NBA “tough guy” Kendrick Perkins, like many other NBA players, used the recent offseason to clean up a few injuries that had slowed him down during the season.
During one week’s time in mid-July, ‘Perk’ had surgery on both his wrist and his groin (hip). Both operations were labeled by the the team as “minor issues”…..as in 3-4 weeks off then back in the gym.
So why did GM Sam Presti say recently that Perkins will miss the entire preseason and that the “goal” is for him to play on opening night. That puts his full recovery from surgery at over 3 months. Well, it turns out that the wrist injury was actually the reason for the long recovery…bizarre.
I thought Kendrick has hard? I mean, that’s how he appears out on the court. He regularly will shove a guy half his size and then act like he’s Al Pacino in Scarface. Occasionally, he picks on someone his own size…but then, it’s little more than just a stare down (something he learned from fellow ‘fake thug’ Kevin Garnett in Boston). Even Pau Gasol thinks Perkins is s-o-f-t.
I luv what the Oklahoma City Thunder have done building a championship contender in a small market. I thought the trade of Jeff Green for Perkins was a good move to balance out the roster and give the team some more toughness inside…..but I guess it’s all relative.
Sadly, in today’s NBA, just looking hard at a guy = toughness. Gone are the Charles Oakley’s, the Anthony Mason’s, & the Davis boys in Indiana…..those guys made you think twice before acting up on the court.
Kendrick is just a guy who thinks setting moving screens and scowling at his opponent is hard-nosed basketball.
Perkins has a funny way of honoring his new four-year, $34.8 million deal…by sitting out a quarter of a year following “minor” surgery.
Obviously the procedure on his groin didn’t make him more of a man.
All I know is, Nenad Krstic would’ve been back already…..
I still cant believe he has a ring.