Steve Kerr wasn't a fan of how Anthony Davis left the New Orleans Pelicans, and Kendrick Perkins wasn't a fan of what Kerr said.
Kerr criticized Davis for not playing out his contract with the Pelicans and forcing a trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in the latest episode of The Warriors Insider Podcast, and Perkins in turn criticized the Warriors' head coach.
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!β Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 24, 2019
I wonder why @SteveKerr didn't say anything about Paul George forcing his way outta of OKC? I know why because Alvin Gentry is his close friend! Hidden Agendas!!! SMHβ Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 24, 2019
AD had just as much as of obligation as the team, the team traded every 1st round pick they had , surrounded him with mediocre talent consistently, but you rather him be stuck there. He actually did them a favor and allowed the team to hit the reset button and retain assets!β Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 24, 2019
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Houston traded Chris Paul after they said they wasn't, I don't see sympathy for him. AD just got in front of it, so Kudos to him!β Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 24, 2019
It being a Twitter thread about Kerr, Perkins' thoughts naturally evolved into using Mark Jackson and Luke Walton to criticize Kerr's coaching.
π£π£π£ https://t.co/L8bKIv74ymβ Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 24, 2019
π£π£π£ https://t.co/wQh3f5or4bβ Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 24, 2019
Luke Walton went 20-1 with the same team when Kerr was out so don't come telling me how great of a Coach Kerr is! Please Stop it!β Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) July 24, 2019
Rather than regurgitate the Jackson vs. Kerr and Walton vs. Kerr "debates," it's worth examining Perkins' more interesting points: That the Pelicans didn't build a good enough team around Davis, and that his trade demand wasn't exactly groundbreaking.
After drafting Davis and Austin Rivers in 2012, exactly one first-round pick suited up for the Pelicans: Buddy Hield, who played all of 57 games in the Big Easy before being traded to the Kings alongside another first-round pick in a package that fetched big man DeMarcus Cousins. A 2018 first-round pick was traded for Nikola MirotiΔ at the 2018 trade deadline, as was a 2015 first-rounder in a deal that brought in Omer Asik. The Pelicans' 2013 first-round pick (Nerlens Noel) and 2014 selection were sent to the Philadelphia 76ers in the trade that brought in Jrue Holiday.
Asik was a head-scratcher at the time, but the other three moves brought the Pelicans closer to contention. If Cousins hadn't ruptured his Achilles, it's conceivable he, MirotiΔ and Davis would still be playing together in New Orleans.
But it didn't work out, so Davis wanted out and publicly demanded a trade in the middle of last season. The between the Pelicans and Lakers messily spilled over into the public caused plenty of drama in both cities, but in Perkins' defense, Davis' demand wasn't without precedent.
Paul George reportedly demanded a trade not even a month ago and two years after he demanded a trade from the Indiana Pacers. NBA history is littered with current stars (see: 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard) and eventual Hall of Famers (see: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal) who have demanded to be-dealt, and an in-season demand isn't without precedent, either. Jimmy Butler asked to be dealt from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the start of last season and still played for the team after calling out his teammates in a highly publicized fashion in training camp. Carmelo Anthony refused to sign an extension with the Denver Nuggets in order to force an in-season trade to the New York Knicks in 2011 during the last year of his contract.
Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole that "it's a little disturbing that there has been some action that happens before contracts are up, where teams are sort of held hostage." Few trade demands go down in the manner that Davis' unfolded, but stars forcing their way out of teams isn't a new phenomenon.
[RELATED: KD's time with Dubs gives Kerr fond memories forever]
Time will tell if Kerr's concern that Davis' departure from New Orleans becomes "a trend" comes to fruition, but that conversation is far more interesting than recycling variants of the Steve Kerr Is Overrated take from the first two seasons of the Warriors' dynasty.
But then again, it is still July.