Right now, this is one of the best times to be a sports fan. Everyone in baseball still has a chance, the growing debates about what player to take in the NFL Draft, and the winter sports are heading into the playoffs this week. As the NBA Playoffs get underway on Saturday, the biggest question is will the two teams from the 2010 NBA Finals survive the first round?
The Boston Celtics are in a complete free fall after trading Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rajon Rondo has seemed like an entire different player, Kevin Garnett yells, but it feels like to me no one listens like they once did when Perkins partolled the lane. People from El Pres, Simmons, and others have mentioned how much the city of Boston loved Perk, and I really think the players felt the exact same way. I believe the perfect comparison for this is my sophomore year of college dorm floor.
We had an awesome door room floor. Everybody got along, and our resident assistant let us live our lives without meddling plus also being a good friend. There was a true togetherness about our unit compared to the one I lived in the year prior where four or five of us were great friends, but no one else went out together. With this group, people did so many more things together and felt like a family. After the resident assistant got poor grades, we got a new one and he ended up being the opposite personality.
He wanted to make his prescene felt here and life changed for every guy there. Most of the guys did not react to change well leading to multiple problems. People got kicked out of the dorms, vandalized various things on the floor, and it became pretty miserable for the last two weeks. The Celtics' old team with Perkins had that original dorm floor unity, and now what they have is the misrable nature of the new look dorm floor. Everyday it seemed like one person would say "Man I miss Matt, our former RA" and I am willing to bet the Celtics' players have days where they say "I miss Perk more than I thought I would."
I cannot believe a team with a playoff seed on the line can lose to a team like the Washington Wizards especially in overtime. They are playing like individuals, and want this season to be over as soon as possible. The body language is horrible right now from Doc Rivers to Delonte West. It's a team effort to look this disinterested. The Celtics are far worst off than they were last year, and I personally believe the New York Knicks will beat them in six games. My thoughts on that series will be given later this week.
While out west, the Los Angeles Lakers have had more up and downs than a long distance relationship. Before this sudden five game losing streak, the Lakers had won nine straight. Further they had won sixteen of their last seventeen games. They are the definition of inconsistency, and sometimes those teams are able to turn it on in the postseason propelling them to victory. If the Lakers are a true contender, they will make a statement tonight against the San Antonio Spurs at home. With the two seed on the line, they need to play on a playoff level.
On the other hand, I wonder what Gregg Popovich does tonight because San Antonio has won both games against the Lakers this year, so maybe they do not think it's the worst thing to play them in round 2? The Spurs might come out firing with all their starters trying to dump the Lakers farther down the seeding. Also don't discredit the Oklahoma City Thunder's 14 point win against the Lakers at the Staples Center Sunday night. To me, the 120-106 beatdown spoke volumes that the young Thunder can compete with any team in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant finally looked comfortable against Ron Artest dropping 31 points, Russell Westbrook is a nightmare for the Lakers' guards, and Ibaka/Perkins can compete with Bynum/Gasol for sure.
The last couple of years we always had an idea of who will be playing in the NBA Finals. While there are favorites, I feel this year is more unpredictable than others in years' past. I expect a lot of close series, and maybe some new favorites rise up in the upcoming months.
-Charlie.
Showing posts with label Kendrick Perkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kendrick Perkins. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Impact Of Perkins Injury On Game 7
As I'm sure you know Kendrick Perkins has a torn MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) and PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) which means you wont see him in a Celtic jersey to some time in 2011 I'm almost sure of that but who knows it could be sooner or later. Anyway the Celtics losing there Center is going to have a BIG IMPACT on the last game of the NBA Season. Yeah Perkins doesn't put up big numbers avg. about 6 points and 6 rebounds a game in this series. Its the other things he does like forcing the Lakers to take tough shots around the basket, playing good post defense and taking up space. With Perkins in the game the Celtics guards can gamble for out on the perimeter more because they know if they get beat they have a him back there to force a bad shot. The question that we all are asking Doc Rivers who will start? Its said to be Glen "Big Baby" Davis or Rasheed Wallace. I've listen to a lot of analysts and some day Davis and some say Wallace. With Davis in the Celtics can run more and plus he will bring a lot of energy to the floor. With Wallace he can stretch the floor if he's hitting his jumper, as well play good post defense again the Gasol and Bynum. If I had to pick I would go with Rasheed Wallace just because of his defense. The Celtics can't let the Lakers get a lot of points in the paint or they will be heading back to Boston with out the NBA Titles. What's interesting to me is the Wallace is 6'10 but "Big Baby" has more rebounds then him in this series and we all know so far who ever wins the rebounding battle wins the game. So that's something to think about. Also a lot of people think the Lakers going to dominate inside but don't forget Andrew Bynum is not 100% so with both teams with injured Centers, Celtics hurting in that area more then the Lakers are, the Perkins injury could cancel out if Bynum doesn't have an impact on the game because of his injury. I hope its a good game since it the last game of the 2009-2010 season...........I got the Lakers winning this one but we will see. Thanks for reading and enjoy the game tonight.
