The Case For Kendrick Perkins

Is it my imagination or does Perk not tend to disappear in the 2nd half and more specifically in the 4th quarter on offense?

I wrote earlier in this thread that it would be really great to see him hit some big shots at crunch time and I keep looking for it but that doesn't seem to happen. I'm not sure that anyone expects Perk to be a scoring option when the game is on the line. Rebounds, yes and put backs certainly but his number seems to get called less and less as the game progresses. Maybe his touch disappears as the game pressures grow... or at least those might be the expectations.

With the exception of two clankers in a row, his FT's looked pretty darn good last night... always a wonderful sign from above that good fortunes have arrived and the Gods of Hoops are smiling.

GC

gacracker wrote:Is it my imagination or does Perk not tend to disappear in the 2nd half and more specifically in the 4th quarter on offense?

I wrote earlier in this thread that it would be really great to see him hit some big shots at crunch time and I keep looking for it but that doesn't seem to happen. I'm not sure that anyone expects Perk to be a scoring option when the game is on the line. Rebounds, yes and put backs certainly but his number seems to get called less and less as the game progresses. Maybe his touch disappears as the game pressures grow... or at least those might be the expectations.

With the exception of two clankers in a row, his FT's looked pretty darn good last night... always a wonderful sign from above that good fortunes have arrived and the Gods of Hoops are smiling.

GC

You cant hit shots if you dont get the ball, and down the stretch in crunch time, they are not feeding Perk. Part of that is they have better options at that point in a close game, and part of that is his FT shooting.

As the last part of his progression into a top 5 NBA center – Perk needs to work on finishing at the rim strong on every opportunity, and needs to improve his FT %.

He is getting there, and has come a long, long way as a player and a person. Love me some Perk.

kleen
He is finishing stronger,better and with more finese,did you see him post Bosh at will game before last? cow

Couple of Perk observations

Right of the bat last evening Perk went to the line early and often, I believe he made 5 of 6 in the first quarter.

Went 1 for 5 rest of the way.

Perhaps he looses a little focus later in the game (at least on the line)

He defense was outstanding. There was one stretch in the third quarter he rebounded 4 straight misses by the heat. Also had a big block in the lane that led to an easy layup at the other end.

Perk caught a couple of tough bounce passes from Rondo that he finished off with a dunk, even as late as last year catching the pass in heavy traffic would have been iffy at best and finishing off with a dunk might not happen as he needed to wind up more.

By loosing some weight he certainly appears to be able to jump a bit higher and more importantly quicker if need be, he not longer needs to totally collect himself to go up strong.

beat

cowens/oldschool wrote:kleen
He is finishing stronger,better and with more finese,did you see him post Bosh at will game before last? cow

Yes, but i still dont think he is ready to be a primary options in the 4th quarter in a close game.

mrkleen09 wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:kleen
He is finishing stronger,better and with more finese,did you see him post Bosh at will game before last? cow

Yes, but i still dont think he is ready to be a primary options in the 4th quarter in a close game.

well either is Dwight Howard,I love the way Perk has already progressed this year,he had a breakout game vs Raptors,he will be better and better as season goes longer.

I was thinking that Perk missed only 3 FT's last night instead of 5 (of 11 total taken). The initial 5 of 6 were beautiful to watch. The stroke was great.

I'm not sure that increasingly nifty Perk should be a primary option. I'm not exactly sure what a primary option is and how many primary options the C's have.

I guess three as in Big Three, maybe four if House or Wallace is on the floor.

My observation is that he isn't a primary or even a seconday option and scores late in the game by pure serendipity, aka fluke.

Seems to me that unless you call his number occasionally in the 4th quarter, you have a 4 on 5 game at best at the offensive end.

Why not an occasional wrinkle or change-up in the playcalling just to keep the defense (and me) honest?

Are there numbers or stats to indicate when Perk scores his points, quarter by quarter?

GC

A large proportion of the Celtics' offensive plays revolve around the high pick. Despite his occasional tendency to move on that pick, it is arguably Perk's most consistently valuable contribution in the halfcourt.

Early in the game, when there's a lot of ebb and flow to the game, he represents a nice option on the roll to the hoop that can earn points and keep the defense honest.

But, down the stretch, when each possession is prescious, it's in the Celts' best interest to utilize his picks to open up driving and passing lanes for penetration and to minimize both his ballhandling and the possibility that he'll become a "hack-a-Perk" option for the opponents.

Sam

late in the game with the C's up 2 or 4, and the Heat had just scored, the ball was inbounded to Rondo who was closely guarded but yet was allowed to dribble off quite a few seconds ( I believe there was still over a minute to go) I kept wondering why they didn't foul him. it would not have sent him to the line as they were not over the limit but I would have fouled him in a heartbeat again and put him on the line.

Got any explanation as to why they never fouled Rondo?

beat

Beat

They probably couldnt catch him!

They heard about his new stroke from the line. LOL.

Actually, I was hoping they'd foul him because I wanted to see that stroke in action under pressure.

Sam

Sam

I was thinking the same thing, would have loved to see him at the line with a bit of pressure. I'm sure it will happen in some close game soon, glad doc had him in there too.

beat

Just having Perk in the game at the end (instead of benched for Rasheed) will be great for him. Good plays will come naturally as long as he's on the court and active.

I think Perk is a solid role player. Some people seem to want him to become an all-star, but a team needs role players, and Perk is that type of player. There's no reason he can't improve and be an even better complementary player.

Outside

Sam wrote:They heard about his new stroke from the line. LOL.

Actually, I was hoping they'd foul him because I wanted to see that stroke in action under pressure.

Sam

Apparently they hadn't read my fearless Ooooo-fer the road trip FT prediction for Rajon or had recklessly dissed my opining to their own detriment. Foolish!

Sam, I hope you have a defibrillator handy when you finally get that chance to see Rondo's new stroke... just in case the ball somehow rattles in.

I got mine handy but at this point, the odd are with us, 3 in 5 that we won't need a defib....

GC

GC,

I've already seen and commented on the new stroke during the previous game where he was 2-for-2 from the line. I like the stroke, which looks suspiciously like Ray's. I'm all for accentuating the positive.

As I've said elsewhere, my guess is that they're trying to refrain from over-exposing him to loads of free throw shooting while he gets a lot of practice with the new stroke under his belt.

Sam

Sam wrote:GC,

I've already seen and commented on the new stroke during the previous game where he was 2-for-2 from the line. I like the stroke, which looks suspiciously like Ray's. I'm all for accentuating the positive.

As I've said elsewhere, my guess is that they're trying to refrain from over-exposing him to loads of free throw shooting while he gets a lot of practice with the new stroke under his belt.

Sam

I need a bit larger sample size than 2 of 2 in order to begin to feel bullish about the latest newest stroke.

And you think that the Heat were cooperating by not fouling and overexposing him to crunch time FT pressures?

Don't know who the active agent "they" is that you are referring to. And how are "they" (whoever is/are doing the refraining).... refraining?

GC

It's not a sample size. It's the unveiling of something new. When it's new, it has no sample size. But it can have promise nonetheless because it looks good.

The "agent" is the team known as the Boston Celtics and, more specifically, the coaching staff with that team.

Sam wrote:It's not a sample size. It's the unveiling of something new. When it's new, it has no sample size. But it can have promise nonetheless because it looks good.

The "agent" is the team known as the Boston Celtics and, more specifically, the coaching staff with that team.

Well we have two made FT's out of two tries since the "unveiling" took place I guess. I guess????

And how is the refraining taking place? What is being refrained?

GC

GC,

Yes, to repeat myself, he is 2-for-2 since unveiling the new stroke.

The coaches have apparently encouraged him to modify his approach this year:

In 2006-07, he averaged 2.4 FT attempts per game
In 2007-08, he averaged 2.3 FT attempts
In 2008-08, he averaged 3.4 FT attempts
In 2009-10, he's averaging only 1.4 FT attempts
In the last three games, he's averaging only 0.7 FT attempts

Perhaps some might feel the dropoff is circumstantial. I don't. Either the coaches or Rondo himself (probably both) have effected a change in his style of play. He no longer drives recklessly into crowds and winds up splat on the floor. In his penetration, he's relying more on the element of surprise and changes of speed to slip in unmolested.

I believe the change is deliberate. And I believe one of the reasons is the obvious fact that shooting free throws has not been a strength with Rondo. Shooting two free throws with a radically different stroke is sufficient to convince me that he's experimenting with a different stroke. I never implied any degree of effectiveness of that stroke based on only two shots. I am a professional statistician and don't project based on glimpses.

But the very nature of the new stroke, and the fact that it's precisely in the direction I had been hoping he would go, is sufficient to give me hope that the stroke will be more effective with the passage of time. He raises the ball in front of his forehead and flicks it with his wrist, very much the way Ray does.

I'm realistic enough to know that any experimentation may have its bumps in the road and may require time and repetitions to take effect. Which is why I believe that everyone involved (coaches and Rondo) is sanguine with his shooting even fewer free throws than "normal" during the experimentation period.

Clear?

Sam

Outside

Why wouldn't a Celtic fan want Perk to be an All-Star? Role players can be All-Stars, too. I think it was Red who said the role player's role is whatever that player does well. If your center is a scoring threat instead of simply a defensive monster, it has to benefit your team.

There was a team meeting last spring which had repercussions on how the team is playing this year. None of them said anything, but a close observer can see it in the way they are playing. My opinion is that one of the things that was said was that it would be a much more balanced team if there were 5 scoring options instead of three.

Forget about All-Stars. The Celtics have had individual teams packed with Hall of Famers. One example is the 1957 Cs:
Bill Russell
Bob Cousy
Tom Heinsohn
Bill Sharman
Frank Ramsey
Arnie Risen
Andy Phillip

Even more so (in terms of numbers) 1962-63:

Bill Russell
Bob Cousy
Tom Heinsohn
Sam Jones
John Havlicek
Frank Ramsey
K.C. Jones
Clyde Lovellette

Not mention non-Hall of Famers Tom Sanders and Jim Loscutoff

And, on that team, the last four listed Hall of Famers were role players.

Sam wrote:GC,

Yes, to repeat myself, he is 2-for-2 since unveiling the new stroke.

Clear?

Sam

I guess that I am clear. It is hard to believe that the dropoff in FT's per game over the past few games is due to a conscious effort to reign Rondo with the premise that in doing so, it eases him into the new stroke under what coaches feel might be more optimal circumstances. That seems pretty convoluted.

I could just as easily make a case that Rondo may be holding himself back even more than usual because he is experimenting with another stroke and his confidence at the charity stripe, which is not terribly robust, has declined. More avoidance behavior than a purposeful strategy.

Probably doesn't matter. The proof is in the pudding. I hope that he will stay with the same stroke for an extended period of time to give it a chance to work... without reverting back to old habits or changing for the sake of changing, looking for some magical solution.

How about a 12 foot stop and pop jumper while we are at it. That would make him other-worldly.

GC

Sorry, I didn't mean to say you shouldn't want Perkins to be an all-star. There's obviously nothing wrong with that. My point was that he shouldn't have to be an all-star to appreciate what he does or how valuable he is to the team. To me, key role players like Perkins are essential to championships.

GC,

If Rondo develops a serviceable free throw stroke, it will not be surprising if a decent 15-foot jumper falls into place.

Sam

If it does he is going to quickly be the best point guard on earth.