Perk: Playing out of his mind or finally to his potential?

[ARB729]

First off, Perk has and will be my favorite Celtic as long as he plays here.

Now, my question is just : Is this recently hot streak of play his response to P.J Brown's signing/Powe+Baby's emergence, or just him figuring it out and playing to his first round pick potential?

[Truthiracy]

He could be pulling the same thing that Al Jefferson did, after years of playing, he finally understands he can dominate the game, if he chooses.

[Fencer reregistered]

Alternative 3: He's more fragile than we'd like, and happens to be in a truly healthy phase again.

[JiriMania]

Over his last 5 games (including his Mark Blount-esque 1 rebound effort against CLE)

12 points
10 rebounds
3 blocks

That is more than acceptable for a center in this league. If he plays at this pace the outcome will be scary.

[jfs1000d]

He has finally hit a good streak. He is an 8 ppg 6 rpg a game center for me in the long run. He has been much more aggressive recently.I like that.

I can live with him. As long as there is a dominant PF that he can play with he is a starter.

I don't think he is ever going to be consistently 10 ppg and 12 rpg. IF he is,you got something special.

[keltickings]

The Celtics finally have a quality true center. Love you Perk.

Remember the days of "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison.

How far we've come. This all still seems like a dream.

Perkins is beast and I love his attitude. He intimidates.

[campybatman]

I think Rivers and Clifford Ray took Perkins aside in private and reviewed with him old videos of him in high school and emphasized to him that Pollard is lost for the season and Brown is thirty-eight. Evidently, Perkins got the message. Hopefully, there isn't a drop-off with him when the Celtics see that important five game road trip this month.

[The Corey's]

Perk can dominate the game if he chooses?

He isnt even the best big on our team, how does anyone expect him to do that?

He outs the ball on the floor too much, he usually makes one too many moves, I just dont see it.

Playing out of his mind.

[celticfan42487]

I love Perk too and hated when some people on the board were getting down on him after about 5 games this season. But I don't think he's doing anything diffrent from what he's done before except for concentrate more on the rebounds.

His season averages are 7 ppg 6 rpg 1 ass 1.5 blcks in 24 mpg. That's all we can ask.

So I'll have to assume this is just a hot streak and he's been playing to his potential this season (aside from maybe a mistake here and there that a fan like me can't see). Big men are vital though and not counting PJ Perk is our only one right now so I'm glad to see him playing well.

There's not many people that are going to push him out of position.

[Pogue Mahone]

I wrote this on another board back on 11 SEP 08

Over his last 25 games (when he was presumably healthier) Perkins put up 25 mpg 5.64 ppg 6.64 rpg 1.48 apg 1.32 bpg on .514 FG% and .771 FT%. And that was on an itsy bitsy possessions-used basis. With even a moderate usage rate (~12.0), look for something in the 8.5 ppg 7.5 rpg 1.5 apg 1.7 bpg from Perkins in 30 mpg in 2008. I think he is capable of much more, on similar shooting percentages, but the opportunities just won't be there as the team is currently constituted.

Perk, not including tonight's game, has put up the following:

24.5 mpg 7.4 ppg 5.9 rpg 1.1 apg 1.4 bpg

If those numbers were adjusted to 30 mpg, they would look like this:

30.0 mpg 9.0 ppg 7.3 rpg 1.3 apg 1.7 bpg

Not too off from what I said it would be.

Furthermore, in another post on 14 SEP 07, I posted the following:

Going forward, I believe that he will improve further. I think he will have a big breakout sometime around March.

Again, I talked about it on RealGM HERE on 26 JAN 08

To wit:

I said before the season (sometime in September) that Kendrick Perkins was due to see another sizable breakout (he had one close to two years ago that was obfuscated by injury) sometime around March. The growing pains of learning how to finish his shot and what he can do offensively will continue for a bit longer, imo. I think we are starting to see the momentum that confidence will bring to Kendrick's game. Just wait until he unveils the 18-footer that I spoke of HERE - 25 Dec 07 (5th post of the thread) (if you recall, just recently that shot was the topic of conversation as it was mentioned by Clifford Ray in an interview about Perk-- so I wasn't pulling anybody's leg.) When he gets the jumper working, he will comfortably be a double-digit scorer, imo.

Now, perhaps this is only a run of good games and I am wishcasting a bit but his performance is pretty much what I expected, to be honest. Additionally, I think there will be another major bump in his production, provided he remains healthy, in Dec-Jan of next season.

I also think this has nothing to do with the acquisition of PJ Brown and everything to do with hard work and perseverance that Kendrick has exhibited since day one of donning a Celtics uniform.

[Joselo16]

I just think he understands his role a lot better now, he has mentioned that many of times in the post game interviews and he even said that he has be concentrating on being more aggressive on the glass after the Cavs game where he had one board.

I think he's playing to what I thought his potential on this team could have been. He plays great defense and boards. I never really expected him to put up big numbers offensively (which he has in some games) so his offense has not disappointed me at all, I just take it as anything we get out of him offensively is a plus. As for his board numbers not being great earlier in the season, people forget that we have great rebounder's like Rondo, Pierce, and Garnett around him also Perk is mostly utilized either setting a pick up-top keeping him away from the hoop or boxing out the opposing big man.

Let's hope he keeps it up!!!

[SLCceltic]

big baby>>perkins

i really think that baby is the better starter


but here is the problem......perk excels as a starter


doc, tell perk that he is way too fu*&^n agressive and that he needs to chill the f45k out
or start baby
to let perk run some offense for the second team, and realize that this is not football, would get the job done

perk is not quite a starting calibre center for a contending team
baby is-----------PJ absolutely is

[P2]

12 points
10 rebounds
3 blocks

That is more than acceptable for a center in this league. If he plays at this pace the outcome will be scary.

The Celtics finally have a quality true center. Love you Perk.

I agree. Perks is finally showing that he is a true starting Center on a Championship contender. If he continues to play like this, I don't know how we could miss a Finals appearance.

[DynastyInTheMaking]

He has constantly had stretches like this the past few years, don't read into it too much.

[Fencer reregistered]

Is it coincidental that Perk is grabbing more rebounds and Garnett is scoring more? Reallocation of Garnett's energy, perhaps?

[P2]

Is it coincidental that Perk is grabbing more rebounds and Garnett is scoring more? Reallocation of Garnett's energy, perhaps?

That's exactly what it is. And this definitely helps our team.

[humblebum]

I'm with Pogue Malone and others on Perkins' recent streak having a lot more to do with his development as a player than any type of luck or whatever. The guy works super hard and he has the body to be a really solid Center in the league. His skills continue to improve and his knowledge of the game/his role have increased leaps and bounds from earlier in the season. Perkins could put up bigger numbers on a lesser team but on this team 9 pts and 8 boards is basically all we're going to need, especially when he's getting around 2 blks.

[Scalamental]

You know, he might be stepping it up because we just picked up a new PF/C in PJ Brown... Anyone think of that?

[Man_Up]

I had doubted Perk could ever play at this level. He never really gave me a reason to believe he could. I thought he had already peaked. I'm glad to see I was wrong.

What I've noticed in the games and looking at the stats sheets is that he's cleanign the offensive glass. Which is leading to more second chance buckets and that's why the bulls got handled like they did yesterday. If Perk keeps this up the Finasl is a forