Former NBA big man and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins isn’t sold on the Golden State Warriors’ handling of an in-house situation following the viral physical altercation between teammates Draymond Green and Jordan Poole.
During a discussion on ESPN’s “NBA Today,” Perkins, who spent 14 seasons in the league and was part of an NBA Finals-winning team, presented his concerns with the Warriors following the blown gasket displayed by one of their longest-tenured players.
“I know a lot of people would say, ‘Oh, he needed to get suspended,'” Perkins said, per NBA on ESPN video. “And we don’t know how heavy the fine was. But at the end of the day, look, Draymond Green (has) been away from the team. Steve Kerr’s saying that. … Draymond Green has lost the trust of the locker room and the organization and he has to get that back. I think that hurts more than anything to Draymond Green.”
The Warriors, coming off their finals win over the Celtics back in June, are set to open their season during NBA’s opening night on Oct. 18 — raising their franchise’s seventh banner while also receiving their championship rings in front of the hometown crowd at Chase Center. However, Perkins still questions the aftermath of the tensions that result from Green’s violent display.
“Here’s the biggest problem that I have and this is the problem that they’re gonna have to fix,” Perkins said. “Opening night is the ring ceremony for them. That means families are gonna be in town. So how are you gonna make this atmosphere feel comfortable? How are you gonna make people feel right? How are you gonna ease the tension?”
The Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers will meet to kick off their respective campaigns with uncertainty looming for Golden State following the incident.
