Kendrick Perkins is disgusted with himself over his NBA Defensive Player of the Year vote.
Perkins absolutely unloaded on Minnesota Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert during Tuesday morning’s edition of “First Take” on ESPN. The former NBA champion said it is “the biggest regret in my media career” that he voted for Gobert for Defensive Player of the Year this season. Perkins also claimed he is giving up his voting rights because of it.
“I have the biggest regret in my media career and I’m retiring from voting for individual awards, regular-season awards, because I have done in disservice in using my voting rights,” Perkins said. “Me voting this season for Rudy Gobert (for Defensive Player of the Year) is an embarrassment for me. He’s the first player that we see every single time in the postseason that becomes a defensive liability.”
Perkins ripped Gobert for the way the four-time Defensive Player of the Year has played in the postseason, particularly against Nikola Jokic in the Western Conference semifinals.
“When I look at Rudy, he has tarnished the Defensive Player of the Year Award, he has. He’s not respected by his peers,” Perkins said. “We saw what happened to him in the Denver series — he couldn’t even guard the person at his position. Karl-Anthony Towns did a better job at that.
“What is he doing right now? When you look at this (Western Conference Finals) series right now, do we realize that Rudy has three blocks in three games? He’s averaging one block in one game, at 7-foot-3. Unacceptable to say he’s a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.”
You can hear more from Perkins:
Kendrick Perkins says that he's embarrassed he used his Defensive Player of the Year vote on Rudy Gobert and calls it the biggest regret of his media career.
"He has tarnished the Defensive Player of the Year award. He has. He's not respected by his peers. We saw what happened… pic.twitter.com/P4ykITaNZu
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 28, 2024
The Dallas Mavericks have scored around 111 points per game through the first three games of the Western Conference Finals. Gobert’s worst moment came when Luka Doncic drained a dagger three-pointer over him at the end of Game 2. Doncic then proceeded to talk some serious trash to Gobert (video here).
To his credit, Gobert held himself accountable after surrendering the big shot. That has done nothing to change Perkins’ opinion.
