Perkins' coming out party

[DERRENMATTS]

By all means, tonight's game vs. the 76'ers was his coming out party. Never had a game like this as a pro. He was impressive clobbering down boards and ripping rebounds out of defender's hands. Looked dominant out there, like a player coming into his own.

And while I remain confident that he can be a player on this team, I do have my doubts whether he can be the starting Center on our future dynasty team. But this game brought me a step closer towards viewing him like that.

But before I can say that with sincerity, I need to see Perkins play like this on a consistent basis, and against better big men.

But here's what's encouraging--this is Perkins first chance to really show what he can do. He's playing comfortably right now because he doesn't have to impress Rivers in limited minutes. He doesn't need to block 10 shots and rebound 20 misses in 10 minutes like he probably felt he had to before. He doesn't feel forced to play more than he is capable of playing and in the last 3 games, he has been playing within himself, and it is very impressive.

And if Perkins can play this well when he's under control, I'm very curious to see how well he'll play when he starts developing more and understanding the tricks of the trade.

All in all, Perkins has taken a big step forward in my eyes and if he can continually play this well, a big chink in our armor has been taken care of.

[cfoo]

I do envision Perkins as our future center but I dont expect these kind of games night after night. I feel like given time and as he matures he will become more and more consistant. I do think he is a double double waiting to happen ultimately, and as importantly a presence in the paint. He only had 2 blocks but he misdirected even more shots, plus he created rebounds that he didnt even grab. Ive always felt Perkins is the biggest piece to the Celtics puzzle, even greater than Jefferson although Jefferson will be the guy getting the offensive numbers ultimately and will also play a huge role. But Centers the size of Perkins have the ability to change a game so much that doesnt even show up in the boxscore. I also liked what I saw out of Delonte tonight. He is still learning too, but continues to improve. I still want him to me more aggressive shooting it coming off of screens, and also penetrating. He is still tentative offensively. But I sitll think these guys will play a big role for us down the road.

[Celtic17]

cf00 said:

I do envision Perkins as our future center but I dont expect these kind of games night after night.

Me too.
If he can string some solid games together, the refs might start giving him some 'vet calls'.

[Roadrunner]

An interior presence. Allowing the team to be able to pass the ball down-low, create the double-team, and kick it out to the open shooter. Rebounds. Those are my expectations.

[eddietours]

no way other teams camp on the paint now PERKINS BABY!!!!!!!

[Celtic17]

Old photo, but one more reason not to enter the paint...

[DERRENMATTS]

Whoa, did he take that guy's head off!!!! Gee, lucky Perkins wasn't with Tony Allen on that night of the incident ;D

The way I see Perkins, he's got the body to be able to regularly box players out to get into good rebounding position, and also create rebounding opportunities for others. And I see Perkins as a very serviceable defensive presence who can alter and block shots regularly.

But I don't think he has enough quickness or explosiveness to be a dominant force. At least, that was what I thought until tonight. His performance has got me thinking, or re-thinking my stance on his abilities.

But like I said, I'll have to wait until he proves he can be a double digit rebounder against really good big men. If, and when he does, he'll convince me that he can be the starting Center on our future dynasty team.

If we are going to be a dynasty, Perkins will have to consistently be able to hold his own against guys like Shaq and Tim Duncan, as well as Amare and Yao, and the other big men who will stand in our way in the conference finals and the Finals.

[Celtic17]

derrenmatts said:

If we are going to be a dynasty, Perkins will have to consistently be able to hold his own against guys like Shaq and Tim Duncan, as well as Amare and Yao, and the other big men who will stand in our way in the conference finals and the Finals.

Or have help from another solid big like we hope Jefferson to be.

[DERRENMATTS]

And that's where I hope we'll have a beautiful marriage. Jefferson is very much the opposite of Perkins. Perkins bring the force and Jefferson brings the finess. Perkins uses strength and power in his game, while Jefferson uses fluidity and athleticism. Perkins is like a 1-ton boulder (very immovable), while Jefferson is quick like a deer and hard to stay in front of.

