"I don't even like talking about the Lakers bro" - Kendrick Perkins lashes out at LA Lakers disappointing performances as they lose to bottom-ranked Houston Rockets
Kendrick Perkins didn't mince words in his latest rant about the underperforming LA Lakers. Perkins claimed he doesn't even like talking about the 17-time NBA champions anymore because of how disappointing they have been this year. The Lakers dropped their sixth game in seven appearances on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets.
Jalen Green and Co. were entering that matchup on the back of 13 losses in their previous 14 outings and are one of three teams yet to reach the 20-win mark this season. The LA Lakers had LeBron James in the lineup after a one-game absence, which made them the favorites to win the tie against their struggling opponents, who played without two starters, Jae'Sean Tate and Christian Wood.
Here's what Perkins said about the 17-time champions on Bovada's Instagram Live interview with Scoop 'B' Robinson:
"When they (Lakers) traded for Russell Westbrook, I jumped off the porch and said Lakers in 6. There's no way they're gonna lose it and not win the championship this year. And Melo and all these Hall of Famers and then they come out the way they coming out, I don't even like talking about the Lakers."
The LA Lakers formed one of the NBA's newest big threes by adding Russell Westbrook to their roster in the 2021 offseason. However, that move did not pay off as Westbrook has struggled alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis so far. Injuries to James and Davis at different junctures also played a part in the Lakers not being able to find chemistry between their three stars, leading to their current struggles.
Lakers are not playing well & @KendrickPerkins hates talking about them.
Appearing on @BovadaOfficial’s IG Live the NBA Champ assures is that if they were playing well he’d be giving the purple and gold their flowers.
That’s just not the case with LeBron’s team. https://t.co/QFXllS3VeK
Kendrick Perkins refuses to blame Frank Vogel and Rob Pelinka for LA Lakers' dismal showings.
Head coach Frank Vogel has been heavily criticized for the LA Lakers' poor run this year, despite him leading the franchise to the title in the Orlando bubble in 2020. Aside from him, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka has also been scrutinized for putting together this year's roster, which is also the oldest in the NBA right now.
absolute destruction of the Lakers by the Houston Rockets. watch LeBron after this Westbrook missed layup. https://t.co/9Ue1nkUPco
Kendrick Perkins doesn't believe either of them have been at fault. He mentioned how Russell Westbrook's struggles in a Lakers jersey have contributed to the LA Lakers' poor season so far, saying:
"Did they really think that Russ was gonna be this bad? Like you had to make that move. I think if they had to go back and retract it, they still would've made the move to this day. We're talking about a guy that was a walking triple-double. We didn't know he was going to be this bad."
Perkins continued:
"We thought that Russ coming home, where he was born and raised, thought he was gonna come and take the Lakers over the hump, take pressure off LeBron and AD. But it haven't been that way. So I can't blame Frank Vogel, a guy that has shown us that he's capable of winning the championship with Bron and AD or Rob Pelinka."
The LA Lakers have an uphill task ahead as they are nine games below the .500 mark. They have the second-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA.