The Jonathan Kuminga situation in the Warriors has reportedly put everything else on hold for the team. And from their lack of movement in free agency to a questionable roster structure, the Warriors have come under a lot of scrutiny this offseason.
While the Warriors have named their price and look to offload Kuminga to another team, Kendrick Perkins, the former NBA champion, believes Steve Kerr is to blame for the entire debacle in the first place. On the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast with Richard Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins spoke his mind on the Warriors.
“At what point are we going to hold the Golden State Warriors accountable? Because if you have a guy like Jonathan Kuminga, one of the most athletic guys in the NBA. I believe he’s an elite talent that’s going to continue to get better. How do you not embrace him and wrap your arms around this young man?”
“This young man has shown signs and flashes every single time he has been given the right opportunity. Steph went out, was injured in the Minnesota series. The f***ing guy was averaging about 23-24 points with a high percentage shooting. He’s gotten better every single season, in my opinion, at different points of his game.”
In the last four games of the Timberwolves series, where Stephen Curry was injured, Jonathan Kuminga averaged 24.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
“I feel like this is a bad look for the Golden State Warriors. I feel like this is a bad look on Steve Kerr,” said Perkins before his internet connection shut him out of the podcast. He rejoined moments later and continued.
“Steve Kerr, in my opinion, has a hard time letting young guys be great. Like, the only person that I’ve seen him wrap his arms around as a young guy is Podziemski, right? And Podziemski is going to have a long career as a role player. But when it comes down to guys elevating, and you see a guy that has the potential to be a franchise guy, Steve Kerr is holding these guys back. Why?”
“He is the one who decided to bench the man at the start of the postseason last year,” exclaimed Perkins when Jefferson and Clifton tried to defend Kerr. Perkins then went on to take the example of Gregg Popovich and Rick Carlisle and how they publicly admitted that their old coaching styles were not working in the NBA anymore, so they transitioned to a new style when they got a newer and younger team, which played the modern version of the game.
“All I’m saying is you ask the peers, not just me, not the coaches, not the front officers. Guys who work out with Jonathan Kuminga in the summer league, guys in the summertime, guys that got to guard this man and play against this man. Every single guy that I’ve spoken to who is still playing the game of basketball spoke very, very highly of Jonathan Kuminga and his ceiling. They were like, “This guy, if they let him loose, he has All-Star/All-NBA potential.”
“Why the f*** have they not passed the keys over there?” questioned Perkins as he pointed the finger at Steve Kerr.
“Listen, all I’m asking I didn’t witness it, I watched it. I watched KG and Paul pass the keys to Rondo. Rondo wasn’t necessarily the best player, but they like, ‘Hey, bro, we’re gonna let you cook. We’re gonna let you cook in this regular season.’ Why haven’t the Golden State Warriors done the same for Jonathan Kuminga?”
One of the biggest criticisms of the Warriors is their roster structure being over-reliant on aging veterans. Their core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler has a collective average age of 35 years and 8 months. With veteran additions like Al Horford and DeAnthony Melton lined up next, the Warriors are nowhere close to going younger.
Is Perkins right? Have the Warriors invested way too much into the veterans and ignored their future in a win-now mode with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green? And is Steve Kerr responsible for this debacle? Let us know your opinions in the comments section.
