Expecting a playing time controversy between Shaq and Perk? Neither does Perk. (OC Register)

“I mean, it shouldn’t be (any trouble),” he said. “Shaq has been great.

“Shaq’s goal is win a championship. He don’t care what he needs to do to get that at this point. He wants to win that fifth ring and get on up out of here. We’re trying for a championship. It’s bigger than the both of us.”

I wrote a piece about it for CelticsBlog, so check it out if you want.

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Ep. 652: The Scowl Returns from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Even after Celtics coach Doc Rivers expressed mild concern earlier this week about bringing injured Shaquille O’Neal on a long flight to Portland, the 38-year-old center made the trip with the team Wednesday afternoon, another sign he’ll return to action during this four-game trek out west, which begins Thursday night against the Trail Blazers. Reserve swingman Marquis Daniels, who missed his first game of the season Tuesday while tending to a family matter, did not fly with the team, but was expected to join the Celtics on Wednesday evening in Portland.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Although [Kendrick Perkins is] back, coach Doc Rivers said his minutes will be limited. He played 17 minutes on Tuesday. ‘He actually probably played one or two minutes [more] than we anticipated,’ Rivers said. ‘He wanted to stay in. But I think that’ll be it for a while, between 16 and 18 minutes.’ Aware of this, Perkins tried to do whatever he could to stay on the floor as long as possible, even if it means trying to duck behind other players when Rivers is ready to take him out. ‘I think 6-10 and 275 pounds, is too big to try and hide,’ Perkins said. ‘I did try to turn my back. I told ‘Baby’ [Glen Davis] to raise his hands so Doc could give him a blow, but it’s all good.’ There’s no hiding the return of Perkins can only bolster Boston’s chances of regaining the dominance they enjoyed a year ago on the road. ‘[Perkins] is always the guy that has been the hard-hat, lunch bucket worker on the team,’ said Allen, who needs 21 3′s to become the NBA’s all-time leader in that category. ‘Him coming back has a great symbolism to it. We know what we are trying to get back to. We are trying to get this team back to where we are 100 percent.’”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “To a man the Celtics say this is just another game, but deep down the memory of Game 7 burns deep into their psyche. It’s been a constant theme since training camp and the prime source of motivation during the regular season, as well as a pointed reminder of what could have been. They’ll never get over it, honestly, and that’s exactly why a January game with the Lakers doesn’t carry quite the same weight. ‘I really don’t care about going there unless it’s in the finals,’ Perkins said. But the nerve is still raw and it’s not like the Celtics ever need any more motivation to play the Lakers, who have been settling into a nice groove since a midseason slump unleashed the hounds.”

Greg Payne, ESPN Boston – “‘Well they’re open,’ Rivers said of why his players are shooting so well. ‘I know that sounds simple, but I just think our guys take open shots, and they pass contested shots, and they trust each other. Shaq said it earlier in the year — this team, if you’re open, they pass it to you. If you’re not open, they pass it to someone else, and if you’re not open, you should pass it, and I think that’s the way we play.’ At the heart of the Celtics’ ball movement is none other than point guard Rajon Rondo, whose understanding of and control over the team’s offense has been instrumental to its success this season. Rondo, whose currently leading the league in assists per game at 12.9, has steadily evolved from a player the Celtics couldn’t possibly win with at the helm as they chased a championship three seasons ago, to a player the Celtics now cannot possibly win without. His mastery of the team’s offensive schemes has increased exponentially, season after season, as have his assists per game averages. During the 2007-2008 championship season, Rondo averaged just 5.1 assists per game. Less than three full seasons later, that number has nearly tripled (at least with his otherworldly early season averages). Rondo plays with not only a willingness to create the easiest shots possible for his teammates, but almost a distinct need for it. ‘He’s huge,’ Rivers said of Rondo’s involvement in his teammates’ offensive success. ‘It’s nice when you have [Patriots quarterback Tom] Brady, or whoever you want to call him, because he’s trying to get you the ball. Rondo would rather for you to score than him. I was never a scorer, but if I had have been I would have loved to play with Rondo.’”

