Kendrick Perkins has been very critical this week of Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving.
His comments did not sit well with Kevin Durant, so on Wednesday afternoon the former Warriors superstar called Perkins a "sellout."
Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and Jay Williams discussed the situation Thursday on ESPN's "First Take." And Williams' perspective definitely was surprising.
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SIGN UP HERE "Everybody on this channel knows that I know Kevin and I did 'The Boardroom' with Kevin," the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft said. "Everyone on this channel (also) knows that Kendrick Perkins and I -- we're like brothers, too.
"Do I agree with Kevin calling Kendrick Perkins a sellout? No, I do not. The reality is that the protocol wasn't followed ... by not abiding by protocol, you have to look at the repercussions. I do think Kyrie potentially put himself in a situation where it could become extremely volatile.
"Now, what Kyrie is doing could potentially work out ultimately in the best interests for the players. But by doing it that way, it's become very disruptive. And it has divided. So I don't agree with Kevin Durant calling him a sellout."
[RELATED: KD, Kyrie first discussed being teammates at 2016 Olympics]
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KD and Kyrie have become very close friends over the last four years, so it was not a surprise to see the two-time NBA Finals MVP call out Perkins.
"For Kevin, this is him backing up his teammate," Williams explained. "I don't agree with the way he's backed up his teammate here. This is going to be an ongoing issue for a lot of situations if Kyrie doesn't abide by protocol moving forward."
That is correct.
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