Kendrick Perkins is the last man Draymond Green would have ever imagined batting on his side. Yet, somehow, after years of rivalry, both online and offline, Perkins now finds himself defending Green over Kenyon Martin’s unwarranted criticism.
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Former Milwaukee Bucks forward Martin made some controversial remarks about the Golden State Warriors star and claimed that Green isn’t even that great a player.
“I can list 200 people that’s better than Draymond Green at basketball right now,” he said on the Gil’s Arena podcast. The comment drew sharp criticism from fans and peers alike, with Perkins stepping up to set the record straight.
Perkins first noted that the hosts of Arenas’ show were cool with him. “I love what they do. They bring a different type of excitement, perspective, you know, and they get into it. D*** that may get heated. It’s nothing personal. It’s basketball talk,” he began.
Then Perkins truly started talking: “I didn’t agree with Ken Martin and what he had to say about Draymond Green.”
It should be noted that Martin’s argument rested on the fact that, while Green has been an NBA champion on multiple occasions, the titles themselves don’t make him a legend. According to Martin, Green lacks other elements of the sport.
Perkins vehemently disagrees. “[Green’s] got four of them things. He’s got four championships.”
Perkins argues that, while Green doesn’t necessarily have the offensive prowess of his counterparts, there are few who could do what he has done “when it comes down to being 6’5”, 6’6” … being able to play the center position when you’re battling against seven footers, being able to anchor a defense of a dynasty for this extended period of time at the highest level.”
“Those guys may have been more skilled offensively when it comes down to getting the bucket …. but that’s all you really could say that they were better than Draymond Green,” Perkins argued in response to Martin asking if Green was better than Al Jefferson, Elton Brand and LaMarcus Aldrich.
“If you’re asking me if Draymond Green is a better basketball player than those three guys … than a lot of guys, h*** yeah he is. H*** yeah he is! He’s one of the greatest defenders that we’ve ever seen in the history of the game,” Perkins reiterated.
The former Boston Celtics star reminded people that, while he remained aware of their problems, he was more than happy to give Green his flowers.
According to Perkins, Green is the master of the small ball. “You have to have a guy at the five that could do things, certain things, [to] guard the low block, be able to switch one through five, be able to guard a pick and roll whether you’re in the drop coverage, be able to be a help side defender.”
Perkins asserted that, even if he tried, he couldn’t find a better defender who had played a key role in four championships.
It can perhaps be argued that Green wouldn’t have had that success without help from Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, but Perkins insists that reverse might have also been true.