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Friday, May 4, 2007
The G(m) Spot: Dallas Mavericks
You know something is wrong with your favorite team. It's right there, plain as day, for everyone and their mom to see. So why can't your team's GM fix it? In the "G(m) Spot" column we will examine how teams can go about fixing their roster problems for the upcoming season. If you want to see your team get the G(m) Spot treatment, please send suggestions to kiduterus@gmail.com
In the aftermath of the Maverick's loss to the Warriors much has been made of the Maverick's inabilty to slow down the tempo of the game consistently. More specifically, the glaring weakness of the Maverick's roster was exposed: They do not have a scoring option in the low post. Without the ability to slow down the game with teams such as the Warriors and Suns, the Mavs are going to continue seeing these types of failures in the postseason unlees something is done. The low post is not Dirk's game, and for all of the lip service being paid to him working on developing a better low post game over the summer, forget about it. That is not what Dirk's skill set dictates, and although perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks, would you really pick Dirk over a Mike Vick trained Mastiff that has been lurking in the post for years? (Too soon?) The other low post options on the Mavs roster include Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop, and for all of the rebounding and shot blocking help they provide neither could be said to be an offensive threat.
What the Mavs do have however, is a decently sized expiring contract for next season in Shawn Bradley's $5.2 million deal, which could help them acquire some veteran help in a trade with a cap strapped team. So now the question looms, where are the Mavs going to be able to get some help for Dirk in the low post? Barring any crazy, roster demolishing trades, here are some targets the Mavs should be looking at going into the offseason:
Anderson Varejao:
The Cav's rising young star is hitting the free agent market this summer, and would be the ideal remedy for what is ailing the Mavs. Varejao possesses the strong post game on offense that would benefit the Mavs against up temp0 teams, while still being athletic enough to get up and down the floor if the Mavs choose to go into a transition offense themselves. Varejao would probably be hard to acquire given the Mavs current cap situation ($62 million on the books already for next season), so the Mavs best option might be a sign and trade deal with the Cavs. And the other shoe that would have to drop in that scenario.....would be Jason Terry heading to the PG needy Cavs, who already have Drew Gooden and Ilgauskas to soften the front court hit of losing Varejao.
Jamaal Magloire:
It would seem that Magloire's time is up in Portland, with his contract expiring and the Blazers having acquired LaMarcus Aldridge in last year's draft. Though Magloire has had two somewhat sub par seasons the last two years, it is important to recall that he averaged double figures in scoring in all three of his seasons with the Hornets. Also to his credit, Magloire is only 28 years old. With his stock down after only starting 21 games this year and losing time to the likes of Aldridge and Joel Przybilla the Mavs might be able to sign Magloire to a contract much smaller than what it would take to bring in Varejao.
Corliss Williamson:
Sometimes, you just need offense. And in those situations, when rebounding and defense might not be of the highest priority for the Mavs, would be when Corliss Williamson would be most effective for them. Say what you will about Williamson's all around game, but there is no denying the fact that the man can put the ball in the hoop when he is in the game. And most importantly for the Mav's needs, he can put it in from the paint. Williamson, who will be a free agent this summer, would probably be the most affordable option for the Mavs, while perhaps also being the most situational.
