Austin Rivers calls out James Jones for career critique; Jones responds

Austin Rivers' proclamation that 30 NBA players could easily make the transition to the NFL has been met with great backlash in the football world.

Former NFL receiver James Jones joined the chorus, going on a nearly 90-second rant disputing Rivers' claim on "Speak." 

"Let's just get this straight: No. 1, they put in a flop rule in the NBA because you guys are soft," Jones began. "If you wanted to say one dude or maybe Anthony Edwards could play safety or something, I would've listened to you. You said 30 dudes. No. Put respect on our sport. It is not just run, catch the ball and turn around. It ain't just hand the ball off and do that.

Rivers responded in short order.

Jones offered a swift rebuttal to Rivers Thursday.

"You're 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, maybe you should’ve tried football. You might’ve had a better career, homeboy, because basketball wasn’t your career," Jones said, as Kendrick Lamar's hit single "Not like us" blared behind him.

While Jones took a harsh stance against Rivers' take, the "First Things First" crew was actually a bit more understanding. Former NFL receiver Greg Jennings actually agreed when Nick Wright said that Rivers "almost has a point."

"I could see some guys in the NBA right now being able to play in an NFL game," Jennings said. "How long they last, if they can play an entire season, obviously changing their bodies — that all matters. But, if we were to take them as they are, the shape that they're in, the physical abilities that they currently have, there's a few guys."

There is a fair amount of precedent for basketball players making their way into the NFL. Most of them were two-way players in college, including Terrell Owens, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Julius Peppers,