks in the Rockets’ 106-103 win over the Heat Tuesday night. “He was someone at the time me and LeBron really wanted to make our team. Happy that he’s able to come here, fit in &really make a name for himself in this league. You know, he works.”
Grizzled 10-year veteran and one-time journeyman player, Heat forward Udonis Haslem has as great of an appreciation for Beverley’s hard-nosed style and rags to riches come-up as anyone, he just wishes the second-year guard would allow others to do a little bit more of his narrating for him.
As the two walked to their respective locker rooms for halftime on Tuesday, Haslem let the loquacious youngster know just what he was thinking.
“He’s a hard-nosed kid, a real competitor, and I respect the road that he took and the success that he had, but he was just doing a lot of yapping and I told him to stop looking at our bench and talking crap,” said Haslem. “It wasn’t nothing personal. I got a lot of love for Pat Beverley, but he was just looking over at our bench and talking and he’s always got something to say. We’re cool off the court, but in between the lines, I don’t like it.”
It’s not the first time that Beverley has gotten under the skin of an opponent this season or over the course of his two years with the Rockets. Earlier this year, he stood over fallen Kings center DeMarcus Cousns, leading the Sacramento center to punch him in the groin. And during last year’s playoffs, he was the defender harassing Thunder star guard Russell Westbrook when he blew out his knee.
But what gives Patrick Beverley staying power, what’s causing him to stand out on a team that also features All-Stars Dwight Howard and James Harden, is undeniable versatility.
Besides averaging 10 points per game, Beverley is second for the Rockets in steals (1.4), fourth in both assists (2.7) and blocks (0.45), and sixth in rebounding (3.9).
“When we cut him, it was an extremely tough cut and we have continued to root for him,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “He has earned everything that he has gotten in this game. He has had to scratch and claw for every opportunity. I am sure that is what he did here.”
