Large free agent and known grumpy-looking guy Kendrick Perkins recently sat down for some candid yapping with the Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski about a variety of subjects. Topics covered include: Kevin Garnett delaying team flights because he was busy lifting weights, Perk making sure his locker was right next to Anthony Davis’ so he could mentor him, which players cried when Perk was traded to Oklahoma City, the rise of small ball, and how the Celtics never really got over the loss of James Posey.
One of the more interesting extended moments of this dialogue was Perk’s assessment of Kevin Durant’s departure for the Golden State Warriors, specifically the ramifications the move had on Durant’s relationship with Russell Westbrook. “Them not talking right now, that bothers me. They care for each other, they love each other.” Perkins added, “They never valued each other like they should have.”
Perkins goes on to explain that they were friends and were of course a dynamic duo, but external pressures help hasten rifts, such as Westbrook’s rise to a player more or less on Durant’s level (less, but not so much less than originally thought) and the debate about “Whose team is this” was an ongoing distraction in the locker room. “They will have some type of regrets in the next ten years,” Perkins says, sagely, though he confides in Woj his plan to mediate their beef-that-is-not-actually-a-beef via a group message. It’s nice that Perkins wants to mend the fences between his two adult sons. One wonders if Perk will begin this therapy session by mentioning that he told Kevin Durant that if he really had to leave the Thunder, he should only leave for the San Antonio Spurs, or if he will save that for his closing arguments.
Listen to the whole conversation! Kendrick Perkins is an interesting guy!
