Hey, we all know how this game works—and no, I’m not referring to the game of basketball that so many New York Knicks fans adore. I’m instead talking about the game surrounding the game, the one that has fans jumping on one distinct train of thought or the contrasting other, leaving little room for nuance in between.
I’m talking about the new-age media world that aims to develop “takes,” promoting absolute thinking designed to directly oppose other absolutists. It’s the stuff that comes from (and has come from) the likes of Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, and Colin Cowherd.
Unfortunately, one of these recent takes involves the Knicks, as ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins recently went hyperbolic while thinking about the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.
“Real talk. This trade by Minnesota could arguably go down as the worst trade in NBA history,” Perkins recently proclaimed on “First Take.”
Naturally, Smith called out Big Perk for his over-the-top language. After all, why wouldn’t he take the exactly opposite view on a show that’s specifically designed to have two individuals take polarizing angles?
Towns, 29, was sent to the Knicks in early October in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Initially, those criticizing Minnesota were either extremely quiet or simply did not exist, as the young T-Wolves were often lauded for the forward-thinking trade.
Now, with the Knicks having won five straight games and trailing the Boston Celtics by just two games in the east, those who love to turn up the volume are doing so with gusto.
“You trade away a guy, one of the most skilled bigs, one of the best shooting bigs to ever play the game in Karl-Anthony Towns, that you just went to the Western Conference Finals with,” Perkins added. “Not only did you trade him away, [but] you trade him away when he was in his prime. And you get back a guy in Julius Randle, who could go out there and get you 20 and 10, but he doesn’t complement Anthony Edwards well.”
Funny enough, Big Perk didn’t share those same warm and fuzzy feelings about the Knicks big man just a few months before the trade.
During playoff time, mid-June 2024 to be precise, Towns told the world that people would believe he “changed the game” by the time he retires. Perkins responded with anything but hesitation.
“How can you change the game when, at times, we don’t even know you exist?” said the ESPN analyst.
Interesting.
While the KAT trade is definitely tipping in New York’s favor, Kendrick Perkins is the last individual who should comment on it.
To be completely fair, Perkins did laud the Knicks at the time they made the trade:
Towns, who is currently averaging 24.6 points and 13.7 rebounds per game, is preparing for the New York Knicks’ next contest, a Friday night matchup with the Orlando Magic on the road.
