The Atlanta Hawks made all sorts of headlines after they decided to fire Nate McMillan as the team's head coach. There's no denying that McMillan was not doing a stellar job as the top shot-caller, but at the same time, there has been some finger-pointing in the direction of the players in terms of their role in this significant development.
For his part, Kendrick Perkins is having none of it. The former NBA champion turned ESPN broadcaster has spoken out about the issue at hand, and Big Perk admits that he's not a fan of Atlanta's decision to give McMillan the boot. Perkins did also concede that he feels McMillan lost the locker room, but at the same time, the players are also equally to blame for the fallout:
“My thing is this: (McMillan) was trying to hold those guys accountable,” Perkins said. “Right now, I'm looking at this roster and not physically but mentally, they're softer than funeral music when it comes down to being held accountable. And so, the players need to understand or try to realize: what the hell are they trying to accomplish? Is it a bunch of individuals who are trying to make All-Star games and All-NBA teams, or is it a team that actually have championship aspirations?”
According to Perkins, he believes that Nate McMillan got the “short end of the stick” here. The Hawks' front office seems to have wanted to shake things up amid their mediocre season and unfortunately for him, the veteran coach ended up being the sacrificial lamb.
At this point, however, Kendrick Perkins has no doubt in his mind that the players need to step up now that McMillan is out of the picture. If this is what they wanted all along, then they've gotten their wish. There's no room for excuses now:
“Trae Young has to deliver in great fashion,” Perkins said. “[Dejounte] Murray needs to deliver in great fashion. Clint Capella, [John] Collins, and [Bogdan] Bogdanovic, they have to deliver in great fashion.”
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