Celtics to sign Shaq

[Brendan]

There are two ways to compare to last year:

Pessimistic Perk Projection:

JO / Shaq replace Perk / Sheed
KG / Baby replace KG / Baby

Perk is fifth big man by playoffs, and replaces Shelden.

In the optimistic projection where Perk is in your top 4 - I think it will be up to Doc to make the 5 man work, assuming everyone is playing well and healthy. Talent wise - I don't think two of the JO / Perk / Shaq three are great fits on the floor together, but I could see JO working OK with Shaq or Perk. In that case you could move BBD safely.

[nickagneta]

I feel like a lot of people's opinions on Shaq are low because of how Perk and Sheed guarded him in the playoffs. The same can be said of Jermaine O'Neal.

People need to realize that not many teams have a player of Perk's caliber when it comes to defending strong players in the post. People realize that Dwight Howard is a lot better than he showed against Perk, I'm not sure why the O'Neal brothers don't get the same benefit of the doubt.

By the same token those who are in favor of Shaq and are comparing him to Perk are greatly under rating just how much better Perkins is defensively than Shaq is.

Perk is one of the three best in the paint low post defenders in the league and with the exception of Andrew Bogut, he can guard any big man one on one in this league.

Also, Perk's ability to challenge(blitz) on the pick and roll and still be able to get back to thwart the inside pass and defend is way, way, way better than Shaq's. Perkins help defense, when he is healthy is excellent.

So yes, Shaq is better than Perk offensively and when looking at how Shaq and JO performed against the Celtics it should be mentioned that they were playing a team that was playing DOMINANT defense. But let's please stop with the talk that Shaq can hold Perkins jock when it comes to the type of defense that this team needs to be successful in the playoffs because Shaq is just incapable of playing that type and style of defense that Perkins excels at.

[Evantime34]

I feel like a lot of people's opinions on Shaq are low because of how Perk and Sheed guarded him in the playoffs. The same can be said of Jermaine O'Neal.

People need to realize that not many teams have a player of Perk's caliber when it comes to defending strong players in the post. People realize that Dwight Howard is a lot better than he showed against Perk, I'm not sure why the O'Neal brothers don't get the same benefit of the doubt.

By the same token those who are in favor of Shaq and are comparing him to Perk are greatly under rating just how much better Perkins is defensively than Shaq is.

Perk is one of the three best in the paint low post defenders in the league and with the exception of Andrew Bogut, he can guard any big man one on one in this league.

Also, Perk's ability to challenge(blitz) on the pick and roll and still be able to get back to thwart the inside pass and defend is way, way, way better than Shaq's. Perkins help defense, when he is healthy is excellent.

So yes, Shaq is better than Perk offensively and when looking at how Shaq and JO performed against the Celtics it should be mentioned that they were playing a team that was playing DOMINANT defense. But let's please stop with the talk that Shaq can hold Perkins jock when it comes to the type of defense that this team needs to be successful in the playoffs because Shaq is just incapable of playing that type and style of defense that Perkins excels at.

So just to clarify you agree with my point but also wanted to make a point that Shaq is no where near Perk defensively. If I am understanding this correctly, I owe you a tp.

[LilRip]

I feel like a lot of people's opinions on Shaq are low because of how Perk and Sheed guarded him in the playoffs. The same can be said of Jermaine O'Neal.

People need to realize that not many teams have a player of Perk's caliber when it comes to defending strong players in the post. People realize that Dwight Howard is a lot better than he showed against Perk, I'm not sure why the O'Neal brothers don't get the same benefit of the doubt.

it's because those same people probably didn't watch a game that the Celtics didn't play in. Shaq still gets doubled by lesser centers and he still puts teams in the penalty. Play him off the bench and he will likely dominate all backup big men offensively and defensively.