[DERRENMATTS]

What was really nice to see coming out of Perkins was his expression after he fouled out of the game. Absolutely nothing, no expression came out of him. While most young players would be smirking and enjoying all the applauds they receive from the fans and from the player/coaching staff for their coming out game, Perkins was visibly stoic, probably very upset that he fouled out. If anything, Perk wanted to finish out this game and be on the floor as the horn signaled the end of the game.

[BCHISTORIAN]

derrenmatts said:

If we are going to be a dynasty, Perkins will have to consistently be able to hold his own against guys like Shaq and Tim Duncan, as well as Amare and Yao, and the other big men who will stand in our way in the conference finals and the Finals.

i hope that our new "ten ton hammer" will be given that chance by doc

[DERRENMATTS]

Everyone applauds Perk's rebounding dominance, but his offense shouldn't go unnoticed by any means. He showed a lot of polish in the post. We've already seen his right handed jump hook in the middle of the paint in the last 2 games (which seemed to be his only offensive repetoire), but he also has a left handed hook too. And just as he showed how effective he can be when he's relaxed and not forcing anything, he was much more effective with his post moves because he was taking his time.

He methodically bumped his man till he got to his spot and after one final nudge, he went up for his hook shot. The first attempt, he missed, but he fought for the tip in and got it to fall. But throughout the game, he had numerous chances in the paint, and he looked pretty comfortable on all attempts.

Hard not to get excited over his possibilities after tonight's game. But like CF said, we can't expect Perkins to put up 12 and 19 everynight. Just like Delonte had a big opening night and after that cooled off, we have to brace for off nights coming from Perk as well. And we'll see how he does against better competition. But all in all, this is a very good step forward for Perkins.

Something to keep an eye out for in the future is how Perkins does against stronger big men. Dalembert and Webber weren't physically strong enough to man up against Perk. But we'll see how he does against guys like Ilgauskas, Marc Jackson, Erik Dampier, Danny Fortson, etc. That'll go a long way in determining how good Perk will be.

[freshnthehouse]

You know, I have been on this guys bandwagon since 2003. I presented this fact to some lovely ladies at a bar tonite, and you know how many numbers I got?

Zero.

When my vast knowledge of all things green finally becomes something the honeys are attracted to, I'll be knee deep in trim. Until then, my equally vast imagination will have to do.

[joneb]

Sorry but I had to indulge in a little bit of I told you so regarding Perk. Here's a post I did on him about a year ago:

erkins Must Play! (Read 75 times)
joneb
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Perkins Must Play!
« Thread Started on 12/14/04 at 16:12 » [Modify] [Delete]
It's painful, at times, watching the Celtics get hammered on the boards, while Perkins remains glued to the bench. His 6'10", 280 lb, chiseled body coupled with his very favorable wingspan would help immensely. In addition, there's a pair of soft hands connected to the ends of those elongated arms. Simply put- he's built to rebound. When he's gotten minutes he has shown a nose for the ball when going after boards. And the best think about KP rebounding is that he is a gifted outlet passer. During summer league play this year, Perkins initiated alot of the up-tempo pace of the game with his precision outlet passes. The pinpoint outlet pass he made against the Clippers was no fluke.

Perkins is largely an unknown commodity. Last year he was injured at the start of summer camp and he got no exposure. The regular season was largely spent on the IR. So in many ways, one could consider this year his rookie year. I've watched Perk closely during his rare appearances and I've always been impressed. He may not posses dazzling athleticism, or a well-refined offensive game, but he seems to have a high basketball IQ. I think he's also going to be an effective shot blocker.

For the life of me I can't understand why he isn't in the regular rotation for the frontcourt. His strengths are exactly what the team needs right now. His toughness under the boards, his ability to ignite the break with outlet passes, and his overall fine passing game are just what this team neeeds.

When he gets the chance to play- you'll see what he can do. He's a future cornerstone of this franchise.

LET HIM PLAY!!

[Celtic17]

I think that was the best post you made all year... ;D

Many of us have felt Perk and Jefferson need to play to get better. Same goes for the other young guys.

Welcome back joneb.