The Morning Walkthrough: Kendrick Perkins earning a little admiration

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn't mean we have to.  Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe - "When Doc Rivers took over as Celtics coach in 2004-05, he inherited an overweight Perkins, then watched as his mammoth center trimmed his weight and bulked up his skills. He marveled at Perkins’s condition in training camp and his focus on improvement.  “You know who’s playing great for us is Perk,’’ Rivers said following Sunday’s victory in Miami. “He’s doing all the little things, a lot of the dirty work that you don’t get the credit for.  “One of the things we’ve talked about for years is if he can get it in the paint, they are going to have to foul. If he goes through bodies, he’s going to get to the foul line.’’"

Brian Robb, Celtics Hub - "Kendrick Perkins is leading the league in FG Percentage at 64.3% per game. Let that register for a little bit for a guy who use to be one of the most hesitant shooters on the team, if not the league.  The guy has surely come a long way but Perk’s continued progression on the offensive end has been a pleasure to watch, as he firmly establishes himself as one of the premiere big men, not only in the Eastern Conference, but the entire league."

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports - "The Nets didn’t back into this record, but earned it Wednesday. All together, the New Jersey Nets laid down and quit on themselves, the way the owner quit on Jersey six years ago. Bruce Ratner will go down as one of the most destructive owners in NBA history, and for one night until the Russian billionaire takes over, one more inglorious night, everyone wanted to celebrate that man’s incompetence and failure in the odd kind of way they could only do here, in Jersey, where NBA basketball seasons have long come to die."

Pounding the Rock - "I may be crazy, but I think RJ [Richard Jefferson] can run with Paul Pierce. The stats don't bear me out--Pierce averages higher in points, rebounds, assists, and efficiency--but let's call it a hunch. In mid-November, Pierce bruised a knee, but it didn't seem to slow him down much. He is aggressive, and Jefferson is going to have to push back."