Chris Webber doesn’t appear to believe that Kendrick Perkins is the proper fit for the Oklahoma City Thunder. I say that only because Chris Webber said on NBA TV specifically that he doesn’t believe Kendrick Perkins is the proper fit for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In response, Perkins took to Twitter to tell C-Webb to stop hating. That exchange is as follows:
Chris Webber on NBA TV: “I think he [Kendrick Perkins] was a great fit for Boston. But fits are because of the other players you had around him, he had veterans around him. I do not think he’s a great fit for Oklahoma. He’s not a one-on-one defender. So what does that mean? Well they need a shot blocker in Oklahoma because when they block shots and get out and run they can’t stop them.”
In response Kendrick Perkins posted the following on Twitter:
So basically Perkins will only accept that kind of criticism from Kenny Smith and now Shaq. Charles Barkley best not get fresh and neither should Karl Malone, John Stockton, or Patrick Ewing in the event they drop in the studios for an NBA cameo to discuss the topic of Kendrick Perkins this season either.
In Perkins’ defense though, I can see where this type of commentary from NBA talking heads would eat at the guys they’re talking about on occasion. Kendrick’s never really had that much of a chance to get acclimated in OKC yet to be fair, after missing most of last season with that back injury, so maybe we do need more of a sample size. I also think Perk’s a good dude too, he probably likes being with Kevin Durant and the Thunder, and maybe more than a lot of other guys he really actually wants to help be the reason they take that next step and win that title Webber never did.
At the same time though it is hard to disagree with what Webber is saying at least in regards to the shot blocking big man being maybe more of an impact with this current Thunder group than Perkins has been thus far. When they do block shots and get out in transition, even Russ Westbrook seems happy, and they really are tough team to defend.
In any event, here is the video with Webber’s comments that started this little spat between these two big guys (1:37 mark of Video below):
So far though this season, Perkins has averaged a block per game in each of their four games to go along with 7 points and 5 rebounds in 27 minutes of work per night for the OKC Thunder. Meanwhile, Chris Webber has been replaced by TNT in studio with Shaquille O’Neal.
