Perk is definitely a great value, but I don't consider him a building block. If he's likely to command more than 8 mil on the market after his current deal expires, I'd happily trade him for someone whose skills are a better fit with Rondo (a fast-break oriented center who can finish on the run and catch quick passes).
This is basically my stance on Perk. His trade value will never be higher than it is right now while he is under contract for 1.5 more years. His agent will be asking for big money when this current contract expires and I don't know if the team can afford to do that because it could undermine the rebuilding effort. Having said that, we'd have to get a heckuva player in return, and I just haven't seen too many deals where that is the case.
Agreed. TP.
We'd need quite an extensive makeover to be a running team, between Perk and KG's wooden leg. Pierce is a bit past the running game stage of his career, too. Ray can still run...since he only has to go from 3pt line to 3pt line.
It would be nice to have a big that could run with Rondo. Maybe that's what Danny's looking for?
But most of these so-called finishers are great shot blockers and dunkers, but aren't so good at team defense and keeping their man way from the basket.
Perk has single-handedly taken Dwight Howard out of games. How many other centers in the league can do that? Probably zero.
That type of defense is something to build around. 8 million is fair and I'd go to 10 million given how much even an average big man commands these days.
I get it. I like Perk quite a lot. He is among the better post defenders out there, as you wrote, without question.
However...in a league that is perilously short on post scorers, post defense may not be the most valuable talent, even if it is among the rarest.
Let me try a little Hubie Brown:
Say you're the Boston Celtics, rebuilding a team, and the only player that you're committed to under contract is a top-5 point guard that is at his best in an uptempo game, and maybe a couple of recent draft picks. What do you try to do first?
Well, your allstar PG can't pass the ball to himself, so you look to line up some players that can score the basketball, maybe one elite scorer (probably a wing), and a couple of knock-down shooters to open up the game that can run and defend reasonably well at their positions. If you're lucky, you've only committed $35-40 million with one max deal for your primary scorer, but still need a center and a bench.
You probably stock the bench with prospects, draft picks, and vet minimum role-player guys, keeping bench costs for the 8-players minimum you need (for a 13-man roster)to around another $16-20 million, $25 if one of them is a veteran 6th man. So now you're up to a $60 million payroll, over the cap by about $5 million, and your team is probably fighting for the 6-8th seed if everyone is healthy.
Now you need to decide how much to pay your center, now in his prime, who won a ring early in his career and is on the US National team. He's among the best defensive players at his position, but has a modest offensive game, and can't run on the break with the rest of your team. Your payroll is at $60 million already. Your owner is willing to pay for a contender, but is this the guy that makes your team a contender? He slows down your offense, and there are only a few players in the league that you really need him to defend, one of which you may face in the playoffs, if your team gets that far. Ther is no guarantee you face that team in the playoffs, either.
What do you do?
Keeping Perk at the $10 million he will garner on the open market in the summer of 2011 (assuming no radical changes in the CBA) ensures a mediocre team for the next decade, or at least requires some way to get more talent for very cheap money, meaning that one or more of your draft picks needs to work out very well. Most likely, the team flounders in the middle of the pack for years.
Okay...now let's reconsider. Package Perk with Ray's expiring contract, and all those fantasy-land pipe-dream trades that keep us contending this year and for the next 5-10 years just might be feasable.
Think about it.
