At some point, Steve Kerr and Kendrick Perkins are going to have to hit the road. Their public will demand it.
Talk about disparate points of view and methods of messaging.
Kerr is the jovial outspoken, socially aware eight-time NBA champion. Perkins is a big man with a calm voice, always ready to stoke a controversy, with special emphasis on sullying the Warriors’ half-decade of unremitting success.
First things first.
On Tuesday, Kerr appeared on KNBR for a chat with Tom Tolbert, host and Kerr’s onetime college teammate at the University of Arizona.
Background: Almost a week earlier, Kerr, appearing on a podcast, took issue with the manner in which Anthony Davis attempted to deliver himself from the Pelicans to the Lakers midway through the 2018-19 season with one and a half years left on his contract. Kerr thought that was “bad for the NBA.”
Kerr and Tolbert kicked that political hacky-sack around for a bit before Tolbert referenced Perkins’ take on Kerr’s take.
“I heard he let me have it huh?” Kerr said.
Judge for your own self.
Steve Kerr got his got damn nerves to talk about anything that’s going on with any other organization, as if he just didn’t have Kevin Durant join a 73-9 team! BTW @SteveKerr Mark Jackson built that dynasty in GS!!! The Nerve of him!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 24, 2019
I believe debate coaches call that the Oregon-Oxford non sequitur-esque strategy. Tolbert must have seen it before.
“He got a little confused with Durant coming to your team and Davis going to the Lakers,” Tolbert said to Kerr, “and one was free agency and one wasn’t close to free agency, but other than that it was exactly the same.”
Not that he had to, but Kerr clarified his criticism of Davis.
“If it’s done behind the scenes, there’s no harm done,” Kerr said. “I have no problem with a player requesting a trade quietly, My point was just the manner in which that happened kind of alienated a fan base, and it put a lot of players in a weird spot on both teams.”
Given public sentiment, we can only hope there is a rematch.
You don't even understand the difference between being under contract and being a free agent. Seriously, I don't know what kind of connections you must have to be on TV, but you're terrible. You're even worse at whatever it is you do now than you were as a player.
— richard kim (@rkim3150) July 24, 2019
Talking about the warriors again pic.twitter.com/zWSxrebZc4
— chris (@c_mullin12) July 24, 2019
— No KD (@FRIASM) July 24, 2019
