We aren't happy either, Perk.
By Doza (email Doza)
Remember the day we traded Nomar? We all remember where we were. You were enjoying the late July summer air, reciting Dave Chappelle jokes every hour. Only 1 or 2 of your friends had this random yellow rubberband on their wrist that had the words Live Strong on it. We all ran inside to watch ESPN, since our Nextels had slow internet connections -- and besides, everyone’s Nextels were sounding the same anyway: (beep-beep) “What the fuck, we traded Nomar, dude?!?”
Then we found out all we got in return were a couple of non-household names like Cabrera and Mienkiewicz. We were crushed. 3 months later, we were singing a song from 1966 called Dirty Water and enjoying the first World Series championship since the earth was flat.
OK, OK, Perk isn’t Nomar…and if the Celtics win the NBA Finals in June, in no way would it equal the ’04 World Series. That isn’t the comparison. The comparison is letting emotion surpass business.
I love Kendrick Perkins because he’s mean on the court. Perk makes each game feel like a fight. Yet, in interviews, he seems approachable. Celtics fans grew to love him after 8 years of his growling stare, his tough workhorse defense (Dwight Howard said he’s the best in the league), his shoulders that were the size of Lawrence and Methuen (my girlfriend always said he looks like he has 3 heads), and the fact that his bully-attitude always got his teammates going. Heck, we even started to justify his faults, like how he’d never go up quickly instead choosing to gather, gather, wait, tie his shoe, wait, wait…then go up (sorry, Perk, you've been doing that since I first saw you at UMass Boston in 2003 at the Shaw's Summer League). Even his shot seemed to be released from a cannon. Regardless, if you were to describe Perk is one word, it would be enforcer. What he lacked in talent he made up for in elbow grease. I cringe when I think of who will guard the likes of D-Howard, Andrew Bynum, or even Roy Hibbert come playoff time.
I tweeted (yeah, I tweet, you jerks, what of it??) that I cried (here’s my man-card; take it now) in 1989 when the Celtics traded Danny Ainge to the Sacramento Kings (other players involved included Brad Lohaus, Ed Pinckney and Joe Kleine – ask your Dad or older co-workers about them). Ironically, Danny made Perk cry 22 years later. Now, ex-Celtic, Nate Robinson, said of Perk after hearing the news, “He’s taking it pretty hard because he’s been here 8 years. He was very emotional, crying. He has to move his family, and he’s been really tight with Rondo and other guys on the team. I feel his pain.” Wow, we forget that these guys are people too. Perk cried?!? Dude sprinkles gunpower in his Lucky Charms. No way he cried! It makes me even more mad because it shows the dude really loved the Celtics. Like I do…like we do.
On the outside, looking in, this is what makes the trade deadline so compelling. Mark Aguirre joining the Pistons in ‘89, Mutombo to the Sixers in ‘01, ‘Sheed to the Pistons in ’04 and Clyde Drexler to the Rockets in ’95. All 4 of those teams made it to the NBA Finals and 3 of them won it all (Sixers lost to Shaq/Kobe Express). You lose teammates, you lose friends, and you lose camaraderie. Yet, you gain more talent, you gain depth, and you gain a chance at another ring.
OK, OK, Perk isn’t Nomar…and if the Celtics win the NBA Finals in June, in no way would it equal the ’04 World Series. That isn’t the comparison. The comparison is letting emotion surpass business.
I love Kendrick Perkins because he’s mean on the court. Perk makes each game feel like a fight. Yet, in interviews, he seems approachable. Celtics fans grew to love him after 8 years of his growling stare, his tough workhorse defense (Dwight Howard said he’s the best in the league), his shoulders that were the size of Lawrence and Methuen (my girlfriend always said he looks like he has 3 heads), and the fact that his bully-attitude always got his teammates going. Heck, we even started to justify his faults, like how he’d never go up quickly instead choosing to gather, gather, wait, tie his shoe, wait, wait…then go up (sorry, Perk, you've been doing that since I first saw you at UMass Boston in 2003 at the Shaw's Summer League). Even his shot seemed to be released from a cannon. Regardless, if you were to describe Perk is one word, it would be enforcer. What he lacked in talent he made up for in elbow grease. I cringe when I think of who will guard the likes of D-Howard, Andrew Bynum, or even Roy Hibbert come playoff time.
