Pelicans center Kendrick Perkins is expected to miss three months of action while rehabilitating a right pectoral injury, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports. This unwelcome news comes while New Orleans is dealing with an 0-4 start to the young season, as well as adding to the team’s growing list of players dealing with injuries that includes Omer Asik, Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter, and Norris Cole.
The veteran big man wasn’t expected to play a major role for the team this season, but with Asik being limited to just 10 minutes of action this season courtesy of a calf injury, this forced coach Alvin Gentry to utilize Perkins in a larger role than intended. His presence has also been considered important to the Pelicans’ coaching staff, which considered him a needed veteran voice in the locker room, Wojnarowski adds. Perkins had been a starter in three Pelicans games, averaging 5.3 points and 2.7 rebounds, before going suffering the injury last Saturday against Golden State.
Perkins appeared in a combined 68 games for the Thunder and the Cavaliers during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 4.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for OKC and 2.6 PPG and 2.4 RPG for Cleveland. His career numbers through 12 NBA seasons are 5.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.2 BPG to go along with a slash line of .530/.000/.597. Perkins signed a one-year, minimum salary deal with the Pelicans back in July.