Offense Seems Soooooo Much Better With Shaq

[Celtics4ever]

Perk is what he is and he is great on defense.  He doesn't catch the ball well and his offensive game is lacking.   Shaq is another viable option offensively, KP is not and routinely bumbles even good passes.

[wdleehi]

They are going to make a great two headed monster come playoff time.


Shaq improves the offense.


Perk improves the defense.



Both are big and strong so the other teams C gets not physical break like they would when the Celtics were using the lighter, not as strong big men of the past seasons. 



Shaq and Perk leaning on you for a 7 game series is going to wear down your legs.

[MBunge]

Even when Perk gets fully healthy, i would still prefer Shaq to be the starter.

I think fully healthy Perk should still start because of his superior all-around defense and because Perk really needs to play with scorers to compensate for his offensive limitations.  I think Shaq along with Nate, DWest, Quis and Baby would just destroy other teams' benches.

Mike

[wahz]

i just want to add that Shaq DOES bring the ball down often AND he also will dribble a time or two on probably 1/4 of his possessions. Im watching replays right now. But he doesn't ever dribble more than twice and he is so huge, I mean he is HUUUUUGE,the man is of mythical proportions, that its impossible to reach around him to slap at the ball. The only way he can get stripped is off a double team and he has good enough vision and he tends to not look hurried, so he doesn't make many mistakes. He is so much stronger than anyone out there, you can't do anything with him at all.

Obviously I love the guy. All Im saying is he actually does some things that wouldn't work for Perk.

Is it not incredible how little he has to rise to dunk?? How long are his arms anyway? As long as KG is, Shaq looks maybe a foot longer.

[Who]

Is it not incredible how little he has to rise to dunk?? How long are his arms anyway? As long as KG is, Shaq looks maybe a foot longer.

Shaq's wingspan is 7 foot 7 ... I think

[clover]

Shaq for 20 minutes a night will contribute at least 4 assists a night to Rondo's total.

[wahz]

Is it not incredible how little he has to rise to dunk?? How long are his arms anyway? As long as KG is, Shaq looks maybe a foot longer.

Shaq's wingspan is 7 foot 7 ... I think

Id bet KG's span is probably close to that, yet it appears KG has to elevate much more to clear the hoop.

 I always liked Shaq but he has figured out ways to still be unstoppable despite his lack of hops now.

Did Baby learn this new spin move from old Shaq tapes?

I just can't wait to see how it all works come February.

[Bankshot]

Shaq for 20 minutes a night will contribute at least 4 assists a night to Rondo's total.

Just think of how many assists Rondo missed out on with Perk in the lineup.

[nba is the worst]

I don't think Perkins can learn much from Shaq other than his excellent footwork.

What Shaq does at this point in his career is based on his massive size, length, and huge hands.

It really is amazing how much he can offer considering he has almost zero of the athletic ability he used to have. Just a humongous human being.

I am surprised at this assessment.

His numbers the past 2 seasons belie your statement - and there's plenty he can teach Perk about positioning and going up without dribbling or bringing the ball down.

A quick comparison to JO proves who the bargain for the C's is

[clover]

Shaq for 20 minutes a night will contribute at least 4 assists a night to Rondo's total.

Just think of how many assists Rondo missed out on with Perk in the lineup.

Ouch!

[Assassin70]

Great thread. I've been thinking the exact same thing. Perk is a decent player, and he compliments the other starters pretty well, but Shaq just fits so much better. We now have 5 guys who can score the ball. Shaq is pretty much getting single coverage, and getting himself open underneath. With a man his size, and with his amazing finishing ability, that's an automatic two points every single time. That could never be said of Perkins. Even when Perk gets fully healthy, i would still prefer Shaq to be the starter.

/co sign

[Drucci]

I agree that the offense looks really good with Shaq in the lineup. I thought his presence would be a major downgrade defensively and I must say I have been pleasantly surprised ; of course Shaq's D is nowhere near Perk's but still, it's not really a handicap.

Plus, it gives us the advantage of beating easily bad teams that we would struggle to put away last year because our offensive game relied on jumpshots.

It's a pleasure to watch Rondo or Paul drop the easy pass to Shaq after drawing all the defenders. It's also fun to watch Shaq operate in the paint.

I do wonder how effective his post game looks today, however. The few times he tried to score one on one this season, he started posting up way too far from the paint and always put up a brick. But he was playing hurt so I would like to see how he does on the block when he is healthy.

I can't wait for Perk's return and for the playoffs, you're right, having Shaq/JO (crossing my fingers) and Perk in the middle, being able to switch between these 3 guys... wow, it's going to be awesome!!

[kozlodoev]

Not many dropped passes, multiple moving screens a game, or getting stripped by bringing the ball down.  All those fumbled passes, etc. are turning into easy points with Shaq. Loving it!

Note:  I am NOT saying I want to be rid of Perk, because I don't.  Just stating how much better the offense is with Shaq.  Hopefully Perk can learn a thing or two from Shaq.

On the other hand, the field goal defense has moved from being top of the league to being decidedly average.

We're not average currently the C's rank 7th in eFG% at .485. Last year we were 9th for the season at eFG% .487.

The eFG number is good because the Celtics defend the three well. Shaq doesn't really affect three-point shooting much, so I couldn't care less for this statistic.

As far as simple FG% is concerned, our opponents are shooting .450, which is decidedly the middle of the pack (tied for 12th, to be precise).

[Marcus13]

Shaq thrives in our half-court system.  He didn't run the floor extremely well with Cleveland or Phoenix.  Perk is still the better defensive player, but he just frustrates the hell out of me with how he drops easy passes and takes so long to go up with the ball...Shaq is so much quicker despite his size and age

[the_Bird]

Not many dropped passes, multiple moving screens a game, or getting stripped by bringing the ball down.  All those fumbled passes, etc. are turning into easy points with Shaq. Loving it!

Note:  I am NOT saying I want to be rid of Perk, because I don't.  Just stating how much better the offense is with Shaq.  Hopefully Perk can learn a thing or two from Shaq.

On the other hand, the field goal defense has moved from being top of the league to being decidedly average.

We're not average currently the C's rank 7th in eFG% at .485. Last year we were 9th for the season at eFG% .487.

The eFG number is good because the Celtics defend the three well. Shaq doesn't really affect three-point shooting much, so I couldn't care less for this statistic.

As far as simple FG% is concerned, our opponents are shooting .450, which is decidedly the middle of the pack (tied for 12th, to be precise).

Meh.  You can't just throw away that stat, it's all team defense, what happens in the paint impacts what happens on the perimeter.  

I'd argue that having guys like Perk and KG defending the paint, who don't need much help from the guards, leads to fewer open 3s.  Easier to defend your guy behind the arc if you're not being asked to help out down low.  

If the overall numbers aren't much worse than in previous years, that's better than a lot of us were expecting/