- LilRip

[MBunge]

Chris Mannix has some tweets this morning on this topic:

Nash-factor in play, too. Nash was constantly frustrated by Shaq's presence in the paint in Phoenix. Rondo similar type of player.
4 minutes ago via web

Yes, it's a shame that Shaq disrupted that Nash-led Phoenix juggernaut that's won title after title.  Oh, wait.  Nash has won jack squat in Phoenix.

Mike

[Evantime34]

Chris Mannix has some tweets this morning on this topic:

Nash-factor in play, too. Nash was constantly frustrated by Shaq's presence in the paint in Phoenix. Rondo similar type of player.
4 minutes ago via web

Yes, it's a shame that Shaq disrupted that Nash-led Phoenix juggernaut that's won title after title.  Oh, wait.  Nash has won jack squat in Phoenix.

Mike

I see Shaq playing more with Nate than he does with Rondo. I think clogging the lane won't be a problem for the second unit because Nate doesn't really get to the rim much anyway.

[MBunge]

But let's please stop with the talk that Shaq can hold Perkins jock when it comes to the type of defense that this team needs to be successful in the playoffs because Shaq is just incapable of playing that type and style of defense that Perkins excels at.

A healthy Perk is FAAAAAR superior to Shaq on defense.  But...

1.  A healthy Perk may not be available at all next season.
2.  Shaq's man-to-man defense in the post is still pretty good and he's got the size to bang with Howard and Bynum that no one else on the roster has besides a healthy Perk.
3.  If Shaq is coming off the bench, he's not replacing Perk.  He's replacing Sheed and Sheed's pick-n-roll defense and interior rotations weren't that great last season.

Mike

[nickagneta]

I feel like a lot of people's opinions on Shaq are low because of how Perk and Sheed guarded him in the playoffs. The same can be said of Jermaine O'Neal.

People need to realize that not many teams have a player of Perk's caliber when it comes to defending strong players in the post. People realize that Dwight Howard is a lot better than he showed against Perk, I'm not sure why the O'Neal brothers don't get the same benefit of the doubt.

By the same token those who are in favor of Shaq and are comparing him to Perk are greatly under rating just how much better Perkins is defensively than Shaq is.

Perk is one of the three best in the paint low post defenders in the league and with the exception of Andrew Bogut, he can guard any big man one on one in this league.

Also, Perk's ability to challenge(blitz) on the pick and roll and still be able to get back to thwart the inside pass and defend is way, way, way better than Shaq's. Perkins help defense, when he is healthy is excellent.

So yes, Shaq is better than Perk offensively and when looking at how Shaq and JO performed against the Celtics it should be mentioned that they were playing a team that was playing DOMINANT defense. But let's please stop with the talk that Shaq can hold Perkins jock when it comes to the type of defense that this team needs to be successful in the playoffs because Shaq is just incapable of playing that type and style of defense that Perkins excels at.

So just to clarify you agree with my point but also wanted to make a point that Shaq is no where near Perk defensively. If I am understanding this correctly, I owe you a tp.

Absolutely agree with your point, just expounding upon it on the defensive end is all.

[Evantime34]

I feel like a lot of people's opinions on Shaq are low because of how Perk and Sheed guarded him in the playoffs. The same can be said of Jermaine O'Neal.

People need to realize that not many teams have a player of Perk's caliber when it comes to defending strong players in the post. People realize that Dwight Howard is a lot better than he showed against Perk, I'm not sure why the O'Neal brothers don't get the same benefit of the doubt.

By the same token those who are in favor of Shaq and are comparing him to Perk are greatly under rating just how much better Perkins is defensively than Shaq is.

Perk is one of the three best in the paint low post defenders in the league and with the exception of Andrew Bogut, he can guard any big man one on one in this league.

Also, Perk's ability to challenge(blitz) on the pick and roll and still be able to get back to thwart the inside pass and defend is way, way, way better than Shaq's. Perkins help defense, when he is healthy is excellent.

