Big Smooth Is Back After Confusing First Half Of Season, Sam Perkins Is Playing Like Old Self

In a season that has gone up and down and all around for him, there is one thing about which Seattle SuperSonics veteran Sam Perkins is abundantly clear.

“If this team does win it all,” Perkins said, “it is official. I will leave. If we do win, I will leave. That’s what you play for. No sense in hanging around. Just get one (championship) and I will be happy.”

That, in a sense, is the irony of Perkins’ situation. If the Sonics do win the NBA title, it is likely the team would want to keep Perkins one more season, just to see if they can repeat.

Further irony is that a man with such an equable personality as Perkins’ has experienced such a diverse arrangement of thoughts and feelings this season.

Before February, certainly, the Sonics seemed uncertain Big Smooth would even finish out the year, much less think about coming back for a 14th year.

It has been a bizarre season for Perkins, one in which he has moved over to allow newer players to establish themselves, one in which he has questioned his own desire even to be out on the court, and, finally, one in which he is enjoying a rebirth and rejuvenation that has both him and the organization wondering about - dare we say? - next year.

Even as the Sonics got off to a much quicker start than anyone expected, Perkins looked outdated and uninterested next to his teammates. He was slow on defensive rotations, only grabbed rebounds that happened to carom into his hands and seemed resigned to drifting along the 3-point line and slinging those long, lazy shots at a rim that had moved away almost two feet.

At the All-Star break, Perkins, a career 46 percent shooter, was making just 40 percent of his shots and averaging 6.6 point and 3.0 rebounds in 20 minutes.

“I think a lot of things were going on in the first half,” Perkins said. “A lot of guys were trying to implement themselves in a new team. And I found myself getting lost in that process.

“I don’t mind taking a back seat. I will sacrifice any given day to help the team win. I’m not a stat guy. It’s good when you score points, but overall I know there is going to be another game and you are going to have to perform again. You better take the good with the bad and the bad with the good and that’s how I do it.”

Still, even with Perkins’ casual, stress-reducing approach, he knew he was not producing the way he had been throughout his career. He said he started to doubt his desire to play, until, with the help of a word from coach George Karl, Perkins had an epiphany, if not about the remainder of his career than at least about the rest of this season.

Since, Perkins has increased his scoring average to 7.3 points, his field-goal percentage has risen to 41.6 percent and his rebounding and blocked shots have gone up.

“George told me he wanted me to be more aggressive,” Perkins explained. “All he has to do is whisper something to me, and I take it home with me and try to apply it the next day.

“I know what I was doing in the first half I am not doing now. I wasn’t as aggressive in the first half as I am now. I know there is a difference because I feel it. In the first half, I thought I was too laid-back and letting everybody else do things. I made up my mind while I’m still here I can still run up and down the court, shoot the ball, play defense and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Perkins said he will revisit the subject of retirement after the season. Plus, the possibility remains that management may not want him back. It may not matter if the Sonics win a title.