Perkins' grit boosts Oklahoma City Thunder - Tucson Citizen

Most of what Kendrick Perkins does for the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder doesn’t appear in the statistics.

The 6-10 center has scored in double figures only once and has yet to tally in double digits in rebounds for the Thunder (8-2). He’s averaging 5.7 points and 5.7 rebounds.

But his bare-knuckles style plays well in Oklahoma City, which has star power with two-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook. Perkins, noted for his scowl and Beaumont, Texas, drawl, relishes being in the background.

“I’m just a guy who’s going to do my role, do all the little things and try not to do too much,” says Perkins, 27, in his first full season with the Thunder after being traded from the Boston Celtics in February. “I’m not going to go outside my body and I’m going to do what the team needs me to do.”

The Thunder opened 6-4 last season, ended with 55 wins and claimed the Northwest Division title for the first time since relocating from Seattle in 2008. They won their first playoff series here and reached the Western Conference finals, losing to the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. in five games.

Oklahoma City is in a better position to compete this season because of Perkins, who heads a stacked and physical frontline that includes starting power forward Serge Ibaka (6-10) and reserves Nick Collison (6-10), Nazr Mohammed (6-10) and Cole Aldrich (6-11).

“He’s teaching all the other bigs to talk and communicate out there with the guards, making us better defensively,” Mohammed says. “We can play any style. We can bang and wrestle. We also got guys who can knock down jump shots, who you can pass the ball to, who you can run the ball through, swing the ball, dribble handoff, things like that. We can adapt to anything.”

Since Perkins’ arrival, the Thunder are 21-6 with him in the starting lineup. They went from 20th in the NBA in defensive field goal percentage (46.3%) before the trade to fifth (43.8%) in the last 17 games to end 2010-11. This season the Thunder are even better, holding opponents to 42.7%.

Perkins was recovering from right knee surgery when he was acquired from Boston. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament with the Celtics in Game 6 of the 2009-2010 NBA Finals and missed most of the 2010-11 regular season. He never was 100% then, but his mere presence gives the Thunder optimism for the future.

“We want to be a better defensive team,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks says. “We’ve made great progress, particularly in the second half of last season, when we traded for Perk. Our defense improved.”

Perkins is back to his playing weight before the knee injury, shedding 32 pounds in the offseason to reach 270. But he has yet to play more than 31 minutes in a game.

“Actually, I feel a whole lot better. My body fat is down. It’s the lowest I’ve ever been in weight. I feel a whole lot lighter on the court,” Perkins says. “I’m just trying to … to get in top shape where I can play 40 minutes a game at a high level. My timing is off a little bit on the offensive end.”

Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti sees Perkins as a long-term answer in the middle, giving the team the brawn they once lacked to compete against the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets. The Thunder beat both in last season’s playoffs.

“We saw a player with a blue-collar mentality and exceptionally high defensive awareness while fitting within the age range of our primary core,” Presti said. “We are pleased for Kendrick, but we are not surprised by where he is right now (with the weight loss). His history in the NBA is that of a no-frills competitor who embraces the daily grind and gives you an honest day’s work.”

The compressed 66-game season will test Perkins’ mettle. After the Thunder opened with four games in five days, he felt flat and complained of muscle soreness. Sunday they finished their set of three games in three days, becoming the first to win all three, and will play 24 games up to the All-Star break Feb. 24.

Recovering from games in such a schedule isn’t easy for Perkins, but winning makes it tolerable.

“You never know until the game starts how you really feel. It’s about getting rest,” Perkins says. ” All that counts with me is the win. I don’t care what happens other than that.”

Copyright © 2010 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

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