Player Power Rankings

Royce Young has his inaugural Thunder Player Power Rankings up on Daily Thunder.    Perk is ranked #7 on the team, which seems about right.  I'd maybe rank him a bit higher, but that's just me. Here's what Royce had to say about him:

7. Kendrick Perkins The “Bash Perk Bandwagon” is filling up earlier than usual this season. But give him credit with this: Against the Blazers, LaMarcus Aldridge struggled to find any offensive rhythm, going just 10-of-22 from the floor. That was from Perk’s annoyance, as well as his defense. Perk is Perk and you’d think Thunder fans would accept him as the player he is by now. He’s not a low post threat, he’s not a double-double machine and he’s not going to pull in 15 rebounds. He’s a tough guy that sets good screens, defends the post as well as anyone in the league and adds a little mean streak to OKC’s defense. That’s it.

Thunder fans should heed my warning. You don't appreciate what Perk brings to the team until he's not there to bring it any more. The Celtics found out the hard way.

Celtics Links for Today 11/5

Herald  Doc Rivers, Celtics on quest for consistency
Lakers give coach a moment of respite from hot seat
Magic use huge 2nd half run, upend Suns 115-94
Globe  Jeff Green of Celtics returns to native Washington for first time since his heart surgery
Jared Sullinger’s NBA education is coming slowly but surely for Celtics
Celtics Green  The Best of Tommy
Boston Celtics Weekly Recap – November 4th
Comments from the Other Side - Wizards 11/4
Red Claws Draft Jeremiah Rivers
What's the Problem?

Perk Makes a Difference

This headline in NewsOK caught my attention:

Title hopes might depend on Kendrick Perkins' long-term health 

For all the people who criticize Perk for not having big stats in each game, Scott Brooks and those who know what Perk really brings to a the team realize that he is crucial to their title hopes. It's no coincidence that when Perk was with the Celtics they reached the Finals twice in 3 years. Since Perk was traded, they haven't been there even once. On the other hand, before Perk arrived in OKC, the Thunder hadn't made the Finals. Since the trade? They've been there twice. It's not his stats. It's his leadership, his defense, his picks, his boxing out, his toughness.

Speaking of his toughness. Just look at the stare in the photo above. He was giving the ref one of those stares to let him know he didn't appreciate not getting a call on the previous play. When Perk was in Boston, he gave that look to a ref in a game vs the Knicks and they gave him a technical for the look on his face. He didn't say a word. Just that Perk stare.

Perk Expected to Play Sunday

Darnell Mayberry reports that Perk should be ready to play on Sunday vs the Hawks. 

Kendrick Perkins, who sprained his ankle late in Friday’s game, should be a go Sunday against Atlanta. Scott Brooks said Perkins did not participate in practice today but will be evaluated before the game and is expected to play. “It wasn’t as bad as I initially thought,” Brooks said. “He’s feeling much better today than I thought he would.”

That's definitely good news. He wasn't limping much as he left the floor so I was hoping it wasn't serious. But you never know with Perk. He didn't limp much in the playoffs last season and he was playing with a torn groin muscle.

Perk Day to Day with Ankle Sprain

Kendrick Perkins -- left ankle sprain. Day-to-Day. #thunder
— John Rohde (@RohdeOK) November 3, 2012

Perk walked gingerly to the locker room after a collision with a Blazers player with about 5 minutes to go in the game. Nick Collison came in and filled in very well, as he always does, at center with Perk out. Hopefully it isn't serious and he'll be back on the court for Sunday's game vs the Hawks.

While some people may point to his 1 point and 4.5 rebound stats and say that the Thunder won't miss much if he is out, they miss a lot more than stats when Perk isn't playing. Scott Brooks knows this and credited Perk and the centers for the success of the offense. Perk is one of the best pick setters in the league and that opens up his teammates for easier shots. He also is the anchor on the defense. Stats never tell the whole story when it comes to Perk's effect on a game. And to his credit, he doesn't care about stats, just the wins.

Celtics Links for Today 11/3

Herald  The Bucks stomp here
C’s curbing enthusiasm
Return to Boston bit ‘weird’ for Marquis Daniels
Paul Pierce & company out of sorts
Bobcats snap losing streak at 23 games
Knicks roll past Heat 104-84 in New York opener
James Harden has 45, Rockets beat Hawks 109-102
Glen Davis scores 29, Magic hold off Nuggets 102-89
Clippers send Lakers to 0-3 start with 105-95 win
Globe   Final: Bucks 99, Celtics 88
Celtics Fall to Bucks in Home Opener
Celtics showed a failure to communicate in their home opener
Boston Celtics Dropped by Milwaukee Bucks
Celtics lose home opener to Milwaukee Bucks

Comments from the Other Side - Blazers 11/2

Here it is! The first CFTOS of the season. I'll try to put these up after wins this season. The comments after losses are pretty depressing :) Blazers fans seem to embody the fact that if all else fails, blame the refs. I've been watching the Thunder since the Perk trade and in my opinion, KD doesn't get near as many calls as he should from the refs. In this game, OKC did get some calls but not near as many as these fans would have you believe.

This is gonna be a tough one. I expect Westbrook to go off.

I usually take a pretty optimistic view, but after last night I think OKC comes out with fire and the Blazers might get smoked.

Beat the NotSonics by any means necessary!

Perkins will try to punk Leonard. Should be interesting to see how that goes.