Danny: "Jeff Green could be a better defender than Perk Right Now and in future"

[droponov]

Has Danny ever been this wrong?  Perk is one of the best straight up defenders in the league.  Green's versatility (which he doesn't even have that much of) doesn't put him close.  How does Green fit better?  Is there anybody in the league that would be a better anchor in the frontcourt with Kevin Garnett?  Perk is capable of completely shutting down any center in the league other than possibly Bogut and Lopez.  And the help defense between him and KG was scary.

How many games back was he when let Howard score 14 in the first quarter?  I think it was one of his first starting.  And how many did Howard score in the second half??

Also when did Perk ever have any lift?

Baby was actually the one guarding Dwight when he was limited in the second half. Perk is still the big unmovable object he was before, same as his defensive IQ. But he lost a bit of mobility and his shotblocking is almost 0 at this time.

That's factually wrong.

Perkins guarded Dwight in the first 8:30 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Howard scored 2 points in 2 FTs after Pierce fouled him after an offensive rebound and went 0-3 from the field. Then he guarded him for the last 1:30 minutes of the 3rd quarter and Howard didn't score. Then he guarded him in the first 6:30 minutes of the 4th quarter and Howard didn't score.

So, in the 2nd half, Perkins guarded Howard for 17 minutes and Howard scored 2 points in those minutes.

[greg683x]

I like Perk and I do think hes a good defender, but as far as our success against D12 goes, I think it more has to do with us as a team making a concerted effort to beat Dwight down the floor and keep him out of the paint, because the mans best offensive move is being able to get up high enough over everyone and dunk.  Take that away and his effectiveness drops dramatically.

Im not saying you can throw any center out there and he'll be able to shut down Dwight, but I definitely am starting to think Perkins wasnt this magical D12 stopper

I think Celtics fans have started thinking that after the trade happened because they feel insecure about the trade. I don't remember many people questioning Perkins defensive ability before it If someone had suggested to trade Perkins for Green 2 weeks ago, I think the suggestion would be met with widespread opposition.

There's no reason for that insecurity though.

I liked the trade and I think the Celtics get better, but Perkins is arguably a top-5, top-6 defensive center and a top-3 low post defender, if not the best in the league. An elite defensive player.Green is nowhere near that level and, defending PFs, has been an extremely poor defender in his NBA career. He has potential to be a good defender at the 3, but his production so far puts him as one of the worst defenders in the entire league. But it's possible to acknowledge this and still like the trade.

While I somewhat agree, I disagree with the insecurity aspect of it, at least in regard to me.  It's not like when we play the Magic, as soon as Perk leaves the game, Dwight just starts going off.  Baby, Shaq, and maybe Jermaine all have bodies big enough to body up Dwight and keep him out of the paint.  Especially in Babys case, bc if Dwight could shoot a jumper, he'd have a field day against BBD.  The Xmas Day against the Magic we didnt have Perk available in the game and just had Shaq, BBD, and Jermaine.  Dwight went 1-4 with 6 points in 33 minutes.  We lost the game but it certainly wasnt bc of Dwight.  I know thats only one example but most people would agree that BBD in stretches has been able to hold his own against D12

[CoachBo]

Danny was on WEEI earlier and was asked who the best defensive player in the trade was and he said he thinks it could be Jeff Green right now and in the future. His argument was that Jeff obviously is a different kind of defender, but he is so athletic that he can guard 2 ,sometimes 3 positions, while Perk can only guard 1, sometimes 2 positions. He said that with the defensive system we have and the great defenders we have Green is going to fit in perfectly and that KG and PP specifically will make him a better defender

He also kept mentioning that Perk isn't the same player as he was before the injury, said he has barely any lift( true) , and said that once he suffered that injury to the healthy knee he didn't know if he would be close to the defender from last year. He said that in the game against Orlando Dwight Howard scored 14 pts in the 1st quarter with Perk out on the floor.


So does Danny have a point , could Jeff Green be the better overall defender right now?

