Don't think that because he had a disappointing 2012 playoffs run due to injury that Kendrick Perkins has softened any. The Thunder center is rehabbing his wrist, and spoke with The Oklahoman's John Rohde about how the whole Oklahoma City starting center competition is going to go. If I were Cole Aldrich, I would be trying to convert to shooting guard pronto.
"We're all teammates, but at the end of the day, the center position over here is mine and that's the way we're going to keep it," said Perkins, wearing a brace on his left wrist. "Any other way, backup minutes or whatever they want to go about, that's their problem. Once I hit the court, I'm going to make it known - and it's going to be known - that that's mine.
"It's no beef, but at the end of the day, that's what it is."
I mean, can Thunder coach Scott Brooks even approach Perk about coming off of the bench behind, say, Nick Collison without a riot shield in hand? "It's going to be known?" Is he going to bring brass knuckles to his first training camp workout against Aldrich?
Kendrick Perkins continues to have phenomenal swag.