An unsettling bed-time story
Perkins hurts toe, may be out tonight
WALTHAM - Until yesterday, if you Googled the words "injured toe," "furniture," and "Celtics center," you'd come up with Pervis Ellison dropping a coffee table on his foot in 1996. That caused the oft-injured Ellison to miss pretty much all of the 1996-97 season.
Kendrick Perkins only had his bed fall on his toe. But he might miss tonight's game against the Kings because of it. He didn't participate in yesterday's workout, though X-rays revealed nothing sinister.
"I guess whoever put my bed together didn't put it together right," Perkins told the Associated Press. "When I moved, one side of my bed fell. My bed was tilted, so I got out of my bed to go push down on the other side. And when I was about getting ready to push down on the other side, the headboard started coming in. So I tried to push the headboard back so it wouldn't fall over. My foot was under the bed and the other side of the bed fell on my foot."
"Perk's foot, a big toe injury, and that is a concern," said coach Doc Rivers. "Right now, I would say there's a very good chance we're going to be without Perk and Scot Pollard."
Pollard missed yesterday's workout with a bad back.
Should Perkins not go, it would be the first time this season Rivers has had to make a change in the starting lineup. The coach said he would start either James Posey, Brain Scalabrine, or Glen Davis at power forward and move Kevin Garnett to center.
Barros aboard
The Celtics' basketball operations department has added a new face - and a familiar one at that: Dana Barros. The former Xaverian/Boston College/Celtic guard has been named director of player development."I don't know if it's official yet," said executive director of basketball operations/general manager Danny Ainge, "but his job will be player development."
Mike Crotty, who held the title of director of player development, is now, according to Ainge, "a jack of all trades" for the team. Crotty has been spending more time on the court during practices, helping out the coaching staff. He will continue to do that.
Barros played five seasons for the Celtics (1995-2000) and an additional game in 2003-04 when he was brought in late in the season. He has been doing some community relations work for the team.
Under advisement
Ainge said he has not made a decision on extending Brandon Wallace's "fish-or-cut-bait" date because of the rookie's wrist injury. Wallace's current deal calls for his salary to be guaranteed if he hasn't been waived by Dec. 20. Wallace is unlikely to play by that point, so, Ainge said, extending the date "will be discussed before that time. We'll see how we feel about it internally." It can't be an extension for too long; all contracts are guaranteed for the year as of Jan. 10 . . . Rivers on the Celtics' NBA-best record: "We've won absolutely zero. We are not good enough, today, to win a world championship." . . . The Kings and Celtics will meet again in two weeks in Sacramento, where the Celtics have lost 11 straight games. That will mark Boston's first road game against a Western Conference team. Tonight's game is their fourth at home against a Western Conference foe; they have already beaten Denver, Golden State, and the Lakers.