Signing of Kendrick Perkins brings playoff-tested presence to Pelicans.
Dell Demps purchased some protection for Anthony Davis.
The New Orleans Pelicans agreed to terms with veteran free-agent center Kendrick Perkins on Tuesday, adding a bruising defender and playoff-seasoned presence to the team’s roster and locker room.
While Perkins played a significant role on the Boston Celtics’ championship team in 2008, and in a litany of deep playoff runs since, his on-court skills may not matter as much as his off-court attitude. Demps, the Pelicans’ general manager, brought Perkins in for the veteran minimum contract (one year, tallying around $1 million) as the team’s third center, meaning his role will be more for chemistry purposes than box-score production.
Team officials aren’t allowed to comment on the move, since Perkins’ signing isn’t expected to be announced until later this week.
Stationed in the depth chart behind recently re-signed centers Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca, Perkins’ playing time on the floor will be limited unless injuries shake up the roster.
So his value to New Orleans isn’t what it was to Boston and Oklahoma City over the first 12 years of his career, when Perkins was a defensive force in the middle, helping Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook pile up gaudy statistics and playoff wins.
From 2006 to 2014, Perkins logged starts in more than 95 percent of his 538 games but eclipsed 10 points per game in only one season and eight rebounds per game in two others. Still, he proved to be a pivotal and visible on-court figure for both franchises during prolonged runs of success.
“When most great organizations are looking at players, of course, yeah, they score points, and yeah, they get double-doubles, but a lot of GMs look at a person and say, ‘What does he bring to the table without the ball in his hands?’ ” Perkins told ESPN in December. “I think that a lot of smart GMs, they pay people off of that. … ‘How can you help your team without the ball in your hands?’ ”
In signing with New Orleans, it was even less about what he did with the ball and more what he did off the floor.
After being moved to the bench last year in Oklahoma City, Perkins signed with the Cavaliers but barely played during in its run to the NBA Finals. Still, teammates were quick to credit him with adding a layer of toughness and professionalism to the locker room.
Perkins gained a reputation in three locker rooms as the consummate teammate. Durant mentioned in his 2014 MVP speech how Perkins texted him motivational thoughts every day and continued that daily contact through months of physical therapy in recovering from a foot injury.
One Thunder teammate referred to him as a “team psychologist” for his motivational tactics and unwavering determination to keep in touch with everyone. Perkins has remained close with Celtics teammates even though he was traded away nearly five years ago.
But his value as a protector was never more obvious than in April, when Cavs star forward Kevin Love’s shoulder was injured in a playoff win over the Celtics. A game later, Perkins sent a message in his fleeting moments on the floor, plowing over Jae Crowder with a rugged screen and pushing him to the ground, setting off a fracas.
“I didn’t go in with the intention of sending no type of message,” Perkins said to ESPN. “I’m just playing my game.”
“When things get a little chippy, we all know one person in this room that is going to come in and stop all that, and that’s Big Perk for us,” Irving said. “He’s going to continue to do what he does.”
Via – Scott Kushner, The Advocate