Patrick Beverley Calls Out Russell Westbrook, Says Lakers PG Is 'The Real Magician'

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley is among those reveling in the Los Angeles Lakers' misery this year.

Speaking to reporters about Beverley's defensive reputation in 2019, Lakers star Russell Westbrook said he "trick y'all" and "don't guard nobody." Well, Beverley clearly has a long memory:

The cold war between these two dates back to the 2013 playoff series between Beverley's Houston Rockets and Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder.

Beverley went for a steal after Westbrook called a timeout, and the nine-time All-Star suffered a knee injury that took him out for the rest of the postseason. While the 60-win Thunder won that series, they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in the conference semifinals without Westbrook.

Fast-forward to the present, and Westbrook is slogging through perhaps the worst season of his career. Through 55 games, he's averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists. He's shooting 43.5 percent from the field, and his three-point percentage has dipped below 30 percent (29.8) for the fourth time in five years.

L.A., meanwhile, is 26-30 and ninth in the Western Conference.

ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported Wednesday that Lakers players acknowledge "something must be done to get the team back on course with Thursday's trade deadline fast approaching."

Bill Oram of The Athletic went a step further and reported the Lakers "no longer believe they can win at a high level" with Westbrook as the third star to complement the Anthony Davis and LeBron James partnership.

The 33-year-old got benched toward the end of a 122-115 overtime victory over the New York Knicks last Saturday. It was the second time this year head coach Frank Vogel took him off the court in the end stages of a close game.

Westbrook has always been polarizing in that some have questioned the utility of his ball-dominant approach and how to properly judge his impressive individual numbers.

As Beverley made clear, it's open season for his biggest skeptics to have a field day with his and the Lakers' performances.