Peter May, ESPN Boston – “The Celtics are heading out West. To which a seasoned observer might ask, ‘What took them so long?’ They go where the schedule sends them, and the schedule this season has them making their first real Western excursion in the final week of January. Usually they make their first trip between Christmas and New Year’s. As a result, the Celtics will arrive in Portland for Thursday night’s game at the Rose Garden having played the fewest road games against the Western Conference — three — of any Eastern Conference team. The only other team whose situation is similar is Charlotte. The Hornets are currently on a Western swing and have played only five road games against the other conference (they play their sixth Wednesday night). Miami has already played 12 roadies against the West. The Knicks have played 13 (as have the Nets, but they don’t count). The Magic have played 10, the Bulls nine and the Hawks eight. The Celtics’ three games against the West came early in the season, in the second week of November. They won at Oklahoma City, lost at Dallas the next night (a certifiable giveaway) and then beat the Grizzlies in Memphis. That’s it. The good news for the Celtics is that those are three of the top nine teams in the Western Conference. This trip will add Nos. 2, 8 and 10 along with a lottery candidate.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Every team in the league has gripes about its schedule when its released each summer, but Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Boston went so far as to reach out to the league about altering a portion of this upcoming trip. ‘The only thing I don’t like about this trip is the travel and games so quickly,’ said Rivers. ‘Traveling to Portland and playing a game the next day is brutal. And then you fly backwards to Phoenix, where you lose an hour, and then you play [the Lakers] in a [12:30 PST] game. That’s a lot of games. We get our schedules before the season starts, before [the media] get them, and we have a chance to change games. This is the one trip we actually really tried to get changed. We just wanted another day, but [the NBA] said, ‘No.””

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Though up until Tuesday night he was on the outside looking in through the window of his own team, Kendrick Perkins has dreamed as much as anyone of what the Celtics will be like once they are healthy. ‘We’re always talking about once we get healthy all the way, we’ll be unstoppable, especially with our frontcourt,’ Perkins said after his first game of the season, a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Garden. ‘We can throw everything at you — (Shaquille O’Neal), Kevin (Garnett), (Glen Davis), Semih (Erden), myself. Anybody gets in foul trouble and we can come up with whatever. We have all the weapons, we just have to make sure we use them.’ … ‘Nothing,’ Perkins said of any significance being attached to the game against the Lakers. ‘I really don’t care about going there unless it’s in the Finals. The regular season don’t matter, so I try not to think about it too much. I try to forget about (the injury).’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Roy lacks cartilage in his knees, and after playing 23 games this season, he decided that exploratory surgery was necessary. He is unsure whether that will mean playing pain-free, but he is banking that at least the pain will be manageable. He talks to Robinson often. ‘I’ve been knowing B-Roy since the fourth, fifth grade, and the one thing I know about him is he’s a real positive guy,’ Robinson said. ‘And I know B-Roy will never give up. He’s a fighter, man, and he loves the game of basketball and he’ll bounce back and he’ll be all right. If he comes back and just wanted to play a little bit, he will. He has that inner child that’s not going to let him give up. He’s always been like that since we were younger.’ Robinson recalls playing alongside Roy in elementary school and taking on five guys. Neither backed down. ‘Whatever we got to do to win, he’s just that type of guy,’ Robinson said. ‘He would just fight through anything.’”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

I was proud to call myself a Boston Celtics fan yesterday. More proud than usual.

Only a fan base that understands basketball can appreciate Perk enough to offer him such a long, standing ovation. Only a fan base that values hard work can feel so much love for Perk, the classic hard hat player without very many offensive skills. Some places, Perk’s contributions would go unnoticed. But not in Boston. No way.

I loved how Perk acknowledged his reception, too. Just a small wave, as if to tell the crowd, “I hear you.” Then, as usual, Perk went back to work. He didn’t smile, because he doesn’t do that on a basketball court. He waved his arm to accept the gracious support, then boxed out his opponent like his life depended on securing the rebound. Not even the standing ovation, which must have felt so great to hear, could keep Perk from concentrating on his job.

“They showed a lot of love,” he told WEEI after the game. “It was a great feeling.”

