I’ve started a habit (that I make no promises of keeping up with) of writing player profiles each week. Last week, by popular vote, it was Jiri Welsch. Another request was Kendrick Perkins. So brace yourself as I give the big guy the kiss of death.
Kendrick Perkins is my new Kedrick Brown.
Now, I don’t mean that as harshly as it sounds. You see, as I’ve stated before, I’m a sucker for young, talented players that have yet to blossom. My fantasy football squad is filled with players like DeShaun Foster and Justin Fargas because I want to say "I knew he was gonna break out." That's also why I love the draft so much that I had my bachelor party at a sports bar watching the kids in bad suits tower over Stern. For the last 3 years I told people to watch for this kid Kedrick Brown. "He’s gonna be in the slam dunk contest, you’ll see," I said. Well, a pair of glass ankles, a few too many cheeseburgers, and zero court awareness put a nice kibosh on that dream. But that was then, this is now.
My new pet project is Kendrick Perkins. Now I annoy my non-Celtic-fan-friends with stories of a man-child who will add some much needed beef to the middle of the parquet paint. "He already has an NBA body and great footwork," I say. "Al Jefferson will get the headlines, but this kid is a year ahead of him defensively." Basically I’m just giddy for the first time he puts his shoulder into Jermaine O’Neal and announces his presence in the paint with a 3rd row block.
But what do we really know about this kid? Based on last year, nothing. Except that he didn’t make a lot of noise (actually not a peep), and has found a true love for lifting weights. Considering that many teenagers would have opted for the XBox, that says something good right there.
Al Jefferson may be the next franchise guy, and maybe they were just trying to give Al some breathing room (or a light to the pants), but Danny and Doc talked after the summer league about how Perk was more ready to play the paint than Al. That’s what a season of pro practices will do for you. Al clearly outplayed him in the summer league, but keep in mind the lack of structure in those leagues. Perk’s knowledge of the system means that at least early on, we should see a good deal of him off the bench. He already has better hands than Blount (insert joke here). He’s no super-athlete, but here’s hoping he can out-hop the super-gimps at the 4 spot. Even the Herald mentioned that he earned points by "doing all the small things." This is good.
On the other hand, Raef and Googs (health permitting) will get the first nod, then Doc will need to find some time for wonderboy Jefferson. So there’s always a chance he could get buried on the bench. And all my hopes will be dashed once again. So the legacy of Kedrick Brown may yet live on. Even their names are eerily similar. This is bad.
Still, I can’t help but hope. He’s a true low post banger. He’s got a great work ethic, which should help him get along with Blount and endear him to the coaches and fans. If he gets a shot, I think he’ll even earn a few Tommy Points. That’s probably all we can hope for this year. Then we can reassess in the offseason and get my hopes up once again. "He’s the real deal, I’m telling ya."
"Whatever Jeff. So how about those Jets?" (now you see why I write to you people)
Editor's note: Ok, so he's more likely to play the 5 than the 4. You guy's caught me this time. Shoot, Motown is like my own personal Stat Boy. I just thought he was a little undersized for the 5 spot. The moral of the story, question everything you read. This works better anyway. He can back up Blount and leave the 4 spot to Al and the 2 gimps.