Gomes thrives in transition

WALTHAM -- If you've got Kendrick Perkins on your rotisserie team's inactive list, you are well advised to keep him there. The burly Celtics center, who hasn't played since Feb. 6 because of a dislocated left shoulder, won't be back soon. He says it'll be a week from today, but his coach says he would be shocked if it was a week from today.

And, by extension, if you've got Ryan Gomes on your active list, you are well advised to keep him there.

Tonight's game against Indiana marks the ninth straight Perkins will miss since he injured his shoulder in practice prior to the team's Feb. 10 game against Portland. It also marks the ninth straight game Gomes will start, and the Celtics have gone 5-3 with the rookie as a starter, during which he has averaged 12.1 points and 9.7 rebounds, and shot 59.7 percent from the field.

The two don't play the same position, have completely different games (and body configurations), and, yet, have been inextricably linked for almost a month. One went down. The other rose up. Perkins said after practice yesterday he is shooting for a return a week from tonight at Milwaukee, adding, almost as an afterthought, ''I think I'm ready to play. It just needs time to heal."

Doc Rivers, who has a pretty sorry track record when it comes to predicting the return of the injured, poured some polar ice water on that scenario. ''I don't expect to see Perk in a week," he said. ''It would be great if it did happen, but I don't see it."

Rivers added that Perkins still needs to be cleared by doctors before he can even practice -- and he doesn't see such clearance coming for at least a week. Perkins has been told to stay off the weights and acknowledged yesterday that his left shoulder is weaker than his right, which is to be expected. He also has been told if he dislocates the shoulder again, he could be out for a while.

In other words, caution rules.

''I just need to give it time," Perkins said. ''I don't want it to happen again. You want to be a part of it [playing], but at the same time, it happened and you have to deal with it."

Gomes, meanwhile, has stepped in and played like a 10-year veteran. Over the past eight games, he has played more minutes (313) than he did in the first 49 (236). He has shown a knack for getting big offensive rebounds, for not getting too lost on defense, and for being able to knock down an open jumper. Much like Delonte West last season, Gomes simply doesn't look like a rookie or play like one much of the time.

''He's stepped in and played great," Wally Szczerbiak said. ''We need to keep him in there."

As long as Perkins remains on the mend, count on that to happen.

Szczerbiak's sore left knee continues to be a concern to him and Rivers. ''My knee starts to tighten up in the fourth quarter and I just can't move," Szczerbiak said. ''It starts locking on me. I've got to figure out a way to stay strong for the fourth quarter. That's the next challenge. When I play those extended minutes, that's when it breaks down." Rivers said he is under orders not to play Szczerbiak those extended minutes, orders he shelved Wednesday when Szczerbiak went 39 minutes against the Heat. Szczerbiak said he wasn't sure what was going to happen in the offseason with the knee, a problem he said didn't materialize until he arrived in Boston. ''There's still something going on in there," he said. ''We'll have to see how it responds." . . . Paul Pierce didn't appear to be all that offended by some predictable showboating from Miami's Antoine Walker after the ex-Celtic dropped some big 3-pointers on his old team. (Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, however, noted Walker wasn't doing any showboating when he was scoreless for the first three quarters.) Walker's performance brought back memories of Mark Blount's big game against Boston immediately after the Celtics had traded Blount to Minnesota. Said Pierce, ''Those guys, they feel something. I've never been in that situation. I guess you feel you need to prove something to the team that traded you. When things are going well, of course they're going to have a little swagger in their step. The only way I can [stop] that is to beat them." . . . The ever-alert Sean Grande, the Celtics' radio voice, noted the team has now made eight or more 3-pointers on six occasions in the 15 games since the deal with the Timberwolves. Before the deal, the Celtics made eight 3-pointers only five times in 42 games. Rivers said there have been no changes in his 3-point philosophy, but added that better ball movement since the trade has led to more opportunities. Against Miami, the Celtics made 10 3-pointers, half coming in the fourth quarter, when West was 4 of 4 from international waters . . . Rivers said Gerald Green is likely to remain with the parent club for the rest of the season. NBA rules allow the Celtics to return Green to the National Basketball Development League for one more stint. The NBDL's regular season ends April 9.