Offense Seems Soooooo Much Better With Shaq

[Fafnir]

This is still the regular season, and Shaq doesn't even play himself into full shape until April. 

Yeah, but in the playoffs teams will be relentless in putting Shaq into pick-n-rolls in a way they aren't now.  Team's have limited practice time during the regular season and when they do make match-up adjustements, it tends to be on defense.  While I think Shaq could score enough to help win a playoff game or two, I really hope Doc can call on a reasonably healthy Perk and JO if needed.

Mike

Considering that Doc has said that during the Cavs series last year that the C's wanted Shaq on the court, I think they're well aware of his limitations.

We need Perkins to come back healthy, that's all. If he does that and we have Jermaine or Shaq we'll have championship level front court.

[FatjohnReturns]

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

Sorry cant agree with Mike. Shaq has become effective with the starters. You cant wait till Perkins comes back in possibly February and suddenly disrupt the chemistry this club is building 8 weeks before the playoffs.

Shaqs power game complimentes the starters better and Perk will have just come back from serious knee surgery. I would prefer they bring Perk back slowely as the backup Center. If we can avoid injuries till April a frontcourt of KG,Shaq,Baby and Perk will be devastating.

[Bankshot]

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

Sorry cant agree with Mike. Shaq has become effective with the starters. You cant wait till Perkins comes back in possibly February and suddenly disrupt the chemistry this club is building 8 weeks before the playoffs.

Shaqs power game complimentes the starters better and Perk will have just come back from serious knee surgery. I would prefer they bring Perk back slowely as the backup Center. If we can avoid injuries till April a frontcourt of KG,Shaq,Baby and Perk will be devastating.

Agreed. Keep Shaq in the starting lineup. He's just so much better than Perk to have him come off the bench.  Sorry Perk, still love ya.

[2short]

Bring Perk back at a nice speed but when he's healthy he's the starter.  He can't pass as well as shaq and isn't the dominating low post presence BUT he's a better defender on high post and low post, better rebounder (by a little), runs the court better and blocks shots better.  Shaq at his age can come in a give you really good bursts but he'll need a breather.
Add in the fact that Perk WANTS to start, is going into a contract year, we don't need him feeling dissed.  Shaq is happy to come off the bench.

[snowball]

Shaq has become effective with the starters. You cant wait till Perkins comes back in possibly February and suddenly disrupt the chemistry this club is building 8 weeks before the playoffs.

I really hope Danny and Doc see this and do not fall into
the trap of putting Perkins back in the starting lineup.
Let Perk and Jermaine split backup duties. We have chemistry
and are incredibly smoother on offense with Shaquille O'Neal.
He won't have to play terribly long minutes, but absolutely
Shaq MUST be the starter in the playoffs. He's here to bring us up
a notch, and he HAS ! The man is a Hall of Famer and a Legend.
He's jelled extremely well on personal basis and on the court.

Personally I also am NOT for resigning Perkins. I do not think
of him as a franchise player anymore.

We can only hope management is smart here.

[thirstyboots18]

What do you mean by a "franchise player"?  Every member of the team is not a "franchise" player.  Perk fills a very important need for the Celtics as a defensive big man and absolutely (depending on how he heals) should be resigned by the team!  High caliber big men are still a very rare commodity.  Hopefully Erden will turn into another Ainge success story in a couple years.  Perhaps because of the injuries, Perks contract has been very favorable to the Celtics so far...and he has always worked very hard on his game and his conditioning.  Personally, I would be very disappointed if Perk were let go.

[nba is the worst]

I agree with thirstyboots. Shaq is going to need limited minutes. So Perk needs to be signed.

No reason to look elsewhere - who fits the Celtics better that is available?

[snowball]

Our Big 3 only have a limited time left to win
another championship. So I'm talking about this
season and next, which will be with Shaquille on
the team. Yes I would rather see Perk traded because
I don't think he compliments Rondo well on offense,
but right now all I care about is this year.

People who think Shaq will be the same coming off the bench
and playing with the second unit are not realizing that
his chemistry is with the FIRST unit. There are no
guarantees the chemistry will be the same with Bench.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Hopefully KG, Paul, Ray, and even Rondo can
put their 2 cents in.. that's one thing I can count
on more than Doc or Danny's plans.

[thirstyboots18]

Our Big 3 only have a limited time left to win
another championship. So I'm talking about this
season and next, which will be with Shaquille on
the team. Yes I would rather see Perk traded because
I don't think he compliments Rondo well on offense,
but right now all I care about is this year.

People who think Shaq will be the same coming off the bench
and playing with the second unit are not realizing that
his chemistry is with the FIRST unit. There are no
guarantees the chemistry will be the same with Bench.

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

Hopefully KG, Paul, Ray, and even Rondo can
put their 2 cents in.. that's one thing I can count
on more than Doc or Danny's plans.

Each new man the Celts has signed has understood that Perk is a vital member of the team, therefore I don't understand the "if it ain't broke" comment;  it is not like Perk is suddenly being sprung on them.  Perk was a starting center on a championship team...I don't see how his addition can be bad for the second unit.  As far as KG, PP and Rondo, I doubt that any of them are going to plea for Perk's trade.  They know what happened when he missed game  7 of the finals last year....

