Odd Day

It's an odd day to be a Boston Celtics fan.

Found out at midday that the team traded C Kendrick Perkins and G Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for F Jeff Green and C Nenad Krstic and sat motionless for a good couple of minutes digesting the news. I was stunned! Nothing prepared me - nor perhaps any other Celtics fan - for a move such as this. Surely, a trade or free agent pickup was required to reinforce the C's NBA title chase, but Perkins?!? Boston's anchor on defense?!?

In the days leading up to today's NBA trade deadline, the chatter surrounding Boston was that of players who could fill spots decimated by injury. First - a 3 who could replace F Marquis Daniels, who is nursing a bruised spine, and provide solid minutes behind F Paul Pierce. Second - a move for big men who could bolster the gimpy frontline of Perkins, C Shaquille O'Neal, C Jermaine O'Neal and rookie C Semih Erden.

In the past week, backup 3 conversations saw candidates such as F Shane Battier (Houston), F Rasual Butler (L.A. Clippers), F Dahntay Jones (Indiana), F Anthony Parker (Cleveland), F Tayshaun Prince (Detroit) and even former Celtics F James Posey (Indiana) and (ulp!) F Antoine Walker (currently playing for the Idaho Stampede of the NBDL). Big men talk was less concrete and dependent on a buy-out scenario that would make free agents available for enlistment. The player of interest in this situation was/is FC Troy Murphy, who began the week in New Jersey but was just dealt to Golden State.

Amid all the trade talk that percolated from sports sites to social media (Twitter!), the word was that the C's did not have enough assets to get a proper deal done. Boston, it was believed, was offering nothing more than fringe assets like Robinson, Daniels and rookies Erden and F Luke Harangody as management was not about to break up a core unit which stood last June just one win away from a World Championship. Additionally, for a team that embraces the matra of "Ubuntu!" (togetherness) it seemed highly unlikely that any of member of their 2008 World Championship-winning starting five was going to be touched.

Up until this early morning (about mid-morning in the East coast) I was reading about the C's ramping up discussions with Cleveland on a deal that supposedly would send Parker to Boston for Erden and a future first-round draft pick. Celts were reportedly also trying to shop Daniels but were having no luck - largely, I presumed, because of the uncertainty of his health (last I heard was that Marquis' injury is deemed serious enough to possibly jeopardize his career). And in the middle of all that, there remained talk of the Celtics staying in the Troy Murphy hunt.

By the time noon loomed (almost 3 p.m. EST), however, there it was - the shocker: Kendrick Perkins, "Perk", the Celts' defensive stalwart, the man with the perpetual scowl, was on his way to Oklahoma City. I couldn't believe it. From Twitter, I jumped to ESPN.com to see if the deal was confirmed. Finding no immediate verification I moved to CSNNE and Celtics Blogs, among others, all in hopes of seeing perhaps, that the tweet I read was nothing more than mere conjecture. But within minutes, the news was all over the place. Perkins was gone.

After the news finally sunk in (about an hour or so later), I couldn't help but be contemplative. Perkins was selected 27th overall in the 2003 Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies but was obtained by Boston on the same day along with G Marcus Banks for G Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones. The 6-10, 280-lb. frontliner joined the Celts right out of Clifton J. Ozen High School in Texas (which he led to four district championships and one state championship) - becoming one of only 42 players in NBA history to have successfully made the jump from prep-to-pro*.

In his seven-year stint in Boston, Perkins went from a green (pun intended) center, to reliable backup big to solid starter on an NBA championship team. He, Paul Pierce and G Delonte West were the only players on the 2010-11 Celtics roster who were part of the pre-"Big Three" era teams that suffered through the losing seasons - including the 2006-07 campaign which saw Boston lose 58 games. Along the way, though, Perk managed to compile averages of 6.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Last couple of seasons, Perk registered career bests (8.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 2.0 bpg in 2008-09; and 10.1 ppg and 7.6 rpg last year) while anchoring the C's vaunted defense.

Perk's career bests, however, were spoiled by an untimely injury during Boston's title chase last June. Tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the Finals against the L.A. Lakers, Perkins sat in street clothes for the decisive seventh game and benched the Celtics' title hopes.

All summer Celtics fans wondered if Banner #18 would not have already been won had fate not had been so cruel as to hurt Perk at such a crucial juncture. But buoyed by Perkins' blue-collar attitude and diligence in working his way back from the injury, Boston fans also saw reason to look forward to the 2010-11 season. Celtics GM Danny Ainge, in anticipation of Perkins' long recovery period, stocked the roster with bigs but declared prior to the start of the season that when Perk returns he'd have to "earn" his starting job back. But everybody knew that no one else could fill that starting C spot better than Perkins. Not Shaq. Not Jermaine. Most certainly not Semih**.

By mid-January, Boston was leading the Eastern Conference inspite of multiple injuries and challenges from the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic. The team was also eagerly counting down the days to when their injured reserves+ would re-join the active roster and a conservative schedule around the All-Star break was drawn up for the return of Perkins. But with Shaq, Jermaine and Erden all ailing at the same time, Boston was finding it more and more difficult proceeding with smaller players and shortened rotations. The task of staying competitive became too grueling for comfort and so on Jan. 25 the team suited Perkins up for the first time since the NBA Finals.

In a home game against the Cavaliers, Perk came off the bench for 17 minutes and he recorded 7 points, 6 boards and 3 assists to help the Celts take victory, 112-95. Two nights later, he played 20 mins. and netted 10 points and 9 rebounds in an 88-78 road win over Portland. Boston fans were exuberant - Perk was back! Everyone began envisioning the Celtics in June - formidable five of Garnett, Pierce, Ray Allen, Rondo and Perk playing against their Purple and Gold rivals - concluding unfinished business.

Perk would play 12 games in total following his return, averaging 7.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in helping Boston to an 8-4 win-loss mark before going down anew. Accidentally bumping knees with Golden State G Stephen Curry last Feb. 22, Perkins suffered an MCL sprain to his left knee and was projected to miss the rest of the team's current Western road swing. When the injury first occurred, C's fans held their collective breath and prayed that Perk did not re-injure the repaired knee. I was scouring the web then, much like I was today, looking for any update to ascertain the severity of the injury.

Unlike today, though, I felt relief a few days ago when I learned that Perk's was a minor injury. Like many Celtics fans, I'm sure, I was frustrated by the thought of him missing games again but comforted by the idea of seeing that menacing scowl and jersey #43 back sometime soon. Little did we know, however, that that was the last time we'd see Kendrick Perkins in a Celtics jersey. Our dreams of Boston winning an 18th NBA championship must now be anchored on the defense of another big. Shaq? Jermaine? Nenad Krstic? I can't picture it. It's all still too odd for me.

*Interestingly, two other players who made the successful leap from high school to the NBA were Perk's former Celtics teammates Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal.

+Shaquille O'Neal (hip), Jermaine O'Neal (knees), Semih Erden (shoulder), Delonte West (wrist) and Rajon Rondo (ankle) had all missed / or were missing in action

**Following the Perkins trade, Semih Erden and Luke Harangody were dealt to Cleveland for a 2012 2nd round pick