What do former Celtic Kendrick Perkins and New York Knick Amare Stoudemire have in common?
They both think Los Angeles Laker Pau Gasol is “soft,” according to ESPN.
“He’s still soft,” Stoudemire said. “But, he’s a good player, you know what I mean? But he also has help down there. He has help down there in Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, those 7-footers down there. So he’s got some supporting cast.”
Gasol’s “supporting cast” came to his defense following Stoudamire’s words.
Bynum took to his twitter to defend his teammate, tweeting, “The NBA is a weird place! How can a man that plays 0 defense call a 2 time champion soft?”
Other Lakers defended Gasol, as well.
“Pau got moves. He don’t have to be hard. That’s why he got us,” Ron Artest said to ESPN.
Odom added, “How are you soft and average 10 rebounds?”
Artest then suggested that Stoudemire wasn’t exactly the definition of tough, either, referencing Stoudemire’s picture in ESPN’s magazine in October in which he appeared unclothed for the annual body issue.
“Amare posed on the front of [a magazine] butt naked!” Artest said to ESPN. “OK, is that tough?”
Instead of making verbal jabs back at Stoudemire, head coach Phil Jackson offered up another solution for Gasol — one that Celtics fans won’t be happy with if it actually happens.
“Win another championship,” Jackson said to ESPN. “Just go out and do it again. That keeps people quiet really quick.”
