What happens if Jermaine is Better than we Expect?

[irish_celtic_fan]

Here's a dream scenario inspired by the recent "Don't Discount Jermaine O'Neal" post.  What do we do if Jermaine plays well during the portion of the year that Perkins is rehabbing his knee?  Jermaine has proven that he is capable of putting up 20-and-10, and Perkins, for all of his defensive capabilities, has never really developed into an offensive threat.

I could certainly see a situation where O'Neal performs at a very high level, and Perkins finds himself relegated to a 7th man/defensive specialist role.  I find that situation exciting, as our Big Three plus One could become a Big Three plus Two.  Jermaine O'Neal has proven that he is capable of being a good player.  Don't forget that.

Also, just for good measure, DOWN WITH THE HEAT!!!!

[PosImpos]

I'll be ecstatic if JO manages to stay healthy for most of the year.  The dude's knees haven't really been all-that for a few years now.  He might start out the year with a few impressive games (as he did last season), but by the end we'll be lucky just to get decent production from him.

[fairweatherfan06]

I actually think in the right system (ours) he can be much better than expectations, that being said when Perk is back, he's starting.  I could see Jermaine finishing or taking more of Perks minutes (Sheed did for us more and more as the playoffs progressed) but once Perk is back he's starting not even a question.  The only question is how much he plays.

[Rashi]

Well more than his performance, I will be way more happy if he can stay healthy the whole season. His health is my number 1 concern (especially since we really got banged up w/ injuries last season)...so if he remains healthy and gives us productive minutes, then I'll be a very happy fan and would appreciate his effort.

[Bahku]

I'd be extremely shocked ... and extremely pleased. I hope you're right, because we really need him to perform on a much higher level than he has in the past. Danny has a knack for spotting such things, so I'll defer to him ... for now, (and keep my fingers crossed).

[GreenFaith1819]

Glad to see another JO thread..I just thought about him in future LA matches:

Just looked at ESPN Game logs about JO again - 53% FG percentage last yr.

I like it.

And he has a pretty accurate jumper from 18 ft on in, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not the smartest person in basketball, but all I see is Bynum or Gasol being dragged out of the paint to contend with JO's jumper.

With either (or both, with KG hitting jumpers) of those Clowns out of the paint, this will lessen their board damage they are capable of dishing out.

Biggest Plus? He doesn't shoot threes - my heart was in my throat nearly every time that Sheed lined up from out there. With JO, I can relax while watching Celtics Games again

[Bahku]

Glad to see another JO thread..I just thought about him in future LA matches:

Just looked at ESPN Game logs about JO again - 53% FG percentage last yr.

I like it.

And he has a pretty accurate jumper from 18 ft on in, if I'm not mistaken. I'm not the smartest person in basketball, but all I see is Bynum or Gasol being dragged out of the paint to contend with JO's jumper.

With either (or both, with KG hitting jumpers) of those Clowns out of the paint, this will lessen their board damage they are capable of dishing out.

Biggest Plus? He doesn't shoot threes - my heart was in my throat nearly every time that Sheed lined up from out there. With JO, I can relax while watching Celtics Games again

Good points, GF (TP, as usual) ... and I have to admit, despite the reservations I have about his attitude, mainly, he's a big improvement over Sheed, and not half the liability.

[erisred]

Here's a dream scenario inspired by the recent "Don't Discount Jermaine O'Neal" post.  What do we do if Jermaine plays well during the portion of the year that Perkins is rehabbing his knee?  Jermaine has proven that he is capable of putting up 20-and-10, and Perkins, for all of his defensive capabilities, has never really developed into an offensive threat.

Oh, I do think O'Neal can still produce 20/10 games when he's healthy. Not consistently, mind you, but occasionally. The problem is he hasn't been able to stay healthy for long stretches the last few years. Being a 4th option rather than 1st or 2nd on offense should make it easier on Jermaine, but I don't know if that will help him stay on the court. He's a risk, but one worth taking...given the lack of alternatives.

The C's need a backup for O'Neal, though. But not Erden and not Davis.

[GreenEnvy]

I just hope last year wasn't an aberration for JO. If he is healthy, I think we can get 16 and 8 in around 32 mpg. Who fills in the other 16 for the first half is what matters.

