Kendrick Perkins has become a bit of a cult NBA hero during the twilight of his career. His big, bruising style made him an NBA villain during his tenure with the Big-3 era Boston Celtics, but with the NBA transitioning to a smaller, more skill-based game, you just don’t see as many Kendrick Perkins types as you used to.
He represents a dying breed of NBA center, not to mention his hilarious personality and on-court demeanor. That’s a good combination for internet fame.
But Perkins’ latest NBA comeback appears to have hit a roadblock, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Saturday that the Cleveland Cavaliers had waived the forward.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/919231498519285761
What makes the Kendrick Perkins story so fascinating right now is that we already went through all this. Perkins was out of the league for an entire season before the Cavaliers signed him to a training camp contract this summer. It was always a stretch for him to make the Cavaliers’ final roster, but now that Cleveland teased us with another season of Perk, it’s hard to let go again.
Kendrick Perkins isn’t ready to say goodbye to his latest NBA comeback attempt. The bad news is, it’s hard to imagine an NBA team using a roster spot for what a 32-year old Kendrick Perkins is going to give you on the court. He’s much more valuable as veteran locker room leader, but even still, who is going to use a roster spot on that with the regular season tipping off on October 17th?
As Wojnarowski notes, Perkins came into training camp in tremendous shape and ready to contribute. But coaching might be a more likely route for Perkins at this point. And it seems he’ll certainly have the chance to start his coaching career with the Cavs.
Perkins tells ESPN he still hopes to play again in NBA. Cavs offering him chance to start coaching career. Perk was out of NBA in 2016-17.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 14, 2017
It’s a nice gesture by the Cavaliers, but Perkins’ reputation around the league as a consummate professional and locker room leader make this a no-brainer. If it’s not the Cavaliers, it’s going to be someone else. The NBA needs this guy around.