But during the game, Perk remained focus on completing his job. Not even the perfect reception could get him off track.

Romantic.

A few days ago, the Boston Globe reported that the prospect of adding beleaguered Detroit Piston Richard Hamilton would intrigue Danny Ainge. Today, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix discussed why Hamilton-to-Boston isn’t likely to happen anytime soon.

There’s a rumor going around that the Celtics are interested in Pistons shooting guard Richard Hamilton, but Mannix downplayed it.

“That’s just a rumor,” he said. “The only way they acquire him is by buyout. Right now, the ownership situation in Detroit is in such flux that that buyout, it ain’t coming anytime soon. And I’d be really surprised if it came before March 1st.”

Mannix acknowledged that “Hamilton would be a great asset in Boston” and “something has to happen” because Hamilton and coach John Kuester are at odds. However, Mannix said, “I just don’t see him getting bought out right now. He’s owed $25 million over the next two years. If he’s not willing to take a significant pay cut from that — and I’m talking in the $16 [million], 17 million range — he’s just not going anywhere. [Not] as long as the ownership situation is so up in the air out here.”

On the court, it’s easy to see how Rip would fit in with the Celtics. He could play Ray Allen’s role of “run defenders around screens until they can’t keep up anymore,” whenever Allen was on the bench. He’s a veteran with championship mettle and playoff experience galore. He’s hit big shots, knows how to share the ball, and never worried himself with such petty things as statistics.

But he’s also under contract for $12.65 million in 2012-’13, which is why this situation gets dicey. (CBS Sports)

Heading into what some executives are beginning to fear will be a hard-cap system, few — if any — teams will be willing to take on $21.5 million in guaranteed money over the next two seasons for a player who will turn 33 next month. The problem for Dumars is that a buyout will have to be an ownership decision, and the Pistons are in the midst of an ownership change. Going from saving $17 million in the deal that would’ve sent Hamilton to New Jersey to eating close to that amount in a buyout will be tough for any prospective owner to swallow.

Rip in Boston’s not happening, folks. Not unless a whole lot of things go right.

The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “It’s doubtful there were any past or present NBA players sitting at home tweeting that Perkins isn’t tough enough to satisfy them. … ‘We have kind of been, I don’t know what words to use, but less than ourselves over the three or four months that we have been together, just waiting,’ said Allen. ‘We have had great success with the guys we’ve been using, but we haven’t had the lineup that has been consistent in the past 3 1/2 years where we have won some big games, including a championship. It was great to see him back on the floor.’ Kendrick Perkins wasn’t supposed to be back until after the All-Star Game, remember? That’s all he had to hear.”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “Kendrick Perkins couldn’t sleep Monday night. After seven months away from the game and just a little over six months removed from anterior cruciate ligament surgery, Perkins was just hours away from making his long-awaited return. So, he went to the gym around 10 p.m. and stayed there until Monday became Tuesday. So much had gone into this. All the long, lonely miles he spent wearing out the treadmill, watching his teammates practice. All the laps he swam in the pool trying to strengthen his knee for what lies ahead. He could barely contain his smile when reporters pestered him before the game after word leaked out that he was playing against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a full 10 days before his ambitious target date of Feb. 4. When the moment arrived and Perkins checked into his first game of the 2010-11 season, the crowd at TD Garden gave him a standing ovation that lasted from the time he stood up on the bench through the two free throws that Ramon Sessions had lined up. He was trying not to get emotional because while Perkins wears his on his sleeve, he’s the last person to break down while he’s on the court. ‘They showed a lot of love,’ he said. ‘It was a great feeling.’”

