No story about the Oklahoma City Thunder would be complete without a chapter on Perk. Perhaps, the most polarizing player in the brief history of the team in OKC, yet once he came over from Boston in the Jeff Green trade and became the starting center to shore up the defense—all OKC did was win. No player in Oklahoma was scorned as much by the internet warriors and local sports radio talk than Perk. Yet–in the end, he exited with grace and class after being traded to Utah at the trade deadline last February. He’s out for 2-3 months with a pectoral injury and won’t play tonight. No story on the rise of the OKC Thunder to the NBA Finals can be complete without a Perk chapter. My son named his lab after Perk–so I’ll always have a place in my heart for both Perks. Just saying.