Earlier, I took a step back from the shock of today and I tried to make sense of what happened today. I stand by that analysis and maintain that we still need to wait and see before we judge the effect of today's trades on the team.
But now I want to be a fan. An emotional fan that has developed irrational attachments to people I've never met simply because they wore the right laundry and played the game I love in a manner which made me happy.
Kendrick Perkins isn't perfect. He has flaws just like all of us. But that might be why we love him so much in Boston. We gravitate towards guys like him around here. Sure, we love our stars, but we always develop a much closer connection to those grimy guys that make the most of their talent. We love the "work hard" guys more than we like the "wow, it's just so easy for him" guys. I don't really know if its like that in other markets… but I know its like that here. It's why guys like Leon Powe were so popular.
I'll tell you what's eating at me right now. Just before we were blind-sided by the Perk trade, I read this from Chris Forsberg:
Celtics center Kendrick Perkins suggested at shootaround that he'll wait "five or six" days to let a mild sprain of his left MCL heal, but hoped to return before the end of Boston's four-game road trip.
"No, I might play in one of these games," said Perkins. Asked if he was serious, he added emphatically, "Yeah, I'm a Celtic, man."
Yes, you are, Perk. These Celtics are a bunch of grimy bastards. They are part schoolyard bully, and Perk was chief among the lunch-money-takers. He's never the best player on the floor, but you kinda felt like he was the baddest. KG has the bark, but Perk has the bite. On the floor, he's a mean sonuvabich who will rip his momma's arm off to protect the rim. At least that's how it felt. And as a fan, I appreciated that because it meant as much to him as it does to me.
When I hear that he was sent to tears about being traded, it just hammered home how much he not only meant to the team, but this team meant to him. This Celtics team was a close-knit a family as you'll find in pro sports. It kills me to know it killed him. Teams just don't have that kind of chemistry anymore. It's hard to find.
I'm not gonna lie right now. I hate Danny Ainge for doing this. We might still win the title and I'll go crazy if the C's do… but I'm still gonna hate this move. The best I'll ever get is "I hated the move but it was a good decision." That's the best case scenario for me. Grudging acceptance.
I'm gonna miss big Perk and that awesome Texas drawl of his. I'm gonna miss him out on the floor as a great compliment to four future Hall of Famers. I'm gonna miss that edge that he brings this team. This guy took being "a Celtic" to heart. He made me, as an irrational fan who wants to believe these guys care about the city, the colors, the laundry and the building as much as I do, feel that he and I felt the same way about playing basketball in Boston.
Business is business… but Perk is Perk. And I'm gonna miss that guy.
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