Dan Duggan, Boston Herald – “Paul Pierce left the Celtics [team stats] bench and headed to the locker room with approximately 3:40 remaining in last night’s 112-95 blowout of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Garden. Such an exit can signal many things. In this case, Pierce was heading back to receive some early treatment on his right ankle. ‘I just tweaked it a little bit,’ Pierce, who planned to have the injury reevaluated this morning, said. ‘That’s why I came back early just to get a little treatment. I don’t think it was nothing serious. I should be fine.’”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “It’s not like you want the Cavs contending every season, but nobody deserves to go down the way they have. It’s like, imagine if your worst enemy — just some guy you really hate — went on The Bachelorette. Except for this season, the twist is that the Bacherloette was the guy’s actual wife. It was him, a bunch of other single guys, and his wife. Totally embarrassing, but this guy loved his wife THAT much. He was willing to do anything, just to get her back. Now imagine he goes through the whole thing, all the ups and downs, and makes it to the Final 2. Then on the last show, the wife/bachelorette invites his entire family to the set, kneels down before him on national TV, and picks the other dude. Admit it, you’d feel bad. And if not then, you’d definitely feel bad when you ran into the guy six months later and learned that since the divorce he’d been fired for appearing on the show, gained 50 pounds and now spends his lunch at Centerfold’s All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. Now that’s sad. Whoever it is. And anyway, you start talking and realize that since his wife left, the guy’s not even that big of a jerk. Turns out she was always the worst thing about him.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “As Perkins emphatically stomped around the perimeter, congratulating every other member of a reunited starting five, Allen took a minute to savor what was happening as Perkins’ return brought the Boston Celtics one monster step closer to being whole again since letting a world title slip away last season. ‘We have kind of been, I don’t know what words to use, but less than ourselves over the three or four months that we haven’t been together — just waiting,’ Allen said of a Perkins-less start to the 2010-11 season. ‘We have had great success with the guys that we’ve been using, but we haven’t had the lineup that has been consistent over the past 3 1/2 years, where we have won some big games, including a championship.’ And in the Celtics’ minds, it should have been two championships. But when Perkins’ knee gave out while battling Andrew Bynum for a first-quarter rebound during Game 6, so too did Boston’s ability to close out the series. The Lakers won the final two games, dominating a thin and depleted frontcourt, leaving the Celtics wondering what could have been if not for Perkins’ ill-timed injury.”

Jessica Camerato, CSNNE – “‘Perk has a stubbornness about playing defense the right way,’ Allen said. ‘He’s the one guy that he’s so stubborn about locking his guy down that he’s going in there and getting the job done. He’s going to get mad at you if you don’t help him out defensively, if he goes and puts his hard work and somebody else gets a rebound or somebody else scores or somebody’s matching his energy. You see guys in the league that get mad because somebody didn’t pass him the ball; you see guys that get mad because somebody missed a shot. Perk gets mad on the defensive end and he’s probably one of the few guys that gets that way.’ He added, ‘I know that with Kevin [Garnett], those two guys they have such a rapport with each other defensively, they always know and they always have each other’s back. People talk about offense, but they haven’t seen chemistry like that with anybody defensively ever between big guys. You always know that we’re going get the rebound or we’re going to block out or we’re going to get a blocked shot.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “No, it wasn’t until he stood in front of the Boston bench fuming at referee Scott Twardoski, displaying his familiar scowl while barking about the lack of an over-the-back call on a putback by J.J. Hickson early in the third quarter that Perkins was officially back. ‘He almost ran after the guy that one time,’ Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers recalled. ‘And I was thinking, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Perk’s back.’ When he did it, the whole bench started laughing, saying, ‘Perk’s back.’ He’s going to get a tech soon. I think because he started so late he can’t get to the [technical foul limit]. So I think we’re safe there because at the end of the day Perk’s going to be Perk.’ Perkins admitted after the game he was actually gunning for a technical. The seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, the six rebounds and the three assists over 17 minutes, 10 seconds of action were all nice. But Perkins knew getting T’d up, especially in a lopsided game that saw the Celtics emerge with a 112-95 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers, would serve as the unofficial welcome mat for the 2010-11 campaign. ‘I was trying to get a tech to show everybody I was back,’ Perkins said. ‘But it’s cool.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Kendrick Perkins is one of those high adrenaline overachievers, one who only needs an hour of sleep each night. Or that, anyway, was the beast he saw in the mirror several times Monday night. ‘I didn’t sleep,’ the Celtics center said of the angst from knowing, before his coach and just about anyone else, that he was going to make his season debut last night against the Cavaliers. He couldn’t sleep, probably because he spent three hours boosting his endorphin level at the gym — from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. — before returning home. He tried to sleep on the couch, and his neck stiffened.”

