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'Bring Him Off the Bench': Gilbert Arenas and Kenyon Martin Call Out Basketball Coaching Staff for Their Olympics USA Team Roster
Gilbert Arenas and Kenyon Martin lash out at Team USA basketball coach Steve Kerr for his benching decision.
Gilbert Arenas and Kenyon Martin recently appeared on the podcast Gil’s Arena, where both former NBA players gave their two cents on the coaching staff of Team USA basketball for the ongoing quadrennial event.
Initially, Arenas questioned the coaching staff, targeting the USA Team basketball head coach, Steve Kerr, for taking a call on benching Jayson Tatum. He further raised the concern, stating that one can not bench a player like Jimmy Butler, who is a key contributor, and instead put the best starting five in the game.
Meanwhile, Kenyon Martin joined the conversation and asked Kerr whether Tatum would ever be listed as a "Did Not Play" if he were on Kerr's NBA roster. He argued that Team USA shouldn't have invited the American basketball power forward in the first place if they did not want to give him playing time.
NBA Central took X to share the video clip and wrote,
"Gilbert Arenas and Kenyon Martin call out Team USA’s coaching staff:
Gilbert: “You’re not gonna sit Jimmy Butler and bring him off the bench. Right?”
Kenyon: “If Jayson Tatum was on your roster, would there ever be a situation where he had a DNP?”
It is important to note that Tatum was a "Did Not Play" in Team USA’s recent win against Serbia during the Olympic opener. This means he didn’t play a single minute and was instead tabbed as a DNP-Coach’s decision. Fans alike didn't like the team's decision.
Moreover, Golden State Warriors star Draymond, too, believed Team USA coaching staff did wrong by not letting the player compete. He even criticized the coach, calling his choice a mistake.
Draymond stated (via Rochester First.com): “Not playing [Tatum] was wrong, We all know it was wrong. He should’ve played. He didn’t…From the outside looking in, it comes off as ‘We made a mistake as a coaching staff.’”
Nevertheless, Kerr too later admitted he “felt like an idiot” for the decision, explaining that he selected lineup combinations he believed were best.
The Golden State Warriors coach also explained why he made this choice, emphasizing how he “went with combinations that made sense” against their opponent. He further explained that he wanted to give Kevin Durant some extra minutes during the game.
Nonetheless, Team USA will now face Team Serbia in the Olympics semi-finals on Thursday, August 8, and Kerr is still trying different starting lineups for the match.
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