Posted on 03/02/2023 12:24:50 PM PST by nickcarraway
Kendrick Perkins does not think Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic should win his third consecutive NBA MVP Award this year, and he has decided to go the race-baiting route in an attempt to prove his point.
Perkins said on ESPN’s “First Take” Wednesday that he believes Jokic has race on his side in the MVP discussion. Perkins, who was ripped by fellow ESPN analyst JJ Redick this week for accusing Jokic of “stat-padding,” accused MVP voters of historically changing the criteria for which player should win MVP based on skin color.
“When I come on here every single time and I ask what is the criteria for the MVP and how the goal posts have moved, I’m asking these questions for a reason,” Perkins said. “When I look at JJ and I hear him talk, and he’s so big in analytics and he’s a historian when it comes down to diving in deep and going back in history and talking about the evolution of the game, why did he never bring up this particular subject? When it comes down to guys being MVP since 1990, there’s only three guys that won the MVP that wasn’t in the top 10 in scoring. Do you know who those three guys were? Steve Nash, Jokic and Dirk Nowitzki. Now, what do those guys have in common? I’ll let it sit there and marinate so you can think about it.”
Perkins later doubled down with a video on Twitter, though he later deleted it.
Like many other analysts, Perkins’ job is to deliver hot takes. This is not the first time he has left some people scratching their heads while doing so.
Jokic is averaging a triple-double this season with 24.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 10.0 assists. The Nuggets are 44-19 and the top seed in the Western Conference. Perkins believes Joel Embiid, who is averaging 33.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, should be considered the MVP frontrunner.
There are people who still say Larry Bird should never have even been an all star. But who I don’t hear saying that are players who played against him, like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Dr. J, etc.
Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are not fools. Regardless of what they think of Larry Bird as a player or person, they can only hurt their brand with white sponsors by attacking him. It’s a lose-lose proposition for them.
So you think they are lying for sponsorship reasons?
Perkins is another one of these black commentators who is barely intelligible when he speaks. As for Jokic, his numbers and the record of his team speak for themselves. Who else has had such a level of performance for the season? I could make a case that Damien Lilliard is the MVP as far as the Trailblazers are concerned, but they're in about tenth place in The West.
That they were team players and not whiney-assed simpletons who can't put a coherent thought together?
Not saying something is NOT lying.
And you and the other speaker are assuming what is going on in these players minds.
Foolish on the best of occasions.
Spike Lee said basketball was a black man’s game. I don’t see any reason to doubt him, haven’t watched an NBA game in decades, only watch college games if I’m interested in a particular team.
Funny isn't it? There was that one time that Thomas and Rodman said Bird was way overrated just because he was white. Right after Bird and the Celtics had beaten the Thomas - Rodman Pistons....
Personally, I think you are full of it. Those players were very specific and passionate about him.
Julius Erving breaks down Larry Bird's game and what made him the best shooter he ever saw
I am not a Celtics fan, but back then there were great rivalries, with great players. It's funny that someone from Massachusetts is trashing Bird.
I don't think either Johnson or Jordan has a racist bone in their bodies.
Who is it that ever said that?
I think they know better than to foul their own nest. Whatever they think of Bird, and he was a damned good player, at this point there is no benefit in trying to dim his reputation. Anyone attempting it would make themselves look vindictive and petty. Those young men were raised right.
There is no real objective and clear way of evaluating “the greatness” of any past player. It’s all opinion, and you what they say about opinions.
Hmmmm. That's not the case here. Those players went out of their way to break down why Larry Bird is so great. So, your argument that they are, "not saying something," is a bust. By the way, I actually saw him play back then.
No, I am not assuming what is in their minds. I actually heard them say it.
While largely true, there have been more and more white European big men coming over in the last two decades, and having great success.
We agree they are not fools. Racists, white, black, whatever, are generally idiots.
Okay, so if someone says Sam Bowie [Who was drafted ahead of Jordan] is better than Michael Jordan, there's no clear way of evaluating that?
It used to be considered a Jewish man's game?
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