Among the reactions to the Perk trade we are reading a lot of posts saying we basically lost our rebounding while it's the cause of our loss in the Finals last year. It's tru that the team that won in the Finals won the rebounding battle everytime but what we're overlooking (and forgetting) is that the offensive droughts we went through (all year long and most notably in the playoffs) were as bad as the lack of rebounds.
As game 7 progressed, we had a 13 point lead with about 15 minutes left. Then we started missing shots before starting to lose every rebound to the Lakers. Tired legs because of the defensive efforts couldn't make shots or plays anymore. It was a huge reason why we lost the lead and ultimately the game.
Now the thinking is that Green's offensive abilities and his versatility will allow us to rest Ray or Paul for long periods of times and have them fresh for the end of games. I think it's a critical improvement for our team assuming Green fills this role like he is excepted to.
Remember that before going against L.A (and I honestly do'nt think they will make the Finals but that's another question) we will probably face Miami and Chicago, two teams who do no have a size or rebounding advantage. So keeping our key guys fresh and getting an offensive boost from multiple "sources (thanks to Green's versatility) will be key and more important than rebounding in my opinion.
Plus, Shaq and JO are average rebounders, it's not like we're talking about Mikki Moore. Of course that's assuming they are both healthy enough to play in the playoffs but that was a gambe all along, Perk or no Perk.
Topic: Offensive droughts are as important as rebounding (Read 1411 times)