This claim about Perk being so bad when he went to OKC is an ignorant argument. The point is that he fit that Celtics team, his skills, limited or not, were a perfect compliment and he gave us the interior toughness that the rest of the contenders didn't have.
Yeah I don't believe that at all..
Honestly, if there's anyone that might've been overrated by us, it's Kendrick Perkins.
We talk about how great of a player he was on the defensive end, but was he really? He was very strong, and a tough dude, so he was great against low-skill power bigs like Dwight/Josh Smith, but skilled big men with actual post moves like Pau Gasol made him look silly at times.
The truth is no matter how you slice it, Perkins is a solid defender. Elite? Beg to debate that for days. And the problem with him is his inability to score too... If Pierce/KG/Rondo/Allen are all in a funk offensively, you think we can expect Perkins to bail us out? His skill set was set good screens, mentor, leadership, instilled toughness, but otherwise poor hands, poor jump shot, not an elusive cutter either. Not to mention his passing was non-existent.
Very solid center on defense, but not the kind to step out to the perimeter.
2009-2010 might've been his best season, but the Celtics relied on our half court, grind it out, and tough defensive oriented basketball defensive scheme led by KG as our anchor to hold it down. We defended by committee, and if you didn't put your defensive chops at hand, Rivers would be quick to bench you; unless you were a well respected veteran, and maybe your playing time could hold credence.
At the time, Perkins, became beloved by all of us for his nasty demeanor and tough attitude. But no matter what, he was a solid 25 year old junkyard kind of guy who would fight you down bare to the bone, but was never really considered a great defender. I think we over hype him to such tenacity, and defend him to a certain belief that has me confused at times.
Games 1-5, Pau Gasol/Andrew Bynum both averaged 28.4 PPG, (9.6 which belonged to Bynum) and then when Perkins went down, in Game 6-7, Gasol/Bynum averaged 20 PPG, (2 PPG belonging to Bynum.)
Further, Boston’s offensive rebounding percentage for Games 6 and 7 (21 percent) was nearly identical to its offensive rebounding percentage in Games 1, 3 and 5 (22.3 percent).
In reality, could Perkins have turned the tide? Maybe, maybe not. But to say that he would've been a game changer is almost peculiar in itself.
It doesn't change the fact when Perkins came to OKC, he wasn't healthy nor anywhere near the level that he was with us in 07-10. OKC did go 15-4 at the start of the trade, but it didn't change a thing considering he never became healthy after that.
And the truth of the matter is Ainge knew it, and that's why he made the trade.
Presti's infatuations with slow lumbering bigs, (Adams/McGary/Perkins) and dishing out contracts like it's free pancakes on Pancake Day at IHOP still makes me scratch my head at times. No matter how you slice it, if Presti didn't immediately extend Perkins for that money, he could've not only kept Ibaka, but also Harden. And... As we all know, the rest is history.
But I'm not going to talk about this topic anymore, since we all have differing opinions.