[Fafnir]

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

Sorry cant agree with Mike. Shaq has become effective with the starters. You cant wait till Perkins comes back in possibly February and suddenly disrupt the chemistry this club is building 8 weeks before the playoffs.

Shaqs power game complimentes the starters better and Perk will have just come back from serious knee surgery. I would prefer they bring Perk back slowely as the backup Center. If we can avoid injuries till April a frontcourt of KG,Shaq,Baby and Perk will be devastating.

Agreed. Keep Shaq in the starting lineup. He's just so much better than Perk to have him come off the bench.  Sorry Perk, still love ya.

I'd rather have Shaq attack opposing teams backup centers on many nights.

I think this team can win this year with defense and rebounding. We're never going to be an offensive power house. Perkins will be our best defensive center if he comes back right, that's our formula.

[thirstyboots18]

The amazing thing about this team is the unselfishness of it's All Star (potential HOF) players.  Doc is a terrific coach and I think he can figure out "who" to start "when"...and everyone seems to be on the same page that it is "all about winning..." over who starts or who gets the most points.

[Bankshot]

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

Sorry cant agree with Mike. Shaq has become effective with the starters. You cant wait till Perkins comes back in possibly February and suddenly disrupt the chemistry this club is building 8 weeks before the playoffs.

Shaqs power game complimentes the starters better and Perk will have just come back from serious knee surgery. I would prefer they bring Perk back slowely as the backup Center. If we can avoid injuries till April a frontcourt of KG,Shaq,Baby and Perk will be devastating.

Agreed. Keep Shaq in the starting lineup. He's just so much better than Perk to have him come off the bench.  Sorry Perk, still love ya.

I'd rather have Shaq attack opposing teams backup centers on many nights.

I think this team can win this year with defense and rebounding. We're never going to be an offensive power house. Perkins will be our best defensive center if he comes back right, that's our formula.

I'd rather have the less talented Perk go against second stringers.  Shaq is doing fine against starting centers.

But to those who want to trade Perk. Why?  Shaq is only here for another year, then what do we do for a center?  Semih?

[BballTim]

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

Sorry cant agree with Mike. Shaq has become effective with the starters. You cant wait till Perkins comes back in possibly February and suddenly disrupt the chemistry this club is building 8 weeks before the playoffs.

Shaqs power game complimentes the starters better and Perk will have just come back from serious knee surgery. I would prefer they bring Perk back slowely as the backup Center. If we can avoid injuries till April a frontcourt of KG,Shaq,Baby and Perk will be devastating.

Agreed. Keep Shaq in the starting lineup. He's just so much better than Perk to have him come off the bench.  Sorry Perk, still love ya.

I'd rather have Shaq attack opposing teams backup centers on many nights.

I think this team can win this year with defense and rebounding. We're never going to be an offensive power house. Perkins will be our best defensive center if he comes back right, that's our formula.

I'd rather have the less talented Perk go against second stringers.  Shaq is doing fine against starting centers.

But to those who want to trade Perk. Why?  Shaq is only here for another year, then what do we do for a center?  Semih?

  Whether Shaq starts or not, he's still only going 15-20 minutes a game. How's that going to work? 6-7 minutes to open a half and 3-4 minutes to close it, with a 15 or so minute stretch in between? That's not the best minute breakdown. Start Perk for 7-8 minutes, put in Shaq for 8=10 minutes and put Perk back in to finish the half.

[Fafnir]

I'd rather have the less talented Perk go against second stringers.  Shaq is doing fine against starting centers.

Perk isn't as offensively talented, but offense is only half of the game. He won't be on the court to close out quarters and games because of his defense, I fail to see why he should play entirely with our other best four offensive players if Perkins is healthy.

[wdleehi]

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

Sorry cant agree with Mike. Shaq has become effective with the starters. You cant wait till Perkins comes back in possibly February and suddenly disrupt the chemistry this club is building 8 weeks before the playoffs.

Shaqs power game complimentes the starters better and Perk will have just come back from serious knee surgery. I would prefer they bring Perk back slowely as the backup Center. If we can avoid injuries till April a frontcourt of KG,Shaq,Baby and Perk will be devastating.

Agreed. Keep Shaq in the starting lineup. He's just so much better than Perk to have him come off the bench.  Sorry Perk, still love ya.

I'd rather have Shaq attack opposing teams backup centers on many nights.

I think this team can win this year with defense and rebounding. We're never going to be an offensive power house. Perkins will be our best defensive center if he comes back right, that's our formula.

I'd rather have the less talented Perk go against second stringers.  Shaq is doing fine against starting centers.

But to those who want to trade Perk. Why?  Shaq is only here for another year, then what do we do for a center?  Semih?

I go completely the other way.


Perk has top line defense and weaker offense. 


Even against weaker defender, should the Celtics go to him?  Of course not.  His defense is then wasted on weaker offensive players.


But Shaq, he can have a strong offensive game right now.  His defense is a weaker.

Against the other teams backups, he is an all-star level offensive player and good enough defensively.  He forces other teams to trot the 1st line players out sooner. 


Use Perk physical defense to soften up the middle, then let a fresh Shaq come in and ram it down.