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lastdodobird
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 Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:45 am Post subject: Hollinger: Celtics may be better off without Perk |
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It's an ESPN Insider article, but the title already reeks of BS. Can anyone view (and post here) the article?
"By losing Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics may gain a big edge in Game 7."
How on earth? 
LINK
Thanks to ChefLinda for the complete article:
| Quote: | Celtics may be better off without Perk
PER Diem: June 16, 2010
Hollinger By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
LOS ANGELES -- The Celtics' Kendrick Perkins likely is out for Thursday's Game 7 in the NBA Finals against the Lakers after suffering a "sprain" to both his medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the first quarter of Game 6, an injury that is likely to result in a worse diagnosis after they run him through an MRI machine. He was the starting center for both the 2008 champions and this season's squad, so this might seem like a huge blow for Boston.
As much respect as I have for Perkins, forgive me for disagreeing.
Perkins is a tremendous defensive player, especially against big low-post centers, and he showed his value in the previous two rounds of the playoffs with his ability to check Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard without double-team help. He also is a quality help defender and provides a physical aspect to Boston's technically proficient but otherwise lightly muscled defensive operation.
In other words, he brings a lot of things to the table that are of little to no value in this series. With Los Angeles' starting center, Andrew Bynum, also sidelined by a knee problem that appears to be worsening -- he pulled himself out of Game 6 after 16 unproductive minutes -- Boston appears to have little need for a counter to the impressive size of the Lakers behemoth.
And if Perkins, a liability on offense, isn't needed at the defensive end, he produces a negative net worth. He is averaging an anemic 9.9 points per 40 minutes for the series, and his reluctance to take open 15-foot jump shots because of a lingering wrist injury has allowed the Lakers to leave him and play help defense on other Celtics with impunity. In fact, he hasn't attempted a shot more than 5 feet from the basket the entire series. That's why he's often been on the pine in fourth quarters.
The contrast with Boston's other big men couldn't be more severe. Rasheed Wallace is renowned for his ability to space the floor, and while he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in Game 6, finishing 0-for-6 from 3 and 0-for-7 from the field in 17 minutes, his mere presence on the court creates more driving opportunities for Paul Pierce. With Perkins, there are two non-shooters on the court (Rajon Rondo being the other) and the floor is too congested for Pierce to get many clear lanes to the basket.
Additionally, one can argue Wallace has more defensive value than Perkins in the particular situation Boston faces in Game 7. Wallace has been a thorn in Pau Gasol's side the entire series. He's one of the few big men with enough length to routinely contest Gasol's deliveries around the basket.
Even knowing that he has all summer to rest, Wallace is probably capable of only 20 to 25 minutes Thursday because he has a bad back and is out of shape. But Boston's other alternative also brings strengths to the table that Perkins lacks.
That's Glen Davis, who didn't do scratch in Games 5 and 6 (he finished a combined 0-for-4 from the floor) but was so good in Games 3 and 4 that he still rates fairly strongly on a per-minute basis. He's short for his position and thus a bad matchup against Gasol. But like Perkins, he provides a physical presence (at 290 pounds) in the event the Celtics require one Thursday.
Additionally, Davis adds the ability to hit midrange jumpers that Perkins lacks. And while that part of his game has been missing thus far in the Finals (he's made only two of his 10 jumpers in the series), the long-term data suggests handing him open 17-footers is a poor defensive strategy. Thus, as with Wallace, the defense must honor his jumper and leave more driving space for Boston's perimeters players.
Finally, the Celtics have two other options on the table to replace Perkins' minutes. The first is a simple one called "play Kevin Garnett more." The "Big Ticket" has played only 30.8 minutes per game in the Finals as he battles a balky knee, but in a winner-take-all game with an entire offseason ahead of him, it's easy to imagine him scaling up to the low 40s. If so, nearly half of Perkins' minutes have already been replaced.
The second is even more tantalizing, because tactically it offers the rare opportunity to play a Game 7 wild card. Boston has yet to go small in these Finals, and for good reason -- the combo of Bynum, Gasol and Lamar Odom is a daunting enough defensive task for opponents of similar size, let alone those who give up inches.
However, Boston might be willing to trade a mismatch at the 4 for a better pairing at the 2. The conundrum for Boston all series has been that Tony Allen has defended Kobe Bryant far, far better than any other player . According to ESPN Stats & Information, Bryant now is shooting 22.6 percent when Allen defends him and 49.1 percent when anybody else does.
However, playing Tony Allen requires benching either Ray Allen or Pierce, something the Celtics are reluctant to do for long stretches. They wouldn't necessarily have to if they played small. Pierce would move up to the 4 and admittedly have his hands full with Odom, but it might be worth it given the blanket Tony Allen has thrown on Bryant thus far.
