Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has received plenty of criticism since dropping a dud in Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals. Edwards was a non-factor in Monday's loss that put the T-Wolves in a 3-1 hole. While many proclaimed him as the next face of the NBA, it caused ESPN to debate if it was too soon.
Analyst Kendrick Perkins used an odd analogy to separate Edwards from the likes of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant and other greats.
"You gotta check the boxes when you’re the face of the league," Perkins said on First Take "…Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, LeBron, Steph…they all were family men. They all were married with kids."
Perkins seems to hint they were better suited for the role as the game's best player because of their family lives when it has nothing to do with on-court play. In reality, some of those players mentioned weren't the best examples in this argument. It's been pretty well-documented of Bird having a limited relationship with a daughter he had out of wedlock. Johnson became the posterchild for the HIV virus after being diagnosed in 1991 despite having a wife. Bryant, who was married, faced sexual assault charges in the early 2000s.
Perkins has made better talking points but this wasn't one of them.
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