Perkins out 6 months; Could miss season


Boston Herald
The Celtics center said last night that he has been told not to expect a return to action until late December or early January as the result of major knee surgery that has been scheduled for a week from today.

The Celtics center will undergo major reconstructive surgery to repair tears to the anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee – all the result of an awkward and ultimately mortal landing with an offensive rebound during Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

Perkins admitted last night to a sense of shock after returning to Boston the day after Game 7 and, following an MRI, learning that he had torn his ACL. It had previously been thought, prior to the exam, that Perkins had merely damaged his MCL and PCL.
So Perkins has the trifecta of tears. This usually means you miss a season, but they're saying he could return around the New Year. After that you have to give him some time to get back into shape and then into game shape. He also most likely won't be 100% until a year after surgery. By that time he'll be a free agent. Very bad news. For those who don't recall how the Celtics fared without Perkins last year, here you go:
  •  Perkins was ejected during a close Game 5 in the conference finals versus the Magic at halftime. The Magic went on to blow out the Celtics. 
  • Perkins went down with this knee injury in Game 6 of the Finals during a tight game and the Lakers went on to blow out the Celtics.
  • In Game 7 without Perkins, the Lakers killed us on the boards and defeated us to win the title.
Without a healthy Perkins this year, I don't see how this current squad can "overachieve" (Danny's word) like they did this past year. If Perkins hadn't suffered the knee injury we'd be defending champions and that would earn another run for this overachieving squad. Now I sadly believe it's time to either seriously retool or blow it up.

I hope Perkins recovers fully from this major injury. Would love to see him resigned next Summer. Tough centers are hard to find.