He’s gone, I know, but here’s reason #378,392 why I love Kendrick Perkins
Kendrick Perkins is gone and he’s not coming back. I know these things and wouldn’t argue otherwise, mostly because doing so would be like arguing that San Diego means “a whale’s vagina.”
When Danny Ainge traded Perkins away for a couple scraps of metal*, the Perkins era was done and I should have moved on. But I’m the type of guy who still checks box scores to see how Sebastian Telfair’s doing, just because he once played for the Celtics. I wonder how Joe Forte’s doing, or what Kedrick Brown is up to. I occasionally have conversations discussing the merits of Dana Barros’ jumper. Recently (as in, this month), I even debated who had the better expiring contract in his expiring contract prime: Raef LaFrentz or Theo Ratliff? Years from now, I might sit in my La-Z-Boy and compare and contrast the NBA lives of Patrick O’Bryant and J.R. Giddens.
My point? Long after Celtics leave town, I still care. And when it comes to Perk leaving, I care even more. Call me crazy, tell me I should move on, whatever. I guess I just have a soft spot in my heart for 6’10″ gentle giants who scowl all day long, work hard as hell (if hell works really, really hard), and would stand toe-to-toe with any human being trying to A) disrespect them, or B) keep them from winning a basketball game. There’s a reason Kendrick Perkins evolved from a fat, bumbling rookie into a sculpted, important starter and one of the NBA’s best post defenders: he’s a true professional, one tough hombre.
(Here’s where you wait while I pull a handkerchief out of my pocket and wipe tears from my eyes. … okay, I’m ready to continue.)
Anyway, I’m not here to make another argument that the Celtics should have kept Perkins around. I’m just here to alert you how cool he seems.
When two half-brothers became enamored with Perk and started a blog in his likeness, Perk didn’t just befriend them—he treated them like family. This past summer, they attended his wedding as Perk’s guests, even going to his bachelor party.
“We started this thing as jock sniffers,” Brian Johnson, one of the two creators of Perk Is A Beast, told Deadspin. “But the Perk we ended up knowing was much cooler than the one we created.”
Read about the Perk they got to know here. And believe me, I know: I’m probably going to get beaten with a 2×4 in the comments section for mentioning that guy who used to play for the Celtics but doesn’t anymore. That’s your right. But in the words of The Roots, I will not apologize.
*Admittedly, that description of Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic is far too harsh. But before you complain, could you please just remind those two that the playoffs actually started Sunday night? Thanks.
Related posts:
- Kendrick Perkins wants to remain a Celtic after contract expires
- Kendrick Perkins: “I tell my wife that I just can’t picture myself anywhere but Boston”
- Kendrick Perkins: Extension offer was actually closer to four years, $22 million
- Kendrick Perkins on return, free agency, and C’s title chances
- Kendrick Perkins itching to return to court
Celtics Blog | Jay King | April 20, 2011
OK…now we know about your man-crush. Hell, I like KP, check his stats (as I like OKC too) and wish him well, but he is not a Celtic anymore so considering this is a Celtic blog and not a shrine or memorial to KP then I think you need to replace KP on the wall, which will make most of us happy, but also maybe create a side section devoted to ex-Celtics where you can post stories about them or discuss their careers or current travails. Just a suggestion. Go Cs…
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Reason #1 I love that blonde in the photo…. she is hot….
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Right on Jay, I’m fantasizing about Perk on our team and JO backing him up
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Danny Ainge is gonna look silly when OKC is in the finals and we’re not..
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So you have a crystal ball Frank?
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I don’t need one, isn’t it obvious at this point? We haven’t gotten a thing from the guys we traded for… as a matter of fact, it’s been some pathetic play from Green and Krstic… you happy?
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One more thing, these guys deserved another chance with Perkins..
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Once a Celtic, always a Celtic. Why is this hard for ‘fans’ to understand?
On a more elementary level, Aziza, they deserved a chance NOT to have the team disrupted just so that Ainge could avoid dealing with a difficult contract situation in the offseason.
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I’m not sure that we won’t win a championship. We still have four of the best players in the league, one of whom is capable of being the best player in the league today; we can still win if they – especially Rondo – rise to the occasion.
But what Ainge did was managerial malpractice.
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I hate comments like “I should have moved on”. What is wrong with you? Do you and all the other haters screaming that we should ‘move on’ lack any and all ability to walk and chew gum? Does your mind simply LACK the ability to be critical of the management when it deserves that, while still rooting for the team?
Of course you don’t lack that ability. So stop with the “I should have moved on”, please. Listen, I’m ticked off, and EVERY real fan should be, in my opinion. But yeah, I can still root for the team. I even root for Green and Krstic, if you can believe that. Oh yes. BECAUSE I CAN HOLD TWO THOUGHTS IN MY HEAD AT ONCE!!
Isn’t that just amaaaaazing. Somehow, most Celtic fans apparently can’t do that.
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I agree with you eppie…. i thought the Celtics were different, i thought they had more loyalty. What do we do next season? We need a center..
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Danny got the wrong guy should have gotten James Harden. Guy already comes off bench he is a swing man and he can flat out score.
Problem is not who we gave away it is who we got.
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Good thought Nate… i agree
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crying so loud….. Perrrrrrk..Why Ainge why? For Nenad and Green? Seriously?
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