Karma matters. And, truth be told, my Celtics Karma has taken a hit since the trade.
I've tried to deny it, saying I am a Celtics fan first and foremost -- that I root for the name on the front of the jersey. I've argued in support of the trade and expressed doubts that the loss of Perk will have any ill effects on this veteran team, or on his less veteran buddy, Rajon.
However.... I do believe that a mildly-veiled malaise has settled drearily over Celtic nation. We've been good to Nenad (thankfully for him, he's exceeded expectations), and we've had a somewhat subdued, but nonetheless hopeful welcoming of Jeff Green. And most of those with knee-jerk negative reactions to the trade have come around. The skeptics still linger and understandably so -- nothing has been proven. But, despite many good attempts to raise the collective spirits and hoist a re-energized belief in this newly constructed team, the malaise continues to be palpable to me.
It struck me hard when I saw Jeff's front page article today. We are having a hard time letting go. And even as we say -- 'I've moved on', and even as we remind ourselves that Perk is now playing for an opponent, there is a piece of us that is still poking around in denial -- it's the piece in us that sees Perk in an OKC uniform and it feels sureal. We shake our heads and have to re-order the world. Perk, who was a baby when he arrived, whose fat body was chiseled before our eyes by Year 2, whose game grew every year because of dedication and hard work. Perk, who was so valuable to us that many believe he would have won us a championship last year had he been healthy for Game 7. Our Perk, who grew up before our eyes, got married, had a baby, who seemed to embody Celtic pride and blue collar ethic.
Perk, our Perk, is a Celtic nevermore.
SO -- we have to turn the page. NOW! Perk is gone. He is an enemy player for the remainder of his career. The team we have now is deep, talented and can win a championship. I don't want anything tainting my opinion of this team. Perk is a Thunder. He plays with KD not KG. He will score 8 points and grab 7 boards for them from now on. He'll annoy Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol 4 times a year, and perhaps in the Western playoffs. Good! We've got The Big 4. We've got Shaq. We've got Nenad. We've got Baby and Jeff and Troy and Delonte and Carlos and Von -- and maybe Jermaine. The Boston Celtics are proud, Perk-less, and must move on with a vengance.
I am done speaking of Perk -- maybe forever -- but at least till this season is over. Go Celtics!
Topic: Maybe I'll Miss Perk in July -- But Now I Need to Move On! (Read 1967 times)