I sure hope not. This is all just speculation, but via ESPN Boston theres this article about Perk and his training camp. He was asked and i guess everybody at the camp to comment on the Shaq acquisition and Perk declined to comment. Also from Shaqs press article he mentions playing along with Ray, Paul, KG, even Rajon and that he's honored to now play with them. No mention of Perk. As we know they both got into it last year when we faced Cleveland, it looked more heated than the usual shoulder bump.

I'm not sure what to think of all this I'm probably reaching, but something about its not sitting well with me.

Well, the 4 he mentioned are all stars. Perk isn't. Shaq is also unlikely to ever share the floor with Perk.

This same question was raised last eyar with Sheed coming in. I'm sure they will work it out but Perk's persona is Mr. tough guy and right now he's also injured. He's not going to give any ground to the new bull on the block until the new bull shows him respect.

I like that.

They'll be fine.

I think that's it.

Perk is a prideful man - he was bummed about getting hurt in game 6, and I'm sure he's bummed now. He sees us bringing in J.O and Shaq, and of course that has to hurt - but not from a selfish line of thought.

It is more of a Competitiveness-thing for Perk - he can't play right now, so he's bummed.

He'll be fine. He will have the luxury of working back into the lineup, get his minutes back, and we'll be set for our stretch run from late Mar11 to June 11.

Once Perk gets his Starting Job back, then I can see Shaq backing him up. I think J.O. will move to backup KG, with Glen playing good minutes as well.

Also - The key in any potential conflicts is Doc Rivers. He will keep everyone happy, the man has proved that to me.

I think that man alone will signify when our rebuilding does in fact start - when Doc leaves, that's it, IMO.

I sure hope not. I'm sure that, if there IS a problem, it'll get worked out soon enough.

I am so terribly tired of hearing about chemistry problems.  It started with could Garnett, Allen and Pierce play together.  Then it was whether Rajon could handle them, and then could they handle it being Rajon's team.  Questions arose about Cassell, then Marbury, then Nate Rob.  People speculated about tension between KG and BBD and if Sheed would be too much personality, would it make Perk worse.  At the end of the season people worried about if the team was split into factions. When they signed JO it was all about his attitude, then it was Wafers and now it is Shaq.

Yet year in and year out aging veterans come here sacrifice their egos and help the team win.  Clearly Doc and Danny have a far better sense of how players relate to each other than any of the worryworts in this board. Sure there have been bumps in the road and this team is very vocal about it, but the fact of the matter is there is no NBA team is the Superfriends, even the Miami Superfriends.  Egos will collide but when all is said and done it is about respect and sharing the goal of winning.  

So can we move on?

bill walton needs to sit down with shaq and fill him in on how to appraoch coming to the Celtics - walton, of course, handled it beautifully way back in the late summer of 1985 (with a slight prodding from ML) by going straight to robert parish to explain his intentions and agenda with the team - which was to come in and be part of a strong bench that would help win a title .......... if shaq would listen to walton, because they have two very different personalities.

if shaq wants that extra ring - and i really think that was his ultimate agenda when he chose boston over atlanta - then he needs to come in and make certain to enhance the team chemistry, not harm it.

Shaq and Walton have had some public feuding in the past. Don't see that being constructive.

Perk didn't like Garnett either before he came and publicly called him "overrated"