Gino's Jungle

(That's not photo shopped, he's really smiling)

When you look at Kendrick Perkins on the basketball court you would swear that the man has not smiled once in his lifetime. The way he portrays himself on the court is enough in itself to scare the opponents that go up against him. With this being said, Perk also has a friendly side according to his teammates and coaches. I can't say that I've ever witnessed it, but I'll take their word for it.

One of those times I assume Perk managed to put a smile on his face was a year ago today, July 25, 2009. On that day Perkins and his wife, Vanity, took part in a fairy tale wedding that included white doves and a horse drawn carriage. I can guarantee you the pictures taken at this wedding are not something Perk wants his opponents to see. Why? Because he actually smiled. If you don't believe me look at the picture above.

Because seeing Perk smile is such a rare occasion for us fans to see I figured we should honor Perk's anniversary here at Gino's Jungle. So with that, congrats Perk, get healthy, smile more, and we hope to see you on the court in January!

Earlier this week, after I read an article on the Waikato Times website, I reported on this website that the New Zealand national team was after Kendrick Perkins. An assistant coach for the Tall Blacks stated their intentions to speak with Perkins, whose dad lives in New Zealand, in the future.

Well, I'm sorry to inform that assistant coach that Perkins will not be suiting up in the tall black uniform anytime soon. From the Waikato Times:

"He has no intention of playing for the Tall Blacks – not now or ever," Kenny Perkins told the Waikato Times.

 

"They tried this a long time ago when Tab Baldwin was the coach and I would never let him play for Tab Baldwin.

 

"His main goal is to play for the United States."

When it comes down to it I just don't think Perk wants to do this before every game:

Enjoy the day!

(h/t ESPN Boston)

Lately I have been playing close attention to what's going on with the USA national team as they gear up for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Thanks to Rajon Rondo's decision to finally try out for the team I now have a raised interest in what's going on.

Rondo has been in Vegas for the past two days practicing with the squad in hopes to get one of the 12 roster spots available. He's currently competing with the likes of Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Lamar Odom, and Chauncey Billups.

Moving on to the point of this post... as I was making my way around the internet looking for Celtics related stories tonight I came upon an interesting story about Celtics center Kendrick Perkins.

According to Stuff, a New Zealand based news source, Perkins is being targeted by the New Zealand national team, also known as the "Tall Blacks". An assistant coach for the New Zealand national team relayed the information that they have Perkins on their radar.

You may be asking how Perkins might be able to play for the country of New Zealand.

Via Stuff:

Perkins' estranged father Kenny Perkins lives in Christchurch and was a veteran of the New Zealand National Basketball League in the 1980s and 90s.

 

"I believe some contact has been made with his father," Boucher told the Waikato Times.

 

"He's out for about six months now with an injury but we'll probably go down that avenue in the next year or so.

 

"We don't know what his eligibility will be in terms of being able to play for us but it's definitely something worth pursuing."

 

(I don't know if I can picture Perk doing this, though)

I'm 100% sure that Perkins would rather suit up for team USA, but if the opportunity arises and he gets a shot to play Olympic basketball you never know. With Perk recovering from an injury the chances he will play in the 2010 FIBA World Championships are very slim, actually there's a 0% chance.

If he is eligible, and want's to play for the "Tall Blacks", the possibility that he plays global ball sometime in the future is pretty high. From a fans persepective I'm all for it. It would allow him to improve his game and play against tough competition from around the world.

Let me start off by saying that I love the fact that Kendrick Perkins does not crack a smile when he is on the basketball court. I love how he can intimidate an opponent and limit the best of the best in the NBA. During Game 5 tonight in Orlando, Perkins seemed to let the atmosphere get the best of him. With 36.1 seconds remaining in the half Perk received his second techinical foul of the night and was ejected for the rest of the game.

Although I did not totally agree with either call that made Perkins erupt, or either of the technicals called on Perkins by referee Eddie Rush, there becomes a time when Perk needs to learn to keep his cool. It is a playoff game, but it is not worth sitting in the locker room for an entire half. Whether Perkins agreed with the call or not he should have known the circumstances and walked away without saying anything.

Besides the fact that the technical was his second of the game; it was also his seventh of the playoffs. This means that if the league chooses not to rescind one of his techincals he will be suspended for Game 6. That would be a crucial loss, as the Celtics would struggle to find a way to limit Dwight Howard as effectively as they had with Perk in the lineup.

According to multiple sources the league will make a decision on the technical fouls by tomorrow morning to allow the Celtics to prepare for Game 6 with or without him. I'll end by saying this: Perkins is one of my favorite Celtics and I love his no-bullshit attitude, but there comes a time when you have to think with your head and not let your emotions get the best of you. That is a lesson Perkins will eventually learn as he continues to improve his stock in this league. As for now, I guess we just wait for a decision tomorrow morning.

