So Much For Perk’s Meeting

Posted by Zach Lowe on Jan 1, 2010 51361 commenthttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F01%2F01%2Fso-much-for-perks-meeting%2FSo+Much+For+Perk%27s+Meeting2010-01-01+21%3A46%3A57Zach+Lowehttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D5136

It’s unclear why, but Perk did not meet Thursday with the NBA’s disciplinary czar, Stu Jackson, as Perk indicated he would after Wednesday night’s loss to Phoenix.

Perk has 10 technicals already—six away from the point at which suspensions kick in with every other T—and he claimed Wednesday he was going to meet with Jackson about having two of those techs rescinded.

For whatever reason, that meeting did not happen, according to the Globe’s Celtics Blog, which sites an unnamed league source.

Perk needs to choose accountability now, when he’s young and his habits are malleable, instead of martyrdom and the belief that the league is out to get him. Rasheed Wallace has taken the latter path, and the result has been a vicious cycle of unending technicals, Sheed blaming everyone but himself (on many occasions) and refusing to change his habits for the betterment of the team.

Perk should avoid this route now, before settling on the conclusion that the officials have some vague vendetta against him. They don’t. I love Perk, but you can’t deny that he is a complainer. He flails his arms and makes faces just about every time a call doesn’t go his way after a physical sequence on either end of the floor. It’s a more violent, angrier version of the wide-eyed whining Tim Duncan used to display every time he felt wronged.

And Perk also has a habit of waving his arms aggressively when he is tangled up with an opponent. This will get you a few technicals as the season goes on.

The complaining hurts the team in more ways than one. I’ve broken down a couple of plays in which Perk’s displeasure with the referees resulted in him not getting back on defense in time—which in turn produced an easy look for the other team.

Perk: They’re not out to get you, but they will be if you don’t take at least some of the responsibility for the technicals. You’ve become a wonderful player. Just play your game.