"You got blood on your hands" - Former NBA champion vilifies Giannis Antetokounmpo for Bucks' sluggish start
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are off to a rough start to the 2024-25 season. Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins thinks Antetokounmpo should feel responsible for the Bucks' recent struggles, including six consecutive losses, after winning their opening game.
Speaking on an appearance on the "All The Smoke" podcast, Perkins discussed the state of the Bucks with hosts Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. The ESPN analyst said most of the blame should be on "The Greek Freak."
"You can't trust Giannis no more and what he's capable of doing," Perkins said on Tuesday. "Because one, Giannis put pressure on the organization to make a move and to bring (Damian Lillard). He made a move before he signed the extension. He went out publicly and said some things so they make a move out of desperation and get Dame and you give up Jrue Holiday then last year you fire Adrian Griffin."
The former NBA player added:
"They were 31 and 16. You got blood on your hands, and to be honest with you, the Bucks ain't do sh*t this offseason. ... No knock, but Milwaukee got Gary Trent Jr. and Taurean Prince. Khris Middleton is coming off with two ankle surgeries, that sh*t's done. I text Doc (Rivers) before I said something about him on TV, 'Your a** is on the clock.'"
Kendrick Perkins played under Doc Rivers when he was with the Boston Celtics and was the starting center for the 2008 championship team. Perkins did not hold back, saying Rivers didn't do anything during his time with the LA Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.
There's a lot of pressure on Rivers, who has an 18-25 record as the Milwaukee Bucks head coach. There has also been trade chatter surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, especially with the way the Bucks are performing early in the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo not looking to request a trade out of Milwaukee
Despite the trade chatter surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks fans have nothing to worry about. ESPN's Bobby Marks reported on Wednesday that "The Greek Freak" is not looking for a way out of Milwaukee and the Bucks are not interested in trading him.
"Anytime a team like that is struggling, there's certainly going to be questions about the future of Giannis," Marks said, according to HoopsHype. "He is not looking to be moved. Milwaukee is not looking to move him. They're looking to try to figure out kind of what went wrong with this roster to start the season here. So, I think we can put away the fictional Giannis trade proposals for right now. There's no concern from that front."
At the age of 29, Antetokounmpo is still in his prime and considered among the best players in the world. He has a contract with the Bucks until the 2027-28 NBA season.