WALTHAM - Kendrick Perkins isn't afraid to admit that he, like many fans, was wary of Rasheed Wallace when the Celtics signed the free agent this summer.
Perkins knew what Wallace was capable of on the floor, but he was concerned about the forward's reputation as a disruptive force off it. After being around Wallace during the Celtics' informal pick-up games in Waltham the past two weeks, Perkins was happy to discover his preconceptions were misconceptions.
``I was just waiting to see. It was kind of scary for a minute,'' Perkins said yesterday. ``Really, I just wanted to see how he was outside of Basketball. And he's a great guy in the locker room.''
The wariness went both ways, as Wallace never was particularly fond of Perkins, stemming from their battles under the boards when the former was with the Pistons.
But, like Perkins, Wallace understands a rival's view can change when he becomes a teammate.
``I'm not going to say I thought he was an (expletive) or nothing like that because I can't judge no one like that,'' Wallace said. ``I know for me, when I'm on the court I'm totally different than when I'm off of the court. . . . I didn't know what to expect from Perk when I first got here, but just hanging out with him - the whole locker room talk - Perk's a cool young (guy).''
Wallace shouldn't have to worry about winning over the C's three leaders, as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen played a crucial role in landing him. The trio made a special recruiting visit in July to Wallace's home in Detroit and convinced the 14-year veteran to sign with the team. They believed the versatile big man was the piece the C's needed to return to championship form.
The 35-year-old Wallace has filled that role before, getting traded to the Pistons in 2004 and helping them win the championship that season.
``It's a love-love relationship,'' Wallace said. ``I know what type of players we have on this team, I know the coaches we have on this team, so it's going to be good. It's going to be a fun, long ride.''
Although Wallace's game is sure to win over most skeptical Celtics fans, he's aware some will never get past his technicals and tantrums.
``It really don't matter to me. It just matters to me how five people think about me, and that's inside my house,'' Wallace said.
``Other than that, my mom said, `Opinions are like (backsides): Everybody got one.' Can't be mad about that. If a person doesn't like me or doesn't like my game, OK, that's how they feel. Can't be upset with it.''
- danduggan@bostonherald.com
