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Over the next few weeks, we'll take a player-by-player look at the 2009-10 roster and how each player's season unfolded, assigning a grade for their overall performance. This is the third in the series of report cards:

Player: Kendrick Perkins
2009-10 averages: 10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 blocks
2009-10 salary: $4.5 million

Season in a paragraph: Playing his seventh season in Boston, Perkins continued a steady progression, upping his scoring numbers even if his production dipped in the 2010 calendar year. Scoff if you will, but Perkins was playing at a downright All-Star level into January, averaging 12.7 points and 8.6 rebounds in December, while shooting a blistering 67.3 percent from the field. Perkins was on pace to shatter Cedric Maxwell's single-season field-goal percentage record, but cooled in the second half of the year, particularly when knee tendinitis slowed him. All that doesn't even take into account his phenomenal defense, which allowed him to go 1-on-1 with any center in the league.

Season highlight: Jan. 2-18, 2010 -- With Kevin Garnett sidelined, Perkins picked up his play in the early portion of the new calendar year. He produced nine straight games with double figures in scoring and five of his 14 double-doubles on the season.

Season lowlight: June 17, 2010 -- After tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, Perkins was forced to watch the championship tilt from the sideline and observed as the Lakers dominated the glass, aiding them in topping Boston for the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Final grade: B+

Teacher's notes: Yes, Perkins fell into some bad habits late in the year, most notably going back to what Doc Rivers calls "gatherer" mode, when he seemingly dips down to build momentum before going up with the ball, often times leading to a blocked shot. But Perkins was phenomenal for much of the season and his presence was sorely missed in the final game of the year. He needs to work on sustaining his output over the course of 82 games, but knee tendinitis (and a postseason hyperextension) might have played a large role in his late-season decline.

What's next?: Perkins said earlier this week that he's facing five to six months of recovery once he goes under the knife Wednesday to repair the torn ACL. For any big man, knee surgery is a big deal and the Celtics shouldn't expect Perkins to be anywhere near peak performance until around the All-Star break, if not later. Exacerbating matters for Perkins, he enters a contract year. If the Celtics are confident he can regain his form, they should make every effort to lock up a player that is still only 25 years old (put another way: First-year guard Oliver Lafayette is six months older than Perkins).

Honor roll: Click HERE to read past report cards.

Don't agree with teacher? Just want to sound off on Perkins' 2009-10 season? Click HERE to leave a comment.