Perkins still feels at home in OKC
From 2010-2014, Kendrick Perkins was a powerful presence on the Thunder, whether banging in the paint or hanging in the locker room.
He won a championship in Boston and last played New Orleans, but Perkins remains attached to Oklahoma City, where he was a mentor to Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
That attachment was apparent on Wednesday when Perkins visited the Thunder’s shootaround and its game against the New York Knicks. He told his wife that he “shed a few tears” of happiness being back in OKC. When he was introduced during the game, fans at Chesapeake Energy Arena gave him a long standing ovation.
Afterward, Perkins talked with The Oklahoman about his hopes for a comeback, Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors and a visit to The Peake and the future of the Westbrook/Durant relationship.
Question: What’s going on with the comeback attempt? You still trying to get back in it?
A: “I’m still trying to
get back in. I’ve been working two-a-days over the last couple of months. Just been going hard. Got a couple of calls, just a few teams say they want to start trying me out and working me out before the free agency’s over with. So, just trying to get back in and see what it do. One more push.”
Is there a certain place that you feel like you fit?
“I feel like I fit here. From me walking in the facility earlier (Wednesday), all the love and stuff that I got and then coming here tonight, and then after talking with Sam (Presti) and Mr. (Clay) Bennett, you just know that it’s genuine. It ain’t like I got that many options that I can just pick and choose, but I feel like this would be a good place.”
Is something in the works?
“I don’t know. I don’t know. You know Sam. He keeps stuff private, even from me. If it is, I hope so.”
What do you miss the most about it?
“You miss the camaraderie with your teammates, the competitiveness. I think that’s mainly it right there.”
Obviously the whole thing that happened here Saturday, we wanted to get your thoughts on that. I have to ask about the cupcakes. Being the guy who originated the term, what were your thoughts as you watched that Saturday night?
“Man, it was crazy. It was different. But at the end of the day, it’s part of it. This was KD’s first time coming back after he made his decision, so you knew it was gonna happen. I ain’t know it was gonna be to that extreme, but, like they say, it’s a thin line between love and hate. So at the end of the day, he made his decision and he knew what was gonna happen when he came back, but he’s all right with it. It happens, and I think he was just ready to get it over with.”
Were you surprised he went to Golden State? A lot of people around here were surprised not necessarily that he left, but that he went there of all places.
“I was. I was surprised. I thought maybe if he would have left, I thought he probably would have ended up back in D.C. or maybe even with the Spurs. That move, it surprised me just like it surprised everybody else. But like Kevin said — when I talked to him, he said he made a decision that made him happy. Obviously the Golden State Warriors must have made him feel wanted, like they wanted him. They must have done a hell of a job recruiting him, and he just made a decision for himself. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s back here in the near future.”
One last thing about their relationship, him and Russ. You told Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski that it’s sad for you to see that, you hate that it’s come to that. What do you think it’s gonna take for those guys to get back to what they had?
“I don’t think it’s a real beef there. I think it’s just more so maybe feathers being ruffled, just feelings being hurt. I don’t think either one of them have hard feelings. I’ve been around them for going on four, five years — numerous group messages to dinners to card games to whatever — and I know both of them really care about each other. And I think more so it’s the outside world that kind of blew it up and kept adding fuel to the fire.
“If you look back on it, either one of them never commented and said nothing negative about either one of them. I think in due time, they’ll mend. I was just talking to Russ, and Russ doesn’t have any hard feelings toward KD, and KD feels the same way. So I think in due time, they’ll get back on point where they’re talking again and get that relationship back.”