I miss Perkins :(

[Spilling Green Dye]

Last night it became even more evident that this team will need Perkins for a championship run.  We all knew Shaq & Jermaine were injury prone, though we didn't know they would miss time this soon.

When they are healty, I like Jermaine & Shaq, but last night Davis was forced to play 34 minutes.  He's good at drawing charges, but he blocks zero shots and is nowhere near the interior or pick & roll defender that Perkins is (very few are!).  In addition, Glen's 3 rebounds are not going to cut it.  This team needs either Perkins or Shaq, Jermaine, and Davis to be successfull long term. 

There was a stretch in the second quarter where Tyson Chandler man handled the Celtics down low.  This would not happen with Perkins in there!  I miss the scowl!!

[PosImpos]

I miss Perk on defense a lot, and I miss his personality on the court in general.

What I don't miss, however, is his frequent turnovers and inability to pass the ball after he receives it on offense.  Or his inconsistency wit his back to the basket, or total lack of a mid-range jumpshot. 

I've also really appreciated having more size up front.  Having 6'11'' / 7 foot guys up there instead of a 6 foot 10 guy makes a difference.  Although when Glen is in there so much it's obviously worse.

[mgent]

I miss Shaq.  I like how he played in preseason.

[celticinorlando]

i miss having a big that can actually play 2 games in a row

[Jon]

I simply miss having four bigs, none named Semeh Erden (though he's played well, he's not on the level of our other bigs). 

Once that happens, we should be fine.

Also Shaq's return should help a ton.  Having the option to go to him when the offense stalls should prevent a lot of leads from diminishing. 

[Rtpas11]

TP for this one... I told one of my boys the other day that... Perkins will be missed but you know what... DELONTE WEST IS ALMOST HERE!!! No more Nate running the offense

[makaveli]

I think Perk has nothing on healthy J.O... simply the guy does basicly everthing Perk does( especially now when KG is rebounding again) plus he adds us a new quality ofensive option, Perk is dangerous only 4 feet from the rim.
I hope Perk recovers but this season I don't see him being himself, that was as bad injury as they get, plus we are really coverd if both O'Neals are healthy (but I don't think that will be the case  )

[FLCeltsFan]

I miss Perk.... Alot!!!  TP for missing him with me!

[JSD]

I agree, without Perk a title won't happen. That said, the other big guys are almost equally as important. We lost last year's title because of our lack of depth at the 4 and 5.

[Spilling Green Dye]

Yeah Davis and Semih have stepped in as best they can, but ultimately we'll need Perkins back.  Shaq, when he was healthy, was very effective too, so I REALLY can't wait for him to get back on the court.

[ManUp]

I miss Perk on defense a lot, and I miss his personality on the court in general.

What I don't miss, however, is his frequent turnovers and inability to pass the ball after he receives it on offense.  Or his inconsistency wit his back to the basket, or total lack of a mid-range jumpshot. 

I've also really appreciated having more size up front.  Having 6'11'' / 7 foot guys up there instead of a 6 foot 10 guy makes a difference.  Although when Glen is in there so much it's obviously worse.

I hear you on the turnovers and him being the occasionaly blackhole, but I will never fault Perk for not having a mid-range jumpshot. IMO, a midrange jump shot isn't a necessary skill for a true center. Big men with jumpshots tend to fall in love with taking them. Also, size has never been an issue with Perk. Considering his wingspan centers don't really have any real advantage height wise, and what's two inches anyways?

This team definitely needs Perk. Between JO's unimpressive play and Shaqs inability to play we are lacking that consistent presence in the paint. We'd probably be undefeated with Perk or at the very least 7-1. I don't think Dirk would like the idea of forcing KG to switch and opting to shoot over Perk.