“They Just Paid Him $78 Million”: Kendrick Perkins Brings Up Doc Rivers to Justify the Pistons Not Firing Monty Williams

The Detroit Pistons have marked a new chapter in NBA history this season. They became the first team in the history of the league to record 27 straight losses in a season, the most recent being a 112-118 loss against the Brooklyn Nets last night.

Detroit’s deteriorating and abysmal form has attracted the attention of many, including former NBA player turned-analyst Kendrick Perkins. In a recent appearance on ESPN‘s First Take, Big Perk remarked, “I have a better chance of having breakfast in the morning with Oprah and Beyonce than they beating the Celtics,” hinting towards another imminent loss for the Pistons against the Boston Celtics in their upcoming game against them tonight.

However, Perkins was also surprised at the team’s current state, given the Pistons’ roster consists of young, elite talent such as Cade Cunningham, Marvin Bagley III, and Ausar Thompson. However, unlike fellow analyst Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo, Big Perk announced that he wanted to talk about the Pistons firing Monty Williams. However, the former NBA big man admitted it was very unlikely since he only recently signed a new deal this off-season:

“I wanted to come on here, and I wanted to go on this rant about how they should fire Monty Williams, how they should change the scenery. But that’s not going to happen, they just paid him $78 million this past off-season.” 

To elaborate on his point, Perkins used his experience being part of the 2006-07 Boston Celtics team, which had a 24-58 record that season. Under coach Doc Rivers, the Celtics had 18 straight losses in the season and were one of the youngest teams in the NBA back then. While there was uproar to fire Coach Rivers, the team bounced back the next season to win an NBA championship.

Kendrick Perkins seems to have had it with Motny Williams already. While he did open the door for the Pistons’ potentially recovering from this slide, he seemed marred with doubt. It’s hard to blame him either, after all, the Pistons are set up to lose their 28th straight game. And as Brian Windhorst would later point out, Detroit wasn’t even looking to tank going into this season.

By hook or by crook, the Pistons need to figure out how they can fix what is going on. As Perkins mentioned, they likely won’t be firing Monty Williams, given the contract they gave him this past offseason. So in the end, it comes down to the front office pulling something similar to what the Lakers did with their roster last season. A complete overhaul.

And further, while he will not be fired, questions need to be asked of Monty Williams as well.

Monty Williams needs to adjust to become an elite coach

It’s quite tragic to see Monty Williams’ Pistons struggling to find form despite him becoming the second-highest-paid coach this season. Kendrick Perkins believes that Williams needs to make certain adjustments, just as Gregg Popovich did, to live up to the expectations from his $78,500,000 contract. Analyzing the current coaching situation for Detroit, Perk commented: “Monty Williams, they did pay you $78 million, close to $80 million to coach. One of the highest-paid coaches in the league. You gotta adjust.” 

Furthermore, Perk also brought up the effective coaching methods of Gregg Popovich and Rick Carlisle, who have successfully implemented their systems to manage their teams’ successes. Citing the example of these veteran coaches, Perk added, “We did see Gregg Popovich adjust, we did see so many coaches, Rick Carlisle adjust. You have to adjust. You have to go into the locker room and speak these young guys’ language. You got to convince them to buy into your system.” 

Again, it is hard to disagree with Kendrick Perkins’ words. Indeed, especially given the money the Pistons are giving him, Williams should be able to make adjustments. He has even shown the ability to make good ones on the biggest stage, during his time with the Phoenix Suns.

Of course, going from a championship contender to a lottery team is going to be a massive adjustment. However, that is life in the NBA. If Williams can’t keep up with it, he will likely find himself kicked to the curb before too long.