The offseasons additions of Shaquille and Jermaine O'Neal suggested the Celtics would have considerable depth up front, particularly once Kendrick Perkins returns from rehabbing his right knee, in which he tore his ACL last June in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. However, both of the O'Neals are now battling lesser knee injuries of their own, and the ailments are limiting their court time. Shaq's played in just three games so far this season, while Jermaine's played in seven, but had to sit out of the second half of the Celtics' 89-87 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night because of left knee pain.
It was expected that the O'Neals would battle injuries this season, but perhaps not this early and this often. As a result, it seems like Perkins can't return soon enough, and, as evidenced by a report from Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com, it's clear that he's making legitimate progress in the right direction.
Four Things to Know About Kendrick Perkins' Rehab - CSNNE.com
Being injured doesn't keep Perkins away from the gym. In fact, he makes two trips a day.
"I'm at the gym twice a day," he said. "Three hours for practice, three hours when I come back at night. For practice, I get there at 11 [a.m.]. At night I get there about 10, leave at 1 in the morning, something like that. We've got 24-hour access, so we've got to get it in."
According to the story, Perk plans on playing before the All-Star break, and he's placed an emphasis on maintaining his conditioning throughout the rehab process.
Coincidentally, today is also Perk's 26th birthday. Happy birthday, big fella.