If there is one thing to be worried about going into the Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Orlando Magic it is Kendrick Perkins health. Since the playoffs the Celtics have been relatively healthy outside of Kendrick Perkins knee injury that continues to bother him. Although this is not the worst thing that could happen, it is a cause for concern.

Here is today's news on Perkins via Chris Forsberg:

"Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins watched Saturday's practice from the sideline after his problematic right knee acted up before the session but is expected to be ready for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Orlando Magic on Sunday.

 

"His knee is bothering him," Rivers said. "He tried to go early, but it started bothering him a lot. He wanted to go, but I told him, 'Look, I don't need you tonight, you're not going to help me today in practice. I need you tomorrow.' So I shut him down."

 

Rivers said he expects Perkins to play Sunday, and much of the talk at Celtics practice revolved around the role Perkins will play in defending the Magic's Dwight Howard."

In the upcoming series the Celtics will be going up against the best center in the NBA, Dwight Howard. His defensive play that helped him earn NBA Defensive Player of the Year is one thing; being one of the most effective offensive big men in the league is another.

The man who will be responsible for limiting Howard's offensive output in the upcoming series will be Kendrick Perkins. In the past Perkins has a good history against Howard because of the physicality he brings to the table. He can use his physicality and his size to rough up Howard, and get in his head. So far this season Howard is only averaging 12.5ppg against Boston in four games. This is about three points lower than his season average of 15.4ppg.

With all of this being said it is going to be important for the Celtics, mostly Perkins, to be able to limit Howard's production and make the rest of the team attempt to score their points. With Perkins knee acting up you can't help but be worried about the possibility it affects him in games.

With all of the Celtics health concerns as of late, the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett took attendance at this morning's shootaround.

Disclaimer - This did not really happen, it is a made up scenario.

Bulpett: Paul Piere?

Pierce: Here!!!

(Paul Pierce is expected to play tonight, according to Bulpett, Pierce said he is having no problems in his previously infected knee.)

Bulpett: Rajon Rondo?

Rondo: Here!!!

(Rajon Rondo is expected to play tonight, according to Bulpett, Rondo said his hamstring is feeling better. His only concern, like Pierce, is that he may not be in proper condition after missing over a week of game play.)

Bulpett: Kevin Garnett?

Garnett: I'm here, but I'm in no way ready to play in tonight's game.

(Kevin Garnett did make the trip with the team but is not playing to night and is doubtful for most of the road trip.)

Bulpett: Kendrick Perkins?

Perkins: Here!!!

(Perkins is a go for tonight's game, it is believed that Perkins was dealing with food poisoning yesterday but has quickly recovered and practiced with the first unit this morning.)

Bulpett: Eddie House?

House: ....  ....  ....

Bulpett: Edd-e House?

House: ... ... ...

Bulpett: Does anybody know where Eddie is today?

Garnett: That (Bleep, Bleep) is sitting in his bed with the flu.

After taking attendance we can expect to see a starting lineup of Rondo, R. Allen, Pierce, Sheed, and Perkins. It is believed Garnett will be on the bench tonight cheering on his team, while E-House will be laying at home watching the guys in green. The Celtics take on Miami tonight at 7pm, you can watch the game on CSNNE.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the year of 2010!!! After a pro-longed absence from the site during the holidays we are back. With the introduction of a New Year we are determined to help Gino's Jungle grow. It has become very hard maintaining two websites AND a podcast over the past month. I am hoping that we can bring in the New Year by returning to a time where we delivered you news on daily basis.

The one problem with this is that we are currently lacking writers to deliver news to the website. With Travis and I lead blogging at Hardwood Houdini now we only have time for one or two articles a week on Gino's Jungle. This is where you can help us.

Gino's Jungle is still hunting for new writers to join the staff. Multiple opportunites exist for those who are interested. If you have a lot of time and want to be lead-blogger for the site, that opportunity is available. If you do not want a lot of responsibilites and can only contribute one or two articles a week, that is also available. If you would enjoy doing a daily links type of thing, that is availabe for BOTH of our sites. Any little thing will help us to continue growing the site.

Travis and I will help all our writers get their material out there. Whether you are an aspiring writer, or just plan to do this as a hobby, we will make sure people are reading what you write. We have multiple ways and connections to get your material onto some premiere sports websites.

If you are interested in writing for Gino's Jungle please contact us at ginosjungle@gmail.com. If you have Twitter send us a tweet @GinosJungle. Any little thing will help us out and will be much appreciated. I want to take a moment to thank our current writers Graham Brunell and Matt Rury for all they have done to keep new material on the site. A new year is going to bring bigger and better things to the Jungle, we hope that you will become part of it.