Who else LOVES the Jermaine O'Neal signing?

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I think a  lot of aging big men feel the need to become "enforcers' for teams, especially teams that are called soft by the media.

JO will benefit from being around the likes of Garnett, Pierce and Allen.

Also on a side note, Perkins has this tendency to try and be tough with guys all the time and that is why he gets some of his techs.  Him and BBD are constantly reacting by either trying to sneak in a cheap elbow or bumping into the guy when they stand up like BBD does after he gets knocked to the floor.  And lest we all forget the Gasol hand check and subsequent Garnett reaction.

I'm not talking about the little bumps and elbows, I'm referring to being the guy that starts the toe-to-toe, pushing, shoving, fight-starting-type of stuff.  He's quick to fight, IMO.  He's dirty (remember taking down KG by the head in the playoffs to 'finish the foul'?).  I wish I knew how to embed video so I could put that one in...

As a basketball player, he's a clear upgrade to Perk in nearly every way except low-post defense, which is really the only thing Perk does exceedingly well.  I just don't like JO.  That he was my #1 fantasy draft pick (late 1st round) in the season that turned out to be the Brawl year didn't help, or that I also drafted Stephen Jackson that year in the 4th round...

[Edgar]

I am very happy with that.

very happy

hope perk gets well soon.

[BballTim]

The upside is incredible for this move, as he will still only be 32 at the start of the year

Lol I think this the 1st time I've read upside refer to someone who is 32.

I understand your point but I think you need to factor in that he is a preps to pro player so he has more miles on him than the average 32 year old. I do think that he will surprise a lot of people because he doesn't have as much responsibility offensively and defensively.

  He hardly played his first 4 years so there's probably less miles on him than the average 32 year old.

[BballTim]

I don't want to make anyone mad but I feel pretty strongly that he is better than Perk in every way but durability and low post d. He is a better passer, shot blocker, rebounder, shooter and has better low post moves.

But of course he is actually a Sheed replacement later in the year, so we lose nothing on offense since even when it counted Sheed wouldn't stay in the post and Sheed wasn't good enough from outside to worry about losing spacing. We lose low post d... and he isn't as durable as Sheed.

  Perk's probably the better rebounder.

[Chris]

I really like it, but Danny can't be done.  He still needs an impact wing off the bench, a 5th big who is a legit NBA player, and to solidify the backup PG spot (you can't have Bradley as the only option).

[Neurotic Guy]

I would be absolutely crazy about this signing if Perk was healthy.  O'Neal would be great back-up to Perk and KG -- and  allow KG (along with Baby) to play 25 per game in the regular season without a huge drop-off.  But, with Perk out, O'Neal plays a lot of minutes in the first 1/2 of the season -- which I don't like given his injury history.

[Who]

I don't want to make anyone mad but I feel pretty strongly that he is better than Perk in every way but durability and low post d. He is a better passer, shot blocker, rebounder, shooter and has better low post moves.

Disagree on each count with the exception of jump-shooting ability. Jermaine has Perk beat there.

Perkins is the more effective rebounder, shot blocker, low post scorer and is a superior passer.

[kozlodoev]

I don't want to make anyone mad but I feel pretty strongly that he is better than Perk in every way but durability and low post d. He is a better passer, shot blocker, rebounder, shooter and has better low post moves.

Disagree on each count with the exception of jump-shooting ability. Jermaine has Perk beat there.

Perkins is the more effective rebounder, shot blocker, low post scorer and is a superior passer.

And he's also out for half the season with a knee injury and may or may not be his former self after he returns.

[Brendan]

I really expect an exceptionally efficient year out of JO. This is a team where he'll be a 5th option - and I think has the players that he can accept being the spare tire for. Doc has shown to be really good at getting head strong guys (Pierce, Rondo, maybe Ray) to play the way the team needs most of the time.

He may not have better post iso than Perk, but he has better hands by a million and shoots much better at the FT line. This will make a big difference as Perk got a lot of dump off opportunities that should have been easy buckets or free throws where he either turns it over, misses the shot, or misses the free throws. These two will be a great platoon at Center once Perk is healthy, and JO is a good insurance policy if that doesn't happen. Also the fact that all big pairings (between the expected top 4 guys in the playoffs) will work well, is a bonus. (Perk/KG, JO/KG, Perk/JO, Perk/Baby, JO/Baby, Baby/KG -- all work.)

[BballTim]

I don't want to make anyone mad but I feel pretty strongly that he is better than Perk in every way but durability and low post d. He is a better passer, shot blocker, rebounder, shooter and has better low post moves.

Disagree on each count with the exception of jump-shooting ability. Jermaine has Perk beat there.

Perkins is the more effective rebounder, shot blocker, low post scorer and is a superior passer.

And he's also out for half the season with a knee injury and may or may not be his former self after he returns.

  I think it's likely we'll get some contribution from Perk as his game isn't exactly based on explosive athleticism but I don't think we'll get more than 20 a game from him in the playoffs. JO, whether he starts or not, will likely play more minutes than Perk even when he comes back.

[Chris]

I don't want to make anyone mad but I feel pretty strongly that he is better than Perk in every way but durability and low post d. He is a better passer, shot blocker, rebounder, shooter and has better low post moves.

But of course he is actually a Sheed replacement later in the year, so we lose nothing on offense since even when it counted Sheed wouldn't stay in the post and Sheed wasn't good enough from outside to worry about losing spacing. We lose low post d... and he isn't as durable as Sheed.

  Perk's probably the better rebounder.

Eh, Perk is a pretty bad rebounder for a guy his size, while O'Neal is pretty good at going to get it.  However, Perk is better at blocking guys out, to allow teammates to get the rebound.  So I would say its a push there.

But I do agree that JO is a better shotblocker, shooter, finisher, and passer.

If he could stay healthy, JO would be a signifincantly better player IMO.  Unfortunately, he can't, and even when he is on the floor, he is usually battling something, which gives Perk the edge overall.

[CoachBo]

Couldn't disagree more about Perkins on the block. He's a liability on the offensive end, period. Terrible hands, wild shots.

So adding JO gives us a scoring option on the block we haven't had. It's a solid signing, and I would expect JO to cut into Perk's minutes once he returns.

[BballTim]

I don't want to make anyone mad but I feel pretty strongly that he is better than Perk in every way but durability and low post d. He is a better passer, shot blocker, rebounder, shooter and has better low post moves.

But of course he is actually a Sheed replacement later in the year, so we lose nothing on offense since even when it counted Sheed wouldn't stay in the post and Sheed wasn't good enough from outside to worry about losing spacing. We lose low post d... and he isn't as durable as Sheed.

  Perk's probably the better rebounder.

Eh, Perk is a pretty bad rebounder for a guy his size, while O'Neal is pretty good at going to get it.  However, Perk is better at blocking guys out, to allow teammates to get the rebound.  So I would say its a push there.

But I do agree that JO is a better shotblocker, shooter, finisher, and passer.

  Perk has a higher rebounding rate than JO and they both seem to block shots at about the same rate.

[makaveli]

Perk is probably a 7-8th man now

[GreenPride]

Rondo posted this on his facebook page....I LIKE!