When Perk comes back, I expect him to be in the starting lineup regardless of how well JO does. Simply because Perk's offensive deficiency is masked by the other 4 starters. JO can score with the second unit.

[Who]

Not going to happen.

The best case scenario for Jermaine O'Neal is for him to mentally accept that his best role in the NBA now is as a defender/rebounder and garbage man offensively. Forget all about his scoring.

It's when he tries to be a scorer that he gets himself into trouble.

Jermaine could still be a very good role player in the NBA if he only copped himself on and accepted the reality of where he is nowadays. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen any time soon.

[PosImpos]

Not going to happen.

The best case scenario for Jermaine O'Neal is for him to mentally accept that his best role in the NBA now is as a defender/rebounder and garbage man offensively. Forget all about his scoring.

It's when he tries to be a scorer that he gets himself into trouble.

Jermaine could still be a very good role player in the NBA if he only copped himself on and accepted the reality of where he is nowadays. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen any time soon.

I don't care how much he scores.  I want him to rebound.  If he can pull down 9-10 rebounds a game and get a block or two I'll be very happy.  8-14 points a game is fine.

Safe to say that's pretty unlikely, though.  I think we'd have to be happy if he managed to grab 7 or 8 rebounds a game.

[moiso]

Not going to happen.

The best case scenario for Jermaine O'Neal is for him to mentally accept that his best role in the NBA now is as a defender/rebounder and garbage man offensively. Forget all about his scoring.

It's when he tries to be a scorer that he gets himself into trouble.

Jermaine could still be a very good role player in the NBA if he only copped himself on and accepted the reality of where he is nowadays. Unfortunately, that is not going to happen any time soon.

I'm with you once again as far as Jermaine goes.  People are expecting way too much from this guy.  If he gets 20/10, that will be on one of his few fluke days of the year.
ONeal is pretty cooked.  This reminds me of last year when many of the bloggers were pronouncing Rasheed to be an allstar level player.  Yeah, 6 years ago.

[thedawg]

I cant see any problem with JO clocking up 10 mins per game when Perk is back and still being healthy. If the man cant do 10 mins because of his dodgy knees then Danny has made a huge mistake.

[Birdbrain]

I pretty much expect it actually.  Well better than some think. He'll be getting tons of open looks from 5 ft and in.  He'll think he was born again and he'll play like it.  More than likely he'll have some bumps and bruises during a long season but, those that think we are getting an over the hill stiff will be posting 'boy was a I mistaken' type posts by the end of Nov.  He's going to add something to Defense as well with his length. 

To your point if he stays healthy and Perk comes back somewhat healthy in Jan and plays moderately well his contract and some other scraps could bring in a nice scoring threat at trade deadline to add to the playoff roster.

I love Perk but, injuries concerns are mounting with him and if I'm not mistaken he'll be coming up for new contract in a year or so and he'll have the right to ask for more than 4m a year when someone like Amir Johnson can get 7m a year.

[blceltsfan]

Call me crazy, but if recall correctly, he was never that dogged worker like a KG or PP to be in shape, relying on his skill set. I hope that with the injuries, etc. he realizes the benefit to getting in the best shape of his life. He's only 31 for God sakes.

If he comes in shape, with high energy, I believe he can be a defender that will make the offense aware of his shot blocking ability again, and will take up plenty of space the boards. He'll get his offense the same way as Perk, but with more skills and range. Add that with KG's superior interior passing and PP, RA spreading the floor, and Rondo driving and offense will be whatever avails itself in the flow. I'm thinking his mates will dish with a little more confidence that he'll take and make the 8-10 footer that Perk seemed so reluctant to shoot. 

The question will be when he moves to coming off the bench and will need to provide more individual post up offense with the second unit, who will not have the same range to keep the middle open (memories of this year's playoffs ). If he can deliver on the block, that would be a BIG option to open some room for the second unit.

Regardless of Perkins return, there will be plenty of need for his stregnth and energy at the end of the grueling season when it's all about keeping Bynum and Gasol away from the basket on offense and then BOX OUT! So, start now...get in shape man!