Kendrick Perkins is no stranger to a good debate. But when it comes to going up against the reporters who cover the league, the former NBA center knows he has to be on his A game.<\/p>\n
Last week, Perkins appeared on the Straight Game Podcast<\/a>, where he discussed a variety of topics regarding his current career as an ESPN analyst. And when it comes to his preparation, the 2008 NBA champion said he\u2019s put in plenty of work to ensure that he won\u2019t go viral for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n \u201cI punch in the clock. I watch as much basketball as I possibly can. I\u2019m reading more than I\u2019ve ever read. Because you learn a lot from journalists,\u201d Perkins said. \u201cYou got to be on your sh*t when you up there with certain journalists because them motherf*ckers are sharks when it comes down to studying and knowing the analytics, knowing the numbers, talking to general managers, knowing when the trade\u2019s gonna happen and you better be accurate.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause again, if you\u2019re not accurate, the way social media is, they gonna get on your ass. And if you\u2019re not accurate and you putting something out there that\u2019s not factual, they gonna get on your ass again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Perkins\u2019 point might be humorous, but it\u2019s also not wrong. And it\u2019s also refreshing to hear a former player admit that he knows that he can\u2019t just rely on his experience and perspective as a former player if he\u2019s going to keep pace in debates with those who didn\u2019t play the game (for what it\u2019s worth, Perkins\u2019 comments came days before Ryan Clark discredited Peter Scharger as an NFL analyst because he\u2019s a \u201cnon-player\u201d<\/a>).<\/p>\n