fans everywhere, and Perkins was now just an extremely well-paid backup center.

" When I step on the court, I'm not just auditioning for the Thunder, I'm auditioning for the league. When I step on the court, it's to show everybody I still got it. " -- Kendrick Perkins

Perkins is an especially prideful player, making sure everyone knows he won an NBA championship that one time in 2008 with the Celtics. He's been a starter the past decade, so the transition of him moving to the bench was a bit of an uncomfortable situation.

"To be honest, at first it didn't sit well," he said. "It was kind of hard. The truth is, there are some things that Steven can bring to the table that I can't. And there areseasons. He ranks 35th in rebound rate, ahead of players like Joakim Noah, Anthony Davis and Marcin Gortat. Opponents shoot just 46.8 percent from 6 feet or closer against him, 11 percentage points under the league average for that range. (Against Noah, 54.1 percent. Against Marc Gasol, 53.3 percent.) He leads the team in rebound percentage and is 39th overall in the league, right behind Kevin Love.

Any way you want to slice it, it's undeniable: Perkins has been a plus for the Thunder this season. As a result, those bellows for amnesty or a benching have turned to standing ovations and calls for him to return to his starting position. Perkins has gone from pariah back to fan favorite.

"Yeah I be feelin' the energy. I feel it," he