Perkins Proves His Worth
by Jeff Clark on May 8, 2009 7:49 AM EDT
in Boston Celtics News & Links
Email
PrintSteve Bulpett makes a great point:
But two games into the Eastern Conference semifinal series between Orlando and the Celtics, Kendrick Perkins has played Dwight Howard to a fair standstill.
Now, no one is saying Danny Ainge would hang up the phone if the Magic called and offered Howard straight up for Perk, but it becomes quickly clear to anyone who watches the Celts a while that Perkins is far more than a product of playing next to three definite Hall of Fame mates and another who is filling out his Springfield application with each playoff triple-double.
Perkins is becoming one of the more hated Celtics players by fans around the league. The consistent knock on him has been that he's riding the coat-tails of the Big Three. Hogwash.
He knows his role is to be a defensive anchor and he plays that role about as well as anyone, despite being left off the all defensive teams. He's also developed a solid offensive game where he can back down smaller opponents and hit shots over the top of larger ones.
I'm preaching to the choir here, but Perkins is an excellent basketball player in his own right.
23 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
LOVE HIM
Beast… I love his toughness and most of all his quotes.
Say what you want about the guy, but he is one guy you count on to always be focused on the task at hand. Not laughing and smiling…
He’s the second best center in the East, behind Howard. The only other “pure” center in the Conference I would even think about trading for Perk straight-up for (ignoring salaries) is Big Z, and I don’t think I’d make that swap. I love that every year, he just gets a little bit better; it’s clear that he’s still busting tail to improve himself.
I think Walker and Giddens
are the last rookies for a decade to come into the Celtics without immediately looking up to Perk and Rondo as leaders to emulate and listen to intently.
Perkins is what being a CELTIC is all about; GREAT DEFENSE, DECENT OFFENSE and HATED AROUND THE LEAGUE by all. If he can develop a decent 15 foot shot, he will be unstoppable in the future.
christian m. jorg
15 foot shot? What for?
I want him to keep working on catching the ball and getting up with it and dunk it.
work on the Hook shot – on the pick and roll
JUST BE A CENTER.
I Would Not Trade Perkins For Howard
Howard is a great shot blocker off the ball. His blocks raise eyebrows because of the athleticism and the power. BUT, Perk is a much better TEAM defender and probably is more knowledgeable about setting picks. His blocks don’t look spectacular, but most of the time they stay in bounds and are recoverable by the Celtics or Perk himself. That was a Bill Russell trait. Howard makes himself noticeable and thus receives rave reviews. Perk lurks in the intangible areas and often goes unseen by those who don’t see him play all the time.
"I don't come to play, I come to WIN"--Larry Bird
"Criminally Negligent Officiating"--Tommy Heinsohn
An interesting thought
Howard is a specimen if there ever was one.
I don’t like using that word, but I believe it applies here.
He is a stunning talent, and under the tutelage of the Celtics’ coaching…he might thrive as Perkins has.
Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk
He And Perk Were Both Taught By Clifford Ray Early On
But Ray said his work with Howard mostly involved work ethic. If he had more time with him and Howard were a Celtic I, too believe he would be a better player. But, I think Howard has more of an ego than Perk and that could get in his way. Perk is “blue collar”. I think Howard wants to drive Ray Allen’s Maserati.
"I don't come to play, I come to WIN"--Larry Bird
"Criminally Negligent Officiating"--Tommy Heinsohn
Ray's Maserati
In the great press conference last year when KG signed and he, PP and Ray participated—KG spoke about the whirlwind he was in the past few days and said it was like driving 200mph in a Maserati with his head out the window. Pierce asked KG if he had a Maserati and KG said no. Then Ray said he did. The reference to Howard driving a Maserati was to show the possible mindset difference between him and Perk. Perk is a blue collar pickup (with rust on it) driver while Howard, imho, wants to drive the fancy stuff. In re-reading this it makes no sense to me so it probably doesn’t to you. At least I hope it doesn’t. But this is what the Bull’s series did to my brain.
"I don't come to play, I come to WIN"--Larry Bird
"Criminally Negligent Officiating"--Tommy Heinsohn
It was a Lamborghini
…i believe.
And Pierce laughed while questioning “you done did that?”
Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk
Told You I Was Screwed Up
But they both end in “i” which may have an underlying meaning to what I was trying to say. Perk is a “we” guy. I’m not sure about Howard.
"I don't come to play, I come to WIN"--Larry Bird
"Criminally Negligent Officiating"--Tommy Heinsohn
Kevin Garrnet
Hi
Love the Celtics why doesn’t kevin Garrnet get of the bench he’s not doing anything. Wathched him during the Bulls series him beating his chest and making those expressions was stupid. So his Knees hurt can’t he play a few min. each half and contribute something he’s getting paid enough
KG? We are all secretly crossing our fingers while pretending it's definitely not gonna happen...
meanwhile… his presence on the bench is multi-purposeful… his own maturity requires it, our team and coaches believe in it, and tloerate the BS to have it, and he has wisdom and experience and FIRE to contribute vocally. Presence accounted for…
garnet
I agree but his jesters and face expressions stinks
by markray61920 on May 9, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions
Perk is a model of hard work
Two years ago Perk was an oaf. Theres is no other apt word. Not all of his improvement last year was due to KG although Perk learned from him too. This is a guy who has worked his butt off, and the Celtics smartly went and got the best big man coach. Gone is the gathering. Gone are the missed assignments. Almost gone are the defensive 3 sec calls. Way down are the moving picks. Up is the passing and shooting. Up is leadership. Up is shot blocking and footwork.
I am so proud of Perk. Rondo has superior talent. And, there is more size in the NBA than there is size-with-talent, which is what Perk has become with hard work.
Now, the Celtics need to get him some speaking lessons. He is a lot smarter than he sounds.
perk speaks just fine... and with more honesty than most...
If perk says it, believe it. Perk lives in the no spin zone. great posts above, but one thing I want to add is about perk’s demeanor on the court. Perk is the celtics rock. He is their most consistent attitude on the floor. He does not pretend. He does not act, or often re-act, with anything other than straightforwardness in his game, and he is the most focused person on the floor more often than not. No ego questions with Perk. He is the steady march of dedication that supports the team every game, every trip up or down.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on CelticsBlog
Related FanShots on CelticsBlog
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Jeremy Lin’s teammate snaps a picture of his famous couch
- Dwight Howard picks a strange time to ask for more fourth quarter shots
- Spike Lee texts to thank the coach that cut Jeremy Lin before seeing him play
- LeBron threatened to beat up a heckler. You gotta problem with that, tough guy?
- Jason Whitlock apologizes for his unfunny Jeremy Lin comment on Twitter
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
