Can the Celtics win another series if their Center doesn't score?

[guava_wrench]

Perk doesn't need to score, he just doesn't need to cause our team to not score when he sets illegal screens or travels or gets stripped.

Ouch.

[The Walker Wiggle]

So Carlos Chabloub over at Raptorblog has compiled a list of centers ranked exclusively by their success in defending the post-up (via Synergy Sports catalogue of every play of the 2009-2010 season). Obviously such "scorekeeping" only represents part of the story, ignoring weakside rotations, defense on ball screens, help in transition, etc. Still an interesting read.

Our own Kendrick Perkins ranks, a not shabby, sixth.



Legend:

Plays = Number of post-ups run against the player in question
PPP = Points Per Possession Allowed

FG% = Field Goal % Allowed

%SF = Shooting Foul %

%TO = % of turnovers created

[Bahku]

Is it possible? Of course ... we've already proven it. But Perk is a very capable scorer, and if he doesn't score regularly, he then becomes very easy to defend. The post men have to be scorers, have to be regular threats, and there's no reason he can't be or shouldn't be.

[kenmaine]

All Perk knows what to do with the ball is travel and throw it away. Do you really want the ball in that guy's hands?

TP.
He also knows how to bring the ball down to the floor before he goes up with it, just so he can be stripped or blocked.

But seriously, we could do a lot worse than Perk. As long as he plays defense, the C's are ok. I actually like him as our center.

[xmuscularghandix]

All Perk knows what to do with the ball is travel and throw it away. Do you really want the ball in that guy's hands?

TP.
He also knows how to bring the ball down to the floor before he goes up with it, just so he can be stripped or blocked.

But seriously, we could do a lot worse than Perk. As long as he plays defense, the C's are ok. I actually like him as our center.

It's unbelievable to me how far he's dropped off from the beginning of the year... He was starting to become a legitimate low post presence in the playoffs last year and not he can't hold the ball for more than 4 seconds without something bad happening.

[Bahku]

All Perk knows what to do with the ball is travel and throw it away. Do you really want the ball in that guy's hands?

TP.
He also knows how to bring the ball down to the floor before he goes up with it, just so he can be stripped or blocked.

But seriously, we could do a lot worse than Perk. As long as he plays defense, the C's are ok. I actually like him as our center.

These are the reasons I wanted to trade him last year (TP), (and the year before, for that matter), as he was consistently slow getting up the floor, always had to dribble before going up to the basket, (and the defenders know this and just lay in wait to steal the ball), was slow moving his feet laterally on defense, and didn't like to take charges.

But for the first three-quarters of this regular season he had drastically improved on all those weaknesses, had lost weight, gotten in better shape, and went straight up to the basket without having to show the ball to the defender. He had actually made a fan out of me, (when I was a detractor before), and I thought he was on his way to being a truly great center.

I don't know what's changed him back to his old ways, but he needs to re-commit to the changes he had made over the summer, and get back to being the greatly-improved big guy that he was early in the season. I think early-on that he may have felt his job was in jepoardy from Rasheed, but now that he knows Sheed is not a serious threat to his position, he's relaxed and given in to some of the half-hearted effort he was famous for previously.

Thing is, we KNOW he can play like a monster when he wants to, the trick now is getting him to be that monster on a regular basis, and cultivating that hunger to improve that he had in the fall.

[Bankshot]

Perk doesn't need to score, he just doesn't need to cause our team to not score when he sets illegal screens or travels or gets stripped.

Agreed.

[slamtheking]

I think he only needs to score when he's given a golden opportunity to do so.  lay-ups, dunks, putback on offensive boards.  stuff like that.  I don't think he needs to be looking for offense from the post unless we meet a team with a center that plays poor defense.

Probably even more importantly as stated by LB3533---he needs to stop preventing our team from scoring with those turnovers.  that's just lack of focus on his part.  he showed he could make the offensive plays in the beginning of the season so this offensive garbage he's been producing for the past 2 months is a head scratcher.  Clifford needs to bang some sense back into him.

[2short]

Most important for Perk:
defending the low post
rebounding
blocking shots
scoring
imo that is the order we need his game, I'd like to see 10 rebounds a game from him, that and his low post d is CRITICAL to our winning
was good to see kg get some good rebound #'s last game

[housecall]

I think what you see is what you are going to get...Perk has reached his ceiling(imo),and thats not good enough in todays NBA..As we go into each season,the younger centers around the league will continue to get better and from what ive seen Perk is close to what he will be.I never felt he was a starter type center in the first place but with having the Big 3...(a healthy)KG's help defense  disguised Perks weaknesses at times in the past. 

[Fafnir]

I think what you see is what you are going to get...Perk has reached his ceiling(imo),and thats not good enough in todays NBA.

It most certainly is good enough in today's NBA.

You just have to build your team understanding his limitations. You can't overpay a guy like Perkins, but he has tremendous value and helps you win.

[PosImpos]

So Carlos Chabloub over at Raptorblog has compiled a list of centers ranked exclusively by their success in defending the post-up (via Synergy Sports catalogue of every play of the 2009-2010 season). Obviously such "scorekeeping" only represents part of the story, ignoring weakside rotations, defense on ball screens, help in transition, etc. Still an interesting read.

Our own Kendrick Perkins ranks, a not shabby, sixth.



Legend:

Plays = Number of post-ups run against the player in question
PPP = Points Per Possession Allowed

FG% = Field Goal % Allowed

%SF = Shooting Foul %

%TO = % of turnovers created

Woah woah woah.  That list has Andrea Bargnani at #14 ahead of Marcus Camby.  Pretty tough to take it seriously at all given that.

[housecall]

I think what you see is what you are going to get...Perk has reached his ceiling(imo),and thats not good enough in todays NBA.

It most certainly is good enough in today's NBA.

You just have to build your team understanding his limitations. You can't overpay a guy like Perkins, but he has tremendous value and helps you win.

Teams don't build their teams around second/third tier players with limitations.They generally build around the Lebrons,Kobes,D-Wade's of the league.

[Fafnir]

Woah woah woah.  That list has Andrea Bargnani at #14 ahead of Marcus Camby.  Pretty tough to take it seriously at all given that.

Marcus Camby has been pretty bad at one on one defense for a while now. He's a good rebounder and shot blocker, but he goes for the block too often and lacks the strength to defend the paint by himself.

[Fafnir]

I think what you see is what you are going to get...Perk has reached his ceiling(imo),and thats not good enough in todays NBA.

It most certainly is good enough in today's NBA.

You just have to build your team understanding his limitations. You can't overpay a guy like Perkins, but he has tremendous value and helps you win.

Teams don't build their teams around second/third tier players with limitations.They generally build around the Lebrons,Kobes,D-Wade's of the league.

Where did I say we'd be building "around" Perk?

I said you have to build you team knowing what he is, a role player. Role players are very important to a team's success, you just can't overpay them!