TNT’s Charles Barkley says Jeff Green trade was good for Celtics
Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and David Aldridge were among the TNT analysts who discussed the Celtics-Thunder trade during the network’s pregame coverage Thursday night. The Thunder sent forward Jeff Green and center Nedad Krstic to the Thunder for center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robison.
Barkley: “I was very surprised but it’s a good trade for the Celtics considering they weren’t going to be able to re-sign (Perkins). They only need Perkins against the Lakers if they get to the finals. They are going to have a tougher time getting through Chicago (Bulls) and Miami (Heat). Perkins wouldn’t have been a big factor in (a Miami) series. They got the best deal they could out of their circumstances.”
Smith on the Celtics losing the mystique of being a tough team: “(Perkins) doesn’t help you get to a championship but he helps you win it. What the Boston Celtics had over everyone else was the mystique of toughness … They don’t have that anymore. That’s what the cache was that they were a great defensive team and you couldn’t get layups or get to the basket. They have just traded that (mystique) in and said, ‘We are a new team.’ To me, that is the difference and I don’t know if that’s great if you’re trying to win a championship.”
Barkley on the Thunder getting tougher at the trade deadline: “I love the toughness that (the Thunder) have now. I love the fact that they’ll be able to hit some guys in the head when they come down the lane. (Russell) Westbrook and (Kevin) Durant are going to score. Those guys will score in church, but they never get rebounds. Now they have some rebounding (ability) and some defensive toughness. This (trade) makes them a contender.”
Aldridge on the trade: “If you go back in time, (the Kendrick Perkins) trade is like Larry Nance going to Cleveland or Dennis Johnson going to Boston. Those ‘cement’ trades that make a good team a great team. I think Kendrick Perkins does that for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They were already good and they could’ve won a playoff series. What (Perkins) gives them in terms of defensive presence, toughness and championship experience; I think Oklahoma City is going to remember this day as the day they took a step up to be a true contender in the NBA.”
Thunder TV announcers’ criticism of Blake Griffin irritates some viewers
Blake Griffin charges into Nick Collison in game Tuesday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder announcers Brian Davis and Grant Long irritated some viewers with their criticism of former OU standout Blake Griffin during the Thunder’s 111-88 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
After Blake hammered home an alley-oop pass from Baron Davis in the fourth quarter, Long said, “I’m almost prone to calling that goaltending. Davis nearly put that in the basket.”
Davis said, “You’re down 20, though. … That’s wonderful. That’s flashy and may make some highlight rolls, but they’re down 20.”
Long discussed how other centers in the league have made some spectacular dunks and said, “As great as those plays look on the highlight reel, winning basketball is played in the half-court situation for the most part.”
One reader said in an e-mail: “I was a little puzzled by the constant shots the TV commentators took at Blake. For example they criticized the dunks as something, which is superficial. When Ibaka scored a wide open dunk, they cheered ‘Take that Blake, this one counts.’ It was bizarre to see them belittle his game so much. Maybe the non-Okie Thunder fans might harbor more vitriol than us who grew up with him.”
Another reader said: “It appeared to me the Thunder TV crew took several cheap shots at Blake last night, referring to him as a “show off” among other things.”
