'They got 'Bron': Perkins not worried about Cavs' struggles
Kendrick Perkins is the very definition of a veteran, so he knows not to sweat what happens in January.
Perkins, who is playing for the G League affiliate Canton Charge, watched a lifeless Cleveland Cavaliers team get dismantled by a shorthanded Toronto Raptors side on Thursday, but he's not ready to sound any alarm bells just yet for his former club.
"It's a long season. You have those spurts where you go through ups and downs, and it happens like that. At the end of the day, it's nothing too serious that they can't overcome," Perkins told theScore at the G League showcase this weekend.
The Cavaliers have dropped eight of their last 11 games thanks in large part to their disinterested 29th-ranked defense. Their last three losses have been especially alarming, as they lost to the Timberwolves and Raptors by a combined 62 points, before blowing a 22-point lead against the Pacers.
Several rotation players are playing below their level and LeBron James, who was seen accosting a Cavaliers coach, issued warnings that he's going to hold everyone accountable.
From the outside, it looks like yet another example of the Cavaliers melting down in January. But for someone like Perkins who was in that locker room for two of those seasons, he's not worried. Cleveland went through similar spells in previous campaigns, only to morph back into a monster come time for playoffs.
"I don't think they're worried ... You gotta stay even keel. They're going through a rough patch, (Isaiah Thomas) just getting back off injury, and sometimes it takes time. A lot of people don't know it may take a month to fully get your NBA basketball legs, especially being out of the game for eight or nine months.
"At the end of the day, when it's all said and done, the Cavs will still be there at the end of the playoffs.
"And they got 'Bron. That helps a lot, too."