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"You see young guys who come out of high school, and they get the big contract and they get satisfied," Pierce says. "I've seen Perkins when he was a rookie, and he didn't get off the bench, and he just continued to work over the summer. You see him grow every single year. That's a sign of a good player, those guys that work on it every year. He's in his seventh year now, and he's gotten better every year, so I commend him on that. You see a lot of players that after a few years, they kinda level off."

"It's good to see him gain some respect from everyone within the locker room," adds Garnett. "Because respect is not just given, you earn that, and he's a promising All-Star, so I look forward to his growth."

One thing Perkins already has in his possession is a championship ring from the 2007-08 season.

"What is a championship team about? A winning team about?," asks Perkins. "It's a team with no agendas. A team that's all in, a team that doesn't go out and play for stats…(instead) just goes out and plays for wins. I think that's the most important thing that I've learned."


http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=14565

perk is the man.

The crazy thing is he only just turned 25 and centers are notoriously late bloomers.

I use to think he had the potential to be a great defensive center with little to no offense but even that part of his game has come a long way.

It wouldn't surprise me to see him average 15+ points and 10+ boards somehere down the line.

I really hope Perk is a Celtic for life

I've been following Perkins since he was a rookie and am glad to see him succeed.

It was well known that he worked his tail off even when he rarely saw any minutes under Obie. It is great to see that the hard work is paying off. Perkins is perfect for his team as he doesn't need the ball to be effective and he seems like one of the few guys in the league that actually seems to enjoy playing defense.

I hope he remains a Celtic for life!

GoGoCeltics wrote:I really hope Perk is a Celtic for life

Ditto. He is a perfect role model for young players coming into the league.

i've got perkins in a dynasty league.

do you guys see him as able to shoulder more of an offensive load as your big 3 get older, or has he hit the offensive ceiling already and will pretty much continue to grow in other areas (eg, defense) that fantasy stats don't track?

Good read.
It's Perk with a 'k' though, not a 'c'.

Thancs for the link Cefa... (winc)

The greatest part about Perkins is that he had all the potential to be a bust. Like a lot of guys coming out of high school, his ego was through the roof even though he was very raw in terms of talent. He could have been satisfied with being a mediocre defender with no offense, plus being really slow and out of shape. He could have been a career 12th man making the minimum playing for some team who needs a big to fill out the roster.
Instead, all he has done is work hard. He has a great work ethic - maybe the best in the league. I've been watching basketball for a long time and it's rare to see someone improve this much (from borderline useless to one of the best centers in the league overall). I liked him from the day we drafted him because of his dopey, sad look... he's always been my favorite player. I think the time that really pushed him to start working hard was those free throws against Indiana in the playoffs...
Now he has decent post moves that are pretty reliable. His on-ball defense is great. His defensive IQ is great. He is a good shot blocker. Unselfish; understands his role perfectly and embraces it. There's nothing wrong with this guy except for his technicals, which I don't mind so much because that energy he plays with comes from his ego, and without that ego he would have never developed into the player he knew he could be.

amb1ent wrote:i've got perkins in a dynasty league.

do you guys see him as able to shoulder more of an offensive load as your big 3 get older, or has he hit the offensive ceiling already and will pretty much continue to grow in other areas (eg, defense) that fantasy stats don't track?

I have him in a dynasty as well. I picked him up is rookie year and except for the fact I could have dropped him that season for Al Jefferson I am very happy.

I think his fantasy value will continue to rise. I recently explored the possibility of trading him for Emeka Okafor but decided against it. I think Okafor has plateaued but Perk is still getting better. He has developed some moves so his points will go up. His FT% is increasing which helps that stat and points. He has been a good source of assists (as centers go). So I do like his fantasy value. Oh, and he has one of the best FG% in the league.

amb1ent wrote:i've got perkins in a dynasty league.

do you guys see him as able to shoulder more of an offensive load as your big 3 get older, or has he hit the offensive ceiling already and will pretty much continue to grow in other areas (eg, defense) that fantasy stats don't track?

Perk's hands and shooting range both keep getting better. That can only help.