Some will like the league's answer to flopping, and others will say it's not enough. And while I recognize the benefit of taking it out of the referees' hands, the new approach -- if adopted -- could open up a whole new can of worms in a sports environment that clearly does not tolerate officiating incompetence. Suppose LeBron James drives to the basket on the final possession of a playoff game, with the Miami Heat trailing by a point. He misses the shot, but dupes the official into calling a shooting foul by flopping. James sinks both free throws, the Heat win the game and advance to the next round. But what happens when the league fines James $25,000 the next morning for flopping on the play? What the league would be saying, essentially, is that James shouldn't have been awarded free throws and the Heat shouldn't have won. Chaos, would ensue, as it often does with these controversies -- be it a disputed Hail Mary in the end zone or a superstar call late in an NBA game.
I know that Perk said that his groin was fine after the surgery this summer. But, he was wearing a brace on his wrist at the community event recently. The wrist still isn't 100%. Knowing Perk, he'd want to be out there playing right from the first game. I mean the guy did play through 3 series with a torn groin muscle and an injured wrist. And, that's without a single complaint or excuse. I hope he waits till he's completely healed to play. I can't wait to see him scowling his way up the court again but want the scowl to be because he hates the opponent and not because his wrist is still hurting.Presti says the team is hoping Kendrick Perkins (wrist) will be ready for the first game of the regular season. Could miss entire preseason.
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) September 26, 2012
“Gerald Green is doing things everyday I didn’t think was possible for human beings to do. D.J. has really blown me away in the limited time that he’s been here in terms of his ability to create and make others better. That’s a unique talent to have. Literally on almost every possession he makes somebody better with his passing.”
8. Kendrick Perkins | C | Age: 27 | #NBARank: 120It's pretty obvious that I fall in the first group. I love Perk. I see Perk's value to a team that goes way beyond the box score and beyond what most players are measured by. And I absolutely agree that you don't cross Perk. And, Perk is most appreciated and missed when you don't have him any more. Be careful Thunder. Appreciate this guy and keep him because if you let him go, you'll realize too late that the first group is definitely right.
Somehow, a defensive-minded, role-playing center has become Oklahoma City’s most polarizing player. There are the Perk apologists, the ones that revere his toughness, his screen-setting, intangibles, his locker room presence, his leadership and all of that other crap. There are the Perk haters, the ones that gripe about his clumsy plodding, about his complete lack of any offensive ability, about how overrated he is as a defender and a rebounder.
And then there’s the middle, where I fall. You always have to take Perk for what he is. If you expect more, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and anger. He’s a bad offensive player that is only useful for a hard screens, easy dunks and an occasional slick touch-pass. He’s a strong bruiser that definitely sets a defensive tone inside and holds teammates accountable. You don’t cross Perk. I’ve seen it up close and in person. You. Don’t. Do. It.
His value comes in extremes. Against Andrew Bynum, Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard, there might not be a better post defender. Against a fleet-footed smallball unit, he struggles. And that’s not on him always. It’s often on Scott Brooks to make sure he’s putting Perk in situations he can succeed in. It’s not fair to take blind man and ask him to find Waldo. There’s an Einstein quote that says, “Everybody’s a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing its stupid.” Applicable to Perk.
Sometimes Perk excels against all odds, like he did the final four games against the Spurs. But for the most part, he’s a specialist, best deployed against a dominant post. Use him wisely and he’s a tremendous asset that few teams have. Just blindly run him out against any lineup with the expectation he’s going to do his job all the same and you’re going to be forced to gripe. The question isn’t about his rebounding or scoring or whatever. It’s about if he contributes to winning. Are the Thunder better off with him on the floor, or without him? That’s the bar you should judge Perk by. The answer? Depends on who he’s guarding.
"If you didn't watch our games, you wouldn't know how important he is to our team," Durant says.The article talks about how you can measure just about anything using stats. Except the value of a player like Perk.
Yet, there's an outlier in Oklahoma City, a player with an impact as big as his towering stature but with a statistical footprint that's almost nonexistent.
Even if you watch, you have to pay attention, because while Perkins is easy to spot, the way he changes games isn't.
Each time an opposing big man is having an "off night," notice the defender hounding him on every shot and rebound.
Each time a Thunder player endures a hard foul, notice the refrigerator-sized teammate who levels the accused opponent.
And each time Durant, Russell Westbrook or James Harden curls around a screen and finds an acre of wide-open shooting space, notice the equilibrium-rattling pick that set him free.
