Perk Out for at Least a Week

[Roy Hobbs]

what did he mean by "shoulder moved"?

this CANNOT be good...and i wrote a week or so ago that losing perk is the worst case scenario for this team...we have NO ONE that can replace him, except a bunch of undersized power forwards that are masquerading as centers.

I have no idea what the means, but that's what Dickerson said, "his shoulder moved".

Ainge really has to start thinking about getter a center, not just a backup, but someone good enough to start.  Perk's shoulder comes out so easily it's scary.

That someone is Joe Smith.  I know he isn't the ideal size, but he is big enough to be able to handle most big guys in the NBA, and so is KG.  If Perk goes down, the C's are much better getting a guy like Smith, who is a capable starter, regardless of his position, rather than pursuing a lesser player, who happens to be 7'.

Yeah, but I think if Smith hits free agency, he'll go back to the Cavs.

[Roy Hobbs]

The shoulder injury is disappointing.  I'm curious to see if he'll get more surgery in the off-season.

I've dealt with repeated dislocations in the past.  The shoulder "moves" because the joint / tendons holding the shoulder in place have become "loose".  So, the shoulder momentarily pops out of joint, usually popping right back into place.  From experience, it stays sore for a couple of days, sometimes a week, and then you feel normal again.

Surgery is supposed to repair that "looseness" by rebuilding the shoulder.  I had mine repaired arthroscopically -- like Perk -- and it worked great; I'm back to about 95%, and haven't had any dislocations since then.  Perk, obviously, hasn't been as lucky.  I'm curious if the team decides at some point to go with open surgery.  That would extend the recovery time, and has more risk, but also is supposed to be slightly more effective.

[Chris]

what did he mean by "shoulder moved"?

this CANNOT be good...and i wrote a week or so ago that losing perk is the worst case scenario for this team...we have NO ONE that can replace him, except a bunch of undersized power forwards that are masquerading as centers.

I have no idea what the means, but that's what Dickerson said, "his shoulder moved".

Ainge really has to start thinking about getter a center, not just a backup, but someone good enough to start.  Perk's shoulder comes out so easily it's scary.

That someone is Joe Smith.  I know he isn't the ideal size, but he is big enough to be able to handle most big guys in the NBA, and so is KG.  If Perk goes down, the C's are much better getting a guy like Smith, who is a capable starter, regardless of his position, rather than pursuing a lesser player, who happens to be 7'.

Yeah, but I think if Smith hits free agency, he'll go back to the Cavs.

Why do you think this?  I know there was a quote a couple weeks ago, but to me, it sounded like he was just answering a question of whether he would consider going back to the Cavs, and many people read way too much into it.

Smith is still very good friends with Garnett.  The C's can likely offer Smith a much bigger role (unless Z's injury is more serious than reported).  Smith was not happy at all about being traded in the first place.

And just to support my case, Marc Stein said in his chat today that Boston is the massive favorite to sign Smith, if OKC can't trade him, and ends up buying him out.

[Roy Hobbs]

And just to support my case, Marc Stein said in his chat today that Boston is the massive favorite to sign Smith, if OKC can't trade him, and ends up buying him out.

Interesting.  Well, I certainly hope it's true.

Cleveland makes a lot of sense for Smith, though.  In terms of role, he'd resume the same one he had last season, where he was a contributor.  He'd also have a better chance at a championship, in my opinion.  He seems to have a favorable opinion of his former teammates and the organization, although time will tell if he still carries a grudge over the trade.

[jdpapa3]

Something else to note is that Joe Smith is 33. He is not that old and his skillset is not one that will deteriorate in time. Maybe he can be our PJ Brown type player for 2-3 years, as opposed to finding our "pj brown" year after year.

[Chris]

And just to support my case, Marc Stein said in his chat today that Boston is the massive favorite to sign Smith, if OKC can't trade him, and ends up buying him out.

Interesting.  Well, I certainly hope it's true.

Cleveland makes a lot of sense for Smith, though.  In terms of role, he'd resume the same one he had last season, where he was a contributor.  He'd also have a better chance at a championship, in my opinion.  He seems to have a favorable opinion of his former teammates and the organization, although time will tell if he still carries a grudge over the trade.

I think at the very least, the C's and Cav's are on pretty level footing with their chances to get Smith.  The one wildcard of course, is money. 

Do you by any chance know how much the Cavs have available from their exceptions?  I can't remember whether they used any of them to sign someone this summer. 

I think if there ever was a buyout guy, who would get more than the vet minimum, Smith could be that guy, so that could certainly come into play.  If I remember correctly, the C's still have somewhere between 2-3 million of their MLE left.

[Lucky17]

And just to support my case, Marc Stein said in his chat today that Boston is the massive favorite to sign Smith, if OKC can't trade him, and ends up buying him out.

Interesting.  Well, I certainly hope it's true.

Cleveland makes a lot of sense for Smith, though.  In terms of role, he'd resume the same one he had last season, where he was a contributor.  He'd also have a better chance at a championship, in my opinion.  He seems to have a favorable opinion of his former teammates and the organization, although time will tell if he still carries a grudge over the trade.

I think at the very least, the C's and Cav's are on pretty level footing with their chances to get Smith.  The one wildcard of course, is money. 

Do you by any chance know how much the Cavs have available from their exceptions?  I can't remember whether they used any of them to sign someone this summer. 

I think if there ever was a buyout guy, who would get more than the vet minimum, Smith could be that guy, so that could certainly come into play.  If I remember correctly, the C's still have somewhere between 2-3 million of their MLE left.

Did the Cavs use part of their MLE to re-sign Delonte? He's on their books for $3.825 million for this season. If so, they'd have about $1.75 mil remaining to offer Smith.

[Chris]

And just to support my case, Marc Stein said in his chat today that Boston is the massive favorite to sign Smith, if OKC can't trade him, and ends up buying him out.

Interesting.  Well, I certainly hope it's true.

Cleveland makes a lot of sense for Smith, though.  In terms of role, he'd resume the same one he had last season, where he was a contributor.  He'd also have a better chance at a championship, in my opinion.  He seems to have a favorable opinion of his former teammates and the organization, although time will tell if he still carries a grudge over the trade.

I think at the very least, the C's and Cav's are on pretty level footing with their chances to get Smith.  The one wildcard of course, is money. 

Do you by any chance know how much the Cavs have available from their exceptions?  I can't remember whether they used any of them to sign someone this summer. 

I think if there ever was a buyout guy, who would get more than the vet minimum, Smith could be that guy, so that could certainly come into play.  If I remember correctly, the C's still have somewhere between 2-3 million of their MLE left.

Did the Cavs use part of their MLE to re-sign Delonte? He's on their books for $3.825 million for this season. If so, they'd have about $1.75 mil remaining to offer Smith.

I am pretty sure they had bird rights on him.

[Roy Hobbs]

I'm pretty sure the Cavs have their entire MLE available.  The problem from their perspective is the luxury tax; their payroll is over $90 million.

[CoachBo]

And just to support my case, Marc Stein said in his chat today that Boston is the massive favorite to sign Smith, if OKC can't trade him, and ends up buying him out.

Interesting.  Well, I certainly hope it's true.

Cleveland makes a lot of sense for Smith, though.  In terms of role, he'd resume the same one he had last season, where he was a contributor.  He'd also have a better chance at a championship, in my opinion.  He seems to have a favorable opinion of his former teammates and the organization, although time will tell if he still carries a grudge over the trade.

Boy, I hope Stein is right about Smith. He's not a perfect fit for what we need, but he would certainly help. Doc needs some options on the bench when one of the Big 3 is off.