Mike Petraglia, WEEI – “But the best compliment Rivers paid Perk was about his work ethic, the one trait that explains his remarkable return – like Wes Welker – just seven months after blowing out his ACL. ‘That was awesome,’ Rivers said of the 20-second standing ovation as Perkins made his way to the scorer’s table for the first time. ‘Listen, there’s people in the crowd that work hard every day, blue collar, and Perk identifies with all those people. If you are a guy that works 9-5, you’ve got to love Perk because that’s who he is.’ And no, there were no references to feet by Perk in his post-game address to reporters. Well, at least he’s off on the right foot.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Perkins had not played since the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum came crashing down on him as both went for a rebound and Perkins’s right knee buckled. Now, the Celtics get another solid defender for their four-game West Coast trip — which includes a return to Staples Center to play the Lakers Sunday. ‘It’s great,’ Rivers said. ‘I don’t know how much he’ll help us, just his presence on the floor. We’re activating him more because they say he’s ready to play. The more games he plays, the better he’ll be by the time it hits the playoffs. That’s good for us.’”

Dan Duggan, Boston Herald – “The Cavs led 23-21 with 2:37 remaining in the first quarter when the teams headed to their benches for a timeout. On the way, Graham and Pierce met at the free throw line and exchanged a few heated words. Clearly inspired by the trash talk, Pierce went on a tear. The Celtics captain scored 13 points in the final 2:37, with no teammate even attempting a shot during the stretch. There was no need.”

Jessica Camerato, CSNNE – “Marquis Daniels (family issue) is likely to return to the team for their game against the Trail Blazers on Thursday.”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

Hee'ssssss baaacccckkkkkk.

Kendrick Perkins caught a pass from Ray Allen, with nobody between himself and the basket. Naturally, Perk brought the basketball down to his knees before releasing his layup. He made the layup (and even got an and-one), but there was no need for Perk to bring the ball so low.

On most nights Perk’s worst habit would piss me off. Why not just keep the ball high, Perk? You’re damn near seven feet tall! You don’t need to scrape the ball to the floor before every easy layup! But tonight? Perk’s habit brought a smile across my face — I was kind of like the homesick boy who sees his annoying older sister for the first time in a full year. Even if I sometimes hate my sister, seeing her means I’m home. Seeing her means I don’t have to be homesick anymore.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this:

Perk made his return during tonight’s 112-95 win (“no kidding, Jay”), and he didn’t look half bad. Though his game shape is still a work in progress (Perk was clearly gassed after a few trips down the floor), his physique looks great. He still knows how to play defense, he still works hard as hell, and he’s still a physical presence to contend with. He still scowls like his dog just pissed on his most expensive carpet, and he still sets screens that permanently teeter on the edge of legality.

He’s the same guy we remember, and it’s never felt so good to see him on the court. If you told me this summer that Perkins would return on January 25th looking so svelte, so mobile and so, well, Perk-ish, I would have grabbed you by the cheeks and kissed you straight on the lips. For his next trick , Perk has to keep himself from doing two things: muttering the term “foot” a dozen times in a press conference, and losing to the New York Jets in the playoffs — because Perk’s quick return is positively Welker-ian.

I went to the gym today, trying to get my fat ass back into shape. When I checked my cell phone after my workout, I discovered that Perk had been given the go-ahead to play tonight. After almost passing out right in my gym, I hopped up and down. A couple old fogies looked at me like I had two heads, but I didn’t care. The O’Neal brothers have both revealed bodies of glass this season, and it’s more clear than ever that the Celtics need Perk. To have him back so soon, before February, is beyond my wildest dreams. And to see him play tonight, and to see how he still looked so much like the Perk I remember, was spectacularly fabulous.

I’m not sure how long it will take before Perk’s “bringing the ball to his knees when he doesn’t have to” move starts to piss me off again. For now, I’m just happy to have the big fella back.

Perk dusted the hard hat off tonight, looking closer to full strength than I ever would have expected. And the Celtics inched one step closer to that unattainable utopia — full health.