Kendrick Perkins The first true Superman stopper (or slower downer?) has to be Kendrick Perkins. Having the size to match up with the mammoth is a huge advantage in slowing Dwight down, however, having that size alone doesn’t get the job done. Perkins is an exceptional defender especially against Dwight. He pushes Dwight away from the basket with his physical play and dares Dwight to beat him with his finesse offensive moves, or lack thereof. Having a defender like Perkins on Dwight allows everyone else to match up with their men without worrying about the help defense. Just hope that you don’t have to deal with foul trouble.The key to Perk's defense on Howard is that he can do it with single coverage. With Perk, the team doesn't need to double team Howard and that is huge when you have other shooters to guard like Kobe, Nash, Artest and Gasol. They list only 3 players who have had success in slowing down Howard in the past and Perk is at the top. With Howard's move to one of the Thunder's top rivals, Perk becomes even more important to the team this season.
Perkins averages just 5.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, but Brooks sees value in his setting of screens, ruffling interior players and raising the team's toughness.Perks value goes so far beyond the box score. He may not score a lot of points, but his teammates score more points when he's on the court because he sets some of the best screens in the league. He may not grab the most rebounds, but his teammates get more rebounds when he is on the court because he boxes out so well. And his value as an enforcer and as one of the best interior defenders in the league can't be measured in anything other than wins. And the Thunder have been winning a lot more since Perk came on board.
"He gives us an edge," Brooks said. "He hates his opponent. He's not happy unless he's unhappy. His teammates love him. He's always in a bad mood. I love guys who go out on the court and compete. He's not shaking hands and trying to be buddy buddy. He respects them, but he's going to try to beat them and then move on."
As long as Perkins is physically capable, he's the starter, and he let that be known after a Thunder Fit clinic at Deer Creek Middle School last Wednesday.Now, if you were a center on the Thunder, would you want to take on Perk for that starting spot? I didn't think so. Some people discounted Perk after a substandard post season but when you figure that the guy was playing with a torn ligament in his wrist and a torn groin muscle, you have to say that Perk is an absolute beast. Most players would be on the sidelines with bandages and crutches and ice packs. But not Perk. He was out there battling for his team. He was step slow, but that was understandable, considering the injuries.
“We're all teammates, but at the end of the day, the center position over here is mine and that's the way we're going to keep it,” said Perkins, wearing a brace on his left wrist. “Any other way, backup minutes or whatever they want to go about, that's their problem. Once I hit the court, I'm going to make it known — and it's going to be known — that that's mine.
“It's no beef, but at the end of the day, that's what it is.”
I just said it's time to go to work,” Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said about Howard joining the Lakers. “I knew the hype was going to be over there on that end and all that. But I'm glad the attention is off us because we're the type that likes to put our hard hats on and do stuff and keep it under the radar. And at the end of the day, when you look at the box score, Oklahoma won. That's the way we like to keep it.”I've seen people suggest that the Thunder should amnesty Perk to sign Harden. To me, this is ridiculous. True centers are hard to come by and true centers who defend like Perk does are even harder to find. The Celtics have been looking for one ever since they let Perk go. I'd love to have him back on the Celtics, believe me. But Perk's importance to the Thunder is greater than ever with the Lakers bringing in Howard with the express hope of getting past the Thunder. And why did they bring in Howard? Because Bynum couldn't get past Perk and they are hoping that Howard can.
“We are the Western Conference champs,” Perkins said. “So at the end of the day, we're not chasing nobody except for the ring. We're chasing Miami to get a championship. It's no guarantee who is going to be where. But we earned the Western champs so we're not chasing the Lakers, we're chasing a championship and that's what it's about.”
“I'm a guy that will speak and tell you that I got a chip on my shoulder where KD might not tell you that he has one on his shoulder but he really do,” Perkins said. “Trust me, we're ready to get at it.”I love Perk!!!
Perk on OKC's center situation: "We all teammates, but ... the center position over here is mine. And that's the way we going to keep it."
— Royce Young (@dailythunder) September 12, 2012
Perk's reaction on Dwight Howard going to the Lakers: "To be honest, I really didn't have one."
— Royce Young (@dailythunder) September 12, 2012
Perk on the West: "We are the Western Conference champs. At the end of the day we're not chasing nobody except for the ring."
— Royce Young (@dailythunder) September 12, 2012
Perk on Eric Maynor: "I don't know if y'all seen him but he's more athletic. I seen him dunk the other day for the first time."
— Royce Young (@dailythunder) September 12, 2012