I tweeted (yeah, I tweet, you jerks, what of it??) that I cried (here’s my man-card; take it now) in 1989 when the Celtics traded Danny Ainge to the Sacramento Kings (other players involved included Brad Lohaus, Ed Pinckney and Joe Kleine – ask your Dad or older co-workers about them). Ironically, Danny made Perk cry 22 years later. Now, ex-Celtic, Nate Robinson, said of Perk after hearing the news, “He’s taking it pretty hard because he’s been here 8 years. He was very emotional, crying. He has to move his family, and he’s been really tight with Rondo and other guys on the team. I feel his pain.” Wow, we forget that these guys are people too. Perk cried?!? Dude sprinkles gunpower in his Lucky Charms. No way he cried! It makes me even more mad because it shows the dude really loved the Celtics. Like I do…like we do.
On the outside, looking in, this is what makes the trade deadline so compelling. Mark Aguirre joining the Pistons in ‘89, Mutombo to the Sixers in ‘01, ‘Sheed to the Pistons in ’04 and Clyde Drexler to the Rockets in ’95. All 4 of those teams made it to the NBA Finals and 3 of them won it all (Sixers lost to Shaq/Kobe Express). You lose teammates, you lose friends, and you lose camaraderie. Yet, you gain more talent, you gain depth, and you gain a chance at another ring.
I’ll always remember February 24, 2011.
I had Google News open all day long, searching for “NBA trade rumors” and hit re-fresh every 3 minutes. (Obsession, by Calvin Klein). Then my buddy Chris texts me at 3:04 EST, “We just traded Perk”. I called bullshit. Anger set in (That’s our boy! That’s our heart and soul! Danny, you muthaphucka! You never trade 2 black guys for a black guy and a Eurotrasher!!), then questioning (Is Danny giving up rebounding/interior defense for Lent? Wait, Mormons don’t even do Lent. Danny, did you even ask Doc if he wanted you to do this? How ‘bout Wyc? How about his cougar-y wife? Huh? Huh? ), then sadness (Perk came back from that torn ACL in record time to avenge the Game 7 loss he couldn’t participate in – he doesn’t even get the chance to fix it now. So much for the school of thought that our starting 5 has never lost a playoff series. Guess they will stay undefeated forever.), then comedy to make me feel better (Twitter.com - Ainge picked a shitty day to start drinking. Text from Reece – “He must’ve turned off the Computer Approval for all trades for NBA2K11), then rationale (Jeff Green gives us another LeBron/Carmelo defender).
When I watched us play Denver with 9 players last night, and Rondo walking around like a zombie, it became real. It felt like my best friend in 5th grade moved, or I found out that my favorite teacher was leaving mid-year. Sure felt a lot like July 31, 2004. Hope it ends in a similar fashion, but the means to the end sucks. Even the rumors of Leon Powe (just waived by Cleveland) coming back to Boston doesn’t help. I still want to throw my arms in the sky, scream and yell, bitch and complain, like Perk did every time they call a justified foul on him.
I had Google News open all day long, searching for “NBA trade rumors” and hit re-fresh every 3 minutes. (Obsession, by Calvin Klein). Then my buddy Chris texts me at 3:04 EST, “We just traded Perk”. I called bullshit. Anger set in (That’s our boy! That’s our heart and soul! Danny, you muthaphucka! You never trade 2 black guys for a black guy and a Eurotrasher!!), then questioning (Is Danny giving up rebounding/interior defense for Lent? Wait, Mormons don’t even do Lent. Danny, did you even ask Doc if he wanted you to do this? How ‘bout Wyc? How about his cougar-y wife? Huh? Huh? ), then sadness (Perk came back from that torn ACL in record time to avenge the Game 7 loss he couldn’t participate in – he doesn’t even get the chance to fix it now. So much for the school of thought that our starting 5 has never lost a playoff series. Guess they will stay undefeated forever.), then comedy to make me feel better (Twitter.com - Ainge picked a shitty day to start drinking. Text from Reece – “He must’ve turned off the Computer Approval for all trades for NBA2K11), then rationale (Jeff Green gives us another LeBron/Carmelo defender).
When I watched us play Denver with 9 players last night, and Rondo walking around like a zombie, it became real. It felt like my best friend in 5th grade moved, or I found out that my favorite teacher was leaving mid-year. Sure felt a lot like July 31, 2004. Hope it ends in a similar fashion, but the means to the end sucks. Even the rumors of Leon Powe (just waived by Cleveland) coming back to Boston doesn’t help. I still want to throw my arms in the sky, scream and yell, bitch and complain, like Perk did every time they call a justified foul on him.
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