Cavaliers, LeBron officially welcome new addition Kendrick Perkins
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially signed center Kendrick Perkins, the team announced Tuesday.
Perkins, who will wear jersey number '3' for the Cavaliers, made his Cavaliers debut Tuesday night against the Pistons in Detroit.
Cavs forward LeBron James, who played with Perkins on an AAU team in high school, is excited about what Perkins brings to the Wine and Gold.
"I've been a competitor against him and I mean, he's a guy that you hate when you play against him and a guy that you love if he's your teammate." James said. "I played two summers with him when we were on high school on an AAU team so I had a very, very good relationship with him from that point and always loved his competitive spirit and what he brings to the game."
Forward Kevin Love echoed James' sentiments about Perkins' competitive nature.
"You love having him on your team and hate playing against him, said Love. "He brings a different edge and different mentality to the team and he's a guy that instantly fits because of that mentality. He's a guy who is highly experience, he's played in a championship-like situation, so for us to add him is going to really help our interior play and also add a really good body to help us."
In addition to his play on the floor, James thinks Perkins will play an important role within the Cavs locker.
"He's a guy who understands what it means to be a true professional both on and off the floor. He adds to the locker room and adds to the presence. His toughness and willingness to go out there and do whatever it takes to help you win and whatever role he has is key for any team and we're happy to have him."
Perkins, a 12-year veteran, holds career averages of 5.6 points on .530 shooting from the field, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 22.6 minutes over 727 games (560 starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics.
Originally selected in the first round (27th overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft by Memphis, Perkins has appeared in 51 games (three starts) for the Thunder this season, averaging 4.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 19.2 minutes.