Ainge's assessment is spot on - given the current set of circumstances. It's mind-boggling to me how many people on this board, and how many OKC fans, totally disregard Perkins' current physical condition. It's like we're talking the healthy Perkins here and we're not. Listening to Ainge, there's clearly some doubt that we will be again soon.

Green has the physical tools to be a good defender. He's never been asked to do the things defensively that Frank and Doc will demand in Boston, so yes, Green has great potential as a lockdown 3.

None of this, of course, detracts from the fact that Perkins - when he was healthy - was a fine on-block defender at the 5. But he's not healthy. I doubt seriously that he will be at all this season, and it remains to be seen if he'll get the lift and mobility left that he's lost.

If we were talking the pre-injury Perkins, this is an easy discussion. That was one of the best defensive big men in the game.

But we're not, and to pretend we are skews the entire evaluation of this trade.

[droponov]

Still a very good defensive big, one of the best, but against very skillful offensive player, stopping them is not a certainty.

Well, it's basketball. If stopping the best offensive players was a certainty, scores would be 3-2 like in soccer, not 120-110 and things like that.

[birdwatcher]

Considering what you wrote, that's not surprising. But he is.

Dwight Howard has 8pts & 6rbs right now against the Heat who are up by 20...He's being guarded by Eric Dampier & Big Z. Now, why didn't OKC trade for them? LOL. Eric Dampier is making D12 a non factor--he must be one of the BEST DEFENSIVE CENTERS IN THE LEAGUE!!!

I don't know where droponov got those numbers from...but it says "since 2007-2008"...so how is one game performance vs performance since 2007-2008 equal?

haha, no, I was making light of the fact that Dampier had locked down Dwight in a rout--until now. Magic back in it. Don't get me wrong guys, I like Perk a lot, and I would have been okay signing him to the qualifying offer. But looking at the future and building around Rondo, I wasn't excited about tying any money up on a 1 dimensional player. I do think we overvalued him with our "green goggles" on, but I do recognize that he's one of the better defensive centers in the league. But I doubt he's ever gonna make an all-defensive team, and I think his success has a lot to do with our team defense.

[vinnie]

The rewriting of history since the trade is amazing.  It used to be almost unanimous that perk was unmatched in terms of one-on-one defense against Howard.  Now he is just another guy when it comes to Howard.  Where were all of these people before the trade.  My guess is that within a week, people will be comparing perk to ac Earl.

[birdwatcher]

The rewriting of history since the trade is amazing.  It used to be almost unanimous that perk was unmatched in terms of one-on-one defense against Howard.  Now he is just another guy when it comes to Howard.  Where were all of these people before the trade.  My guess is that within a week, people will be comparing perk to ac Earl.

...and usually the truth is somewhere in the middle. Excuse the pun.

[barefacedmonk]

The rewriting of history since the trade is amazing.  It used to be almost unanimous that perk was unmatched in terms of one-on-one defense against Howard.  Now he is just another guy when it comes to Howard.  Where were all of these people before the trade.

Quoted for the truth.

[LB3533]

With Howard's improved repertoire in the post and Perk's declining health....there is no way Perk will be able to shut down Dwight this year or in the future.

It was a good trade.

[Reyquila]

Whats the purpose of beating on a dead horse? Perks is no more; whatever he was, he is no more. Lets go forward with the show.

[birdwatcher]

The rewriting of history since the trade is amazing.  It used to be almost unanimous that perk was unmatched in terms of one-on-one defense against Howard.  Now he is just another guy when it comes to Howard.  Where were all of these people before the trade.  My guess is that within a week, people will be comparing perk to ac Earl.

