Kendrick Perkins will have vital locker room role for the Cleveland Cavaliers
With the Cleveland Cavaliers last roster spot, they decided to bring up Kendrick Perkins from the Canton Charge, and he could be serving a vital role.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had fifteen players going into the day of the trade deadline. The day after the trade deadline, their four completed trades, left them short two players. With those openings, they were able to sign Okaro White and bring up Kendrick Perkins along with a few two-way signings.
ESPN first reported the addition of Perkins. In addition to reporting it, they nicely related it to how Cleveland has handled similar situations in the past. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin said this:
"Cleveland will sign Perkins on Wednesday, the final day of the regular season, just as it did in 2016 when guard Dahntay Jones was added, and in 2017 when both Jones and center Edy Tavares were added for the Cavs’ playoff run."
A few seasons ago, we saw the Cavaliers add Dahntay Jones for two reasons. He was a quality veteran locker room presence. That alone is enough for the Cavs to consider Perkins. Perkins has one championship ring and has been to the playoffs nine times with three different teams.
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Following the trade deadline, the Cavaliers brought in three 25-year-olds and sent away a few of their most veteran players in Iman Shumpert, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose.
One addition to the retooled Cavs roster was Larry Nance Jr. Unlike players like Rodney Hood, Nance Jr. will have something to learn from the pose and dedication that has been shown and should continue to be shown by Kendrick Perkins.
Perkins could’ve given up. Albeit he has yet to play a game in the NBA this season, Perkins displayed his resilience and continued playing for the Cavs G-League team, without a guaranteed promotion to an NBA roster.
That resilience along with his understanding and grit will allow Perkins to serve a vital role on the Cavaliers. While Perkins isn’t expected to have a significant on-court role, with the injury-plagued Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love, Perkins is a low-cost insurance plan.
Assuming they don’t get injured and he has little role this postseason, how will Perkins still be useful?
His role will solely be centered around being the veteran leader that they lost this past trade deadline and offseason. With the departure of players like Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson along with the aforementioned additions, the Cavaliers needed a player like Perkins on their roster.
That role in often times slept on in the NBA too. Players like James Jones, Joel Anthony, and Udonis Haslem were all able to stick with James-led teams due to their veteran leadership and locker presence.
Also, let’s just take a minute and imagine a Kendrick Perkins-Draymond Green fight in the Finals. Perkins is that type of player that’ll also be able to get under the skin of his opponents. That could be used to Cleveland’s advantage.
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Perkins won’t do much on the court for the Cavs, but that certainly doesn’t mean he has no role.