Kendrick Perkins is one of the most opinionated basketball analysts on TV today. That isn’t necessarily a good thing, as Perkins being opinionated quite often refers to him having more opinions than he can control. This causes him to say things in the spur of the moment that may not have the best standing long term.
Perkins had a lot of misplaced faith in the Lakers this season, but didn’t have that same faith in his former team, the Boston Celtics. After the tough start to the season for Boston, Perkins ripped into the team and said nobody takes accountability. In addition, there were some frosty press conferences by players like Marcus Smart asking teammates to be accountable.
The team had a turning point from there, finishing as the #2 seed in the East after being below .500 at the end of 2021. Perkins had called for either Tatum or Brown to be traded so the Celtics can save their season, a take that looks laughable now considering their chemistry and importance to this team’s success:
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) May 30, 2022
Perkins made a reactionary take on the moment, which is not surprising considering that is something that is required to cover the NBA on TV on a game-by-game basis. There were many others who also believed this, but it was extremely harsh to criticize Tatum and Brown for being incompatible when the team just got a new coach to play under.
If the January turnaround never happened, people may still be saying this, and Perkins could be lauded for having seen the collapse early. But his take was premature, as Brown and Tatum have managed to prove.
If they can win a title together this season, it will be an incredible story of how both these players developed by Boston for years led them to a title while still having years and years ahead of them.