So yes, Shaq is better than Perk offensively and when looking at how Shaq and JO performed against the Celtics it should be mentioned that they were playing a team that was playing DOMINANT defense. But let's please stop with the talk that Shaq can hold Perkins jock when it comes to the type of defense that this team needs to be successful in the playoffs because Shaq is just incapable of playing that type and style of defense that Perkins excels at.

So just to clarify you agree with my point but also wanted to make a point that Shaq is no where near Perk defensively. If I am understanding this correctly, I owe you a tp.

Absolutely agree with your point, just expounding upon it on the defensive end is all.

Then I have to follow my personal rule of giving out a tp anytime someone agrees with me.

[MBunge]

However, the biggest problem is that our defense was championship-caliber because it was a team effort, and Shaq is simply not in the physical shape to participate in said effort.

I don't think any serious person can say Shaq was the primariy reason for Cleveland's two blowout losses to the Boston in the East semi-finals.  In the other 4 games, the Cavs held the Celtics to 93, 95, 97 and 94 points.  The idea that Shaq, especially when he's playing limited minutes, somehow cripples a team's defense isn't born out by the facts.

Mike

[nickagneta]

But let's please stop with the talk that Shaq can hold Perkins jock when it comes to the type of defense that this team needs to be successful in the playoffs because Shaq is just incapable of playing that type and style of defense that Perkins excels at.

A healthy Perk is FAAAAAR superior to Shaq on defense.  But...

1.  A healthy Perk may not be available at all next season.
2.  Shaq's man-to-man defense in the post is still pretty good and he's got the size to bang with Howard and Bynum that no one else on the roster has besides a healthy Perk.
3.  If Shaq is coming off the bench, he's not replacing Perk.  He's replacing Sheed and Sheed's pick-n-roll defense and interior rotations weren't that great last season.

Mike

That's all said and good and I don't disagree with most of that. But many posters here in comparing Shaq versus Perk are really downplaying just how much better a defensive player Perk is over Shaq. From October to the end of January last year, when I think Perk hurt himself but then decided to play through it and no news came out about any injury, Perk was the second best defensive center in the league.

Also, Rasheed's defense during the season was woeful but just about at the end of the Miami series he kicked it into a different gear and played excellent defense through the remainder of the playoffs. During that time, he played a defense that Shaq is just no longer capable of playing no matter how much he coasts during the regular season and saves his energy for the post season like Wallace did.

[LilRip]

Chris Mannix has some tweets this morning on this topic:

Nash-factor in play, too. Nash was constantly frustrated by Shaq's presence in the paint in Phoenix. Rondo similar type of player.
4 minutes ago via web

Yes, it's a shame that Shaq disrupted that Nash-led Phoenix juggernaut that's won title after title.  Oh, wait.  Nash has won jack squat in Phoenix.

Mike

and if i remmeber right, Shaq playing with Stoudemire actually helped Amare for that first half-year. of course, i don't know what that has to do with us. kinda like how i don't know why Shaq's stint in Phoenix has anything to do with us either. Nash and Rondo are similar only to the extent that they both like to run, both value the team game and they're both creative passers but that's about it.



- LilRip

[Quinn]

well he's our zeventh all star. (albiet ex)

combined our players have 57 all star appearances.
if this was 2004, we'd go 75-7

[sk7326]

shaq was am awful fit in Phoenix ... he had a nice 2009 but his defense with stoudemire was probably the worst in the league.  the way the suns took off with a much more sensible lineup this year proved quite a bit.

that said, shaq can play behind any post player still ... and he can still score and rebound.  Our perimeter defense is much better than Shaq has had recently.  moreover, shaq is part of a big rotation - as a 15 to 20 minute guy on a short deal, it's a no brainer.  No risk for boston, all upside.

[Who]

Chris Mannix has some tweets this morning on this topic:

Nash-factor in play, too. Nash was constantly frustrated by Shaq's presence in the paint in Phoenix. Rondo similar type of player.
4 minutes ago via web

Yeah, that is why Rondo and Shaquille should play as many of their minutes apart as possible.

A lot of Shaq's offensive contributions will come at the expense of Rondo.