Perkins was charmed from the get-go

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Perkins was charmed from the get-go


By Joe Vieira, Globe Correspondent, 6/28/2003

ALTHAM -- If Kendrick Perkins was looking for a lucky charm, he didn't need to
go far to find one.



''Before the draft even came, it was like two days before, Celtics' things
were just popping up in front of me,'' said Perkins. ''People were wearing
[Celtics] jerseys. Every time I turned on the TV, it was Boston. So I was
like, `Is the 'Lord' sending me some types of clues?' ''

The clues appeared misleading as the first round of Thursday's NBA draft
unfolded. The confusion began when the Memphis Grizzlies selected Marcus Banks
at No. 13, a player Perkins knew the Celtics coveted. When the Celtics picked
Boston College guard Troy Bell with the 16th pick and Duke guard Dahntay Jones
with the 20th, Perkins was befuddled.

''I didn't know what to expect,'' said Perkins, who along with Banks was
introduced to the media at the Celtics training facility yesterday.

''And then they took Dahntay Jones. I was crushed for a moment.''

Things panned out for Perkins, however, when Memphis sent him and Banks to the
Celtics for Bell and Jones. Perkins was at ease when the Grizzlies picked him
27th, but he doesn't expect to be that comfortable when it comes time to show
the Celtics' brass what he can do.

But the 6-foot-10-inch, 285-pound high school star from Beaumont, Texas,
realizes his future is in his hands. ''If I work hard, [my role with the team]
is up to me,'' said Perkins. ''I'm trying to jump into the rotation this
year.''

Director of player personnel Leo Papile has known Perkins for two years, and
faced Perkins twice in AAU tournaments in 2001 as coach of the Boston Amateur
Basketball Club (BABC).

''We beat [Perkins's Houston Hoops team] rather handily both times,'' a
smiling Papile recalled. Papile echoed the sentiments of Celtics coach Jim
O'Brien and director of basketball operations Danny Ainge when discussing the
18-year-old's potential.

''The problem with a lot of big prospects is they have the height, but not the
width,'' said Papile. ''[Perkins] certainly has the width, and he's a strong
kid. I think he'll be fine.''

Perkins, with a 9-4 1/2 standing reach and a 7-6 wingspan, also has a heart of
gold, according to Papile. ''He's the kind of kid that if your daughter
brought him home, you'd be happy. I love him.''

Celtics assistant coach Joe Gallagher will have a lot to do with Perkins's
development, according to Papile. However, there's another man in the Celtics'
employ whose tutelage Perkins would be happy to receive: Bill Russell.

''I think it's great,'' said Perkins. ''A Hall-of-Famer teaching you the game.
I can't complain.''

Perkins appears comfortable with his surroundings in Boston already.

''The front office is like a family,'' he said. ''They're very down-to-earth
people. They seem like they're going to take care of me.''

Perkins also had a word of encouragement for fans unfamiliar with his work
ethic and game. ''I'm going to go in and give it my all and go hard every
game.''

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx

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