Kendrick Perkins:
Let's just call this one the Greg Oden option for the Mavs. If the ping pong balls fall the right way for the Celtics to draft Oden, Boston would find itself in a predicament with Oden and Al Jefferson (whose second contract will be looming) sharing the frontcourt space with the raw talents of Perkins and Ryan Gomes. Why is this a bad thing? Well, for a team like the Celtics, it isn't very good to be paying $4 million plus to your 2nd or 3rd string PF when you have such an uncertain situation at PG. So remember Shawn Bradley's expiring contract I was talking about earlier? The Mavs could ship it along with a few draft picks to the Celtics for Perkins, giving Boston some added cap flexibility for the 2008 offseason which could see Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Jameer Nelson, Chris Duhon, and Brevin Knight on the free agent market.
In the aftermath of the Maverick's loss to the Warriors much has been made of the Maverick's inabilty to slow down the tempo of the game consistently. More specifically, the glaring weakness of the Maverick's roster was exposed: They do not have a scoring option in the low post. Without the ability to slow down the game with teams such as the Warriors and Suns, the Mavs are going to continue seeing these types of failures in the postseason unlees something is done. The low post is not Dirk's game, and for all of the lip service being paid to him working on developing a better low post game over the summer, forget about it. That is not what Dirk's skill set dictates, and although perhaps you can teach an old dog new tricks, would you really pick Dirk over a Mike Vick trained Mastiff that has been lurking in the post for years? (Too soon?) The other low post options on the Mavs roster include Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop, and for all of the rebounding and shot blocking help they provide neither could be said to be an offensive threat.
What the Mavs do have however, is a decently sized expiring contract for next season in Shawn Bradley's $5.2 million deal, which could help them acquire some veteran help in a trade with a cap strapped team. So now the question looms, where are the Mavs going to be able to get some help for Dirk in the low post? Barring any crazy, roster demolishing trades, here are some targets the Mavs should be looking at going into the offseason:
Anderson Varejao:
The Cav's rising young star is hitting the free agent market this summer, and would be the ideal remedy for what is ailing the Mavs. Varejao possesses the strong post game on offense that would benefit the Mavs against up temp0 teams, while still being athletic enough to get up and down the floor if the Mavs choose to go into a transition offense themselves. Varejao would probably be hard to acquire given the Mavs current cap situation ($62 million on the books already for next season), so the Mavs best option might be a sign and trade deal with the Cavs. And the other shoe that would have to drop in that scenario.....would be Jason Terry heading to the PG needy Cavs, who already have Drew Gooden and Ilgauskas to soften the front court hit of losing Varejao.
Jamaal Magloire:It would seem that Magloire's time is up in Portland, with his contract expiring and the Blazers having acquired LaMarcus Aldridge in last year's draft. Though Magloire has had two somewhat sub par seasons the last two years, it is important to recall that he averaged double figures in scoring in all three of his seasons with the Hornets. Also to his credit, Magloire is only 28 years old. With his stock down after only starting 21 games this year and losing time to the likes of Aldridge and Joel Przybilla the Mavs might be able to sign Magloire to a contract much smaller than what it would take to bring in Varejao.
Corliss Williamson: Sometimes, you just need offense. And in those situations, when rebounding and defense might not be of the highest priority for the Mavs, would be when Corliss Williamson would be most effective for them. Say what you will about Williamson's all around game, but there is no denying the fact that the man can put the ball in the hoop when he is in the game. And most importantly for the Mav's needs, he can put it in from the paint. Williamson, who will be a free agent this summer, would probably be the most affordable option for the Mavs, while perhaps also being the most situational.
Kendrick Perkins:
Let's just call this one the Greg Oden option for the Mavs. If the ping pong balls fall the right way for the Celtics to draft Oden, Boston would find itself in a predicament with Oden and Al Jefferson (whose second contract will be looming) sharing the frontcourt space with the raw talents of Perkins and Ryan Gomes. Why is this a bad thing? Well, for a team like the Celtics, it isn't very good to be paying $4 million plus to your 2nd or 3rd string PF when you have such an uncertain situation at PG. So remember Shawn Bradley's expiring contract I was talking about earlier? The Mavs could ship it along with a few draft picks to the Celtics for Perkins, giving Boston some added cap flexibility for the 2008 offseason which could see Baron Davis, Jason Kidd, Jameer Nelson, Chris Duhon, and Brevin Knight on the free agent market.
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