vinnie, I have no problem admitting I was riding high on that Perk bandwagon. However, the more the season went on, I saw us beating all these teams like Orlando, LA, SA, Miami and all the others without Perk. We were winning with a gimpy JO when he wasn't too busy designing clothes, Shaq (who not only posed as a statue, but is one on defense), and an undersized Baby. Even Semih, was semi-good. So when that trade happened and I saw us get a huge upgrade over anyone else on our bench, yeah I was all for it! What's wrong with changing your mind? What's wrong with improving your team? It's cool if half the people on this blog don't agree with me, it doesn't make you more of a fan or me less of one because I don't care that Perk is gone. Sorry to offend anyone, but I changed my mind! I admit it, and I'm happy. I'm sure if we lose in the playoffs you and a lot of others will call everyone out and blame it on "Danny's huge mistake", but where will you all be if we do win the championship? I think it's comical that the people who are angry about the trade have taken it sooo personally, and attack people who agree with it. It's foolish--we're rooting for the same team! Who cares if anybody changed their mind--you will if we win it all.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Still a very good defensive big, one of the best, but against very skillful offensive player, stopping them is not a certainty.

Well, it's basketball. If stopping the best offensive players was a certainty, scores would be 3-2 like in soccer, not 120-110 and things like that.

True, but in all of that, the bottom line is that I feel Gasol and Bynum are more effective against Perk than what you seem to be alluding.

Yet, he seems to be one of the better players to put on them, so there's not much choice but to hope that what Perk brings will be enough and that he bothers them enough.

[Carhole]

The rewriting of history since the trade is amazing.  It used to be almost unanimous that perk was unmatched in terms of one-on-one defense against Howard.  Now he is just another guy when it comes to Howard.  Where were all of these people before the trade.  My guess is that within a week, people will be comparing perk to ac Earl.

Vinnie is right in that a lot of people have seemingly changed their tune on Perk.

Perk is the best 1 v 1 post defender in the league. He only struggled with face up centers with decent mid range games. Perk eats up back to the basket post players the majority of the time.

He is the best in the league at covering D12 but I also saw him struggle with Bogut.

Perk is VERY good at what he does and you can't take that away from him.

I still like the trade though

[droponov]

The rewriting of history since the trade is amazing.  It used to be almost unanimous that perk was unmatched in terms of one-on-one defense against Howard.  Now he is just another guy when it comes to Howard.  Where were all of these people before the trade.  My guess is that within a week, people will be comparing perk to ac Earl.

vinnie, I have no problem admitting I was riding high on that Perk bandwagon. However, the more the season went on, I saw us beating all these teams like Orlando, LA, SA, Miami and all the others without Perk. We were winning with a gimpy JO when he wasn't too busy designing clothes, Shaq (who not only posed as a statue, but is one on defense), and an undersized Baby. Even Semih, was semi-good. So when that trade happened and I saw us get a huge upgrade over anyone else on our bench, yeah I was all for it! What's wrong with changing your mind? What's wrong with improving your team? It's cool if half the people on this blog don't agree with me, it doesn't make you more of a fan or me less of one because I don't care that Perk is gone. Sorry to offend anyone, but I changed my mind! I admit it, and I'm happy. I'm sure if we lose in the playoffs you and a lot of others will call everyone out and blame it on "Danny's huge mistake", but where will you all be if we do win the championship? I think it's comical that the people who are angry about the trade have taken it sooo personally, and attack people who agree with it. It's foolish--we're rooting for the same team! Who cares if anybody changed their mind--you will if we win it all.

I supported the trade and I haven't changed my mind a bit.

Why the heck did you need to change your mind? That's strange.

[More Banners]

The rewriting of history since the trade is amazing.  It used to be almost unanimous that perk was unmatched in terms of one-on-one defense against Howard.  Now he is just another guy when it comes to Howard.  Where were all of these people before the trade.  My guess is that within a week, people will be comparing perk to ac Earl.

I'm not sure I'd call it that way...there has always been a very dedicated, if small, group which maintained that Perk's only value in the NBA was because of players like Howard, but since there's only one Howard and 28 other guys, his value is pretty limited.  Especially if a series against Bogut, which is just as likely (last year, we might have thought) as a series against Orlando.

I've always loved his work ethic and appreciated his love for Boston green, but people loved him as much for that and his small contract as for his skills on the court.  With possibly diminishing skills and twice the contract, and now starting next to four all stars, I think people are coming to recognize he isn't as valuable as he used to be.