There is one area in which Perkins' absence could genuinely strike a blow, and that's if foul trouble decimates the Boston frontcourt. The likes of Shelden Williams and Brian Scalabrine are overmatched at this level, and would leave the Celtics with a glaring weakness against their opponent's elite frontcourt. This is hardly a remote possibility, considering the foul-fests we saw in the first two games in particular.
However, if Boston's bigs can avoid the whistles early, we're unlikely to find ourselves discussing Perkins' absence as much of a factor. As important as he's been to Boston's suffocating defense the past three seasons and as crucial as he was in the conference finals win over Orlando in particular, he hasn't had as much of an impact in this series, and Bynum's knee injury renders Perkins' biggest strength a nonfactor.
As a result, the Celtics might find themselves better off in his absence than they were in his presence. No other Celtic offers Perkins' physical presence, but between the shooting and Gasol-stopping of Wallace, the production of Davis, and the tantalizing possibility of wrong-footing L.A. by unleashing Tony Allen on Kobe and playing small, Boston has landed in a peculiar one-game scenario in which it might be better off without Perkins than with him. |
Last edited by lastdodobird on Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:58 am; edited 1 time in total |
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KobeRe-Loaded
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:46 am Post subject: |
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He factors numbers - Hollinger can't measure intangibles.
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Lakersarethebesteva
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:46 am Post subject: |
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Offensively perhaps, defensively Perkins clogs up the paint. Rasheed is also a big time fouler, so he has a very good chance of being in early foul trouble.
Then you are basically going to have Big Baby Davis + KG combo the whole game. Me particularly, I'm very happy about Perkins being out. And dont read into those bogus reports, he is OUT
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Mr. Zero
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:46 am Post subject: |
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Mr. Candace Parker > Perkins?
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Hector the Pup
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:49 am Post subject: |
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| If you're strictly talking about individual scoring, he's right, IF Sheed has his shot going. |
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ChefLinda
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:51 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | Celtics may be better off without Perk
PER Diem: June 16, 2010
Hollinger By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
LOS ANGELES -- The Celtics' Kendrick Perkins likely is out for Thursday's Game 7 in the NBA Finals against the Lakers after suffering a "sprain" to both his medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the first quarter of Game 6, an injury that is likely to result in a worse diagnosis after they run him through an MRI machine. He was the starting center for both the 2008 champions and this season's squad, so this might seem like a huge blow for Boston.
As much respect as I have for Perkins, forgive me for disagreeing.
Perkins is a tremendous defensive player, especially against big low-post centers, and he showed his value in the previous two rounds of the playoffs with his ability to check Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard without double-team help. He also is a quality help defender and provides a physical aspect to Boston's technically proficient but otherwise lightly muscled defensive operation.
In other words, he brings a lot of things to the table that are of little to no value in this series. With Los Angeles' starting center, Andrew Bynum, also sidelined by a knee problem that appears to be worsening -- he pulled himself out of Game 6 after 16 unproductive minutes -- Boston appears to have little need for a counter to the impressive size of the Lakers behemoth.
And if Perkins, a liability on offense, isn't needed at the defensive end, he produces a negative net worth. He is averaging an anemic 9.9 points per 40 minutes for the series, and his reluctance to take open 15-foot jump shots because of a lingering wrist injury has allowed the Lakers to leave him and play help defense on other Celtics with impunity. In fact, he hasn't attempted a shot more than 5 feet from the basket the entire series. That's why he's often been on the pine in fourth quarters.
The contrast with Boston's other big men couldn't be more severe. Rasheed Wallace is renowned for his ability to space the floor, and while he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in Game 6, finishing 0-for-6 from 3 and 0-for-7 from the field in 17 minutes, his mere presence on the court creates more driving opportunities for Paul Pierce. With Perkins, there are two non-shooters on the court (Rajon Rondo being the other) and the floor is too congested for Pierce to get many clear lanes to the basket.
Additionally, one can argue Wallace has more defensive value than Perkins in the particular situation Boston faces in Game 7. Wallace has been a thorn in Pau Gasol's side the entire series. He's one of the few big men with enough length to routinely contest Gasol's deliveries around the basket.
Even knowing that he has all summer to rest, Wallace is probably capable of only 20 to 25 minutes Thursday because he has a bad back and is out of shape. But Boston's other alternative also brings strengths to the table that Perkins lacks.
That's Glen Davis, who didn't do scratch in Games 5 and 6 (he finished a combined 0-for-4 from the floor) but was so good in Games 3 and 4 that he still rates fairly strongly on a per-minute basis. He's short for his position and thus a bad matchup against Gasol. But like Perkins, he provides a physical presence (at 290 pounds) in the event the Celtics require one Thursday.
Additionally, Davis adds the ability to hit midrange jumpers that Perkins lacks. And while that part of his game has been missing thus far in the Finals (he's made only two of his 10 jumpers in the series), the long-term data suggests handing him open 17-footers is a poor defensive strategy. Thus, as with Wallace, the defense must honor his jumper and leave more driving space for Boston's perimeters players.
Finally, the Celtics have two other options on the table to replace Perkins' minutes. The first is a simple one called "play Kevin Garnett more." The "Big Ticket" has played only 30.8 minutes per game in the Finals as he battles a balky knee, but in a winner-take-all game with an entire offseason ahead of him, it's easy to imagine him scaling up to the low 40s. If so, nearly half of Perkins' minutes have already been replaced.
The second is even more tantalizing, because tactically it offers the rare opportunity to play a Game 7 wild card. Boston has yet to go small in these Finals, and for good reason -- the combo of Bynum, Gasol and Lamar Odom is a daunting enough defensive task for opponents of similar size, let alone those who give up inches.
However, Boston might be willing to trade a mismatch at the 4 for a better pairing at the 2. The conundrum for Boston all series has been that Tony Allen has defended Kobe Bryant far, far better than any other player . According to ESPN Stats & Information, Bryant now is shooting 22.6 percent when Allen defends him and 49.1 percent when anybody else does.
However, playing Tony Allen requires benching either Ray Allen or Pierce, something the Celtics are reluctant to do for long stretches. They wouldn't necessarily have to if they played small. Pierce would move up to the 4 and admittedly have his hands full with Odom, but it might be worth it given the blanket Tony Allen has thrown on Bryant thus far.
There is one area in which Perkins' absence could genuinely strike a blow, and that's if foul trouble decimates the Boston frontcourt. The likes of Shelden Williams and Brian Scalabrine are overmatched at this level, and would leave the Celtics with a glaring weakness against their opponent's elite frontcourt. This is hardly a remote possibility, considering the foul-fests we saw in the first two games in particular.
However, if Boston's bigs can avoid the whistles early, we're unlikely to find ourselves discussing Perkins' absence as much of a factor. As important as he's been to Boston's suffocating defense the past three seasons and as crucial as he was in the conference finals win over Orlando in particular, he hasn't had as much of an impact in this series, and Bynum's knee injury renders Perkins' biggest strength a nonfactor.
As a result, the Celtics might find themselves better off in his absence than they were in his presence. No other Celtic offers Perkins' physical presence, but between the shooting and Gasol-stopping of Wallace, the production of Davis, and the tantalizing possibility of wrong-footing L.A. by unleashing Tony Allen on Kobe and playing small, Boston has landed in a peculiar one-game scenario in which it might be better off without Perkins than with him. |
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GNC
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:53 am Post subject: |
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What hollinger fails to note is that they essentially would be losing a bench player.
What worries me is wallace's ability to hit the outside shot if he starts. |
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ChefLinda
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:54 am Post subject: |
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| He practically dismisses the defensive and rebounding side of the game in favor of scoring a few more points. Typical Hollinger analysis. |
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Karmaloop
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:54 am Post subject: Re: Hollinger: Celtics may be better off without Perk |
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| lastdodobird wrote: | It's an ESPN Insider article, but the title already reeks of BS. Can anyone view (and post here) the article?
"By losing Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics may gain a big edge in Game 7."
How on earth? |
Chimpy said some serious things that I don't agree with, but this is by far the most ridiculous comments I've heard from him. He is their defensive anchor who gives Pau Gasol the most fits, and is arguably their best pick player who makes it easier for Pierce and Allen to get open shots. Sorry Chimpy, but the Celtics would love to have Perkins at 100%.
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FishermanHero
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:54 am Post subject: |
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| Just imagine KG or Sheed falling in foul trouble early... |
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RCS926
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:56 am Post subject: |
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| The biggest impact that Perkins has is keeping one of the Laker bigs off the boards especially Pau or LO. The guy is so wide and strong that he is sometimes able to box out more than 1 Laker at a time. I can’t see how it helps the Celts to lose a guy who is so important in terms of defense and rebounding. I’m not going to go as far as to say that losing Perkins will cost Boston game 7, but it definitely favors the Lakers frontline to not have to deal with Perkins. |
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Ode to Triple Ocho
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:56 am Post subject: |
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| Hector the Pup wrote: | | If you're strictly talking about individual scoring, he's right, IF Sheed has his shot going. |
They don't need the scoring. They need Perk's presence in the paint and his rebounding/boxing out.
Sheed won't be crashing the offensive glass from the 3point line. |
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handle
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:57 am Post subject: |
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| Wishful thinking, Chimpy. |
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Rsxtreme415
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Megatron24
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 10:59 am Post subject: |
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Big Baby and Sheed both are home court players they arent going to crush us on our floor. Perkins was just a giant piece of turd in the middle of the paint that would push, hold, and elbow his way to rebounds and defensive stops.
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jaylen
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:00 am Post subject: |
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he might be right. it changes the match ups makes the celtics more flexible offensively.
the area it kills them is defensively if we are aggressively attacking the paint. we attack the paint its a killer for them. we don't then it hurts us.
the one area offensively it hurts them is screen setting Pierce and allen don't come off as clean with baby and sheed setting screens so it helps our defense greatly. |
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Killakobe81
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:03 am Post subject: Re: Hollinger: Celtics may be better off without Perk |
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| Karmaloop wrote: | | lastdodobird wrote: | It's an ESPN Insider article, but the title already reeks of BS. Can anyone view (and post here) the article?
"By losing Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics may gain a big edge in Game 7."
How on earth? |
Chimpy said some serious things that I don't agree with, but this is by far the most ridiculous comments I've heard from him. He is their defensive anchor who gives Pau Gasol the most fits, and is arguably their best pick player who makes it easier for Pierce and Allen to get open shots. Sorry Chimpy, but the Celtics would love to have Perkins at 100%. |
I like both his theories for us ...
If Allen and Rondo play for any long stretch that is TWO players we will disregard because of their inability to shoot.
PLUS we will pound them inside ...plus Pierce is not hurting us from the elbow ...
Davis can be tough no doubt but defensively he is only good at taking charges ...
WIN for us either way ...
Celts big 3 have to dominate for Celts to win period ...and losing Perkins screens is a HUGE blow
Rondo baby etc are just icing ...
Last edited by Killakobe81 on Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:08 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ACS Rob
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:03 am Post subject: |
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rebounds is key... loosing a big body will NOT help.
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orwell
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:03 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Hollinger: Celtics may be better off without Perk |
Whoa. I am very scared. 
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trmiv
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:04 am Post subject: |
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| It certainly didn't help them much last night. |
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Laker's Fan
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:05 am Post subject: |
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The team that wins the boards will win the game (and the ring). Perkins is one of the best in the leage at "cleaning up the paint" as Doc puts it. It's not a coinsidence that LO had his first double digit rebounding game of the series with Perk out.
Boston is NOT better off without Perkins.
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Jeffs
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:12 am Post subject: |
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Aside from the fact that I completely disagree with what Hollinger said, there's one thing he's forgetting: depth. Even if Wallace could defend Pau as well as Perkins... or if he could give them the rebounding and help defense that Perkins gives, he still can't play more than ~30 minutes on his best day. He really can't. If he tries, he'll be so worn out at the end that his shots won't be falling and his rotations will be non-existent... I can live with that. Oh, and that's ignoring the possibility of foul trouble, especially with Rasheed being so foul prone. If he gets in foul trouble early and Davis has to come in, the Celtics are in trouble. Even a hobbled Bynum can score over Davis. Don't even get me started on Pau.
Perkins being out is big for them. Of course he's the least important starter... but that's because you have 3 hall of famers and an all star in their starting lineup. However, he's their next most important player, so this loss is significant. Anyone who says otherwise is either being disingenuous or down right delusional.
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RCS926
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:14 am Post subject: |
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| Laker's Fan wrote: | The team that wins the boards will win the game (and the ring). Perkins is one of the best in the leage at "cleaning up the paint" as Doc puts it. It's not a coinsidence that LO had his first double digit rebounding game of the series with Perk out.
Boston is NOT better off without Perkins. |
Not to mention Pau's dominance on the boards as well... |
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moonwalker8701
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:16 am Post subject: |
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| Only way Rasheed Wallace hurts the Lakers is with his 3 point shooting. But if Rasheed is going to jack up say 6-7 3's and make 2 of them, I'll take that. Sure, camping on the 3-point line will extend the Lakers defense a little bit, but it also means there is one less Celtic going after the offensive board. Offensive rebounds is what hurt the Lakers in their losses. Basically, the Celtics would be asking the 2010 KG to clean up the entire glass on his own. Garnett is not nearly as effective playing 40 minutes as he is 30 minutes. After yesterday's game, I think it was clear that Gasol was very confident going against Garnett. Without Perkins as a the primary defender pushing him out, Gasol was able to get to his spot in the post. Rasheed Wallace is a poor help defender, always late, and hacking at the shooter's arms. Gasol has a height advantage on Big Baby, which he will expose. |
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TRJONS1
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| Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2010 11:16 am Post subject: |
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That has to be the dumbest article I've ever read.
So if Lebron sits out a game, that's good because more shots for the rest of his teammates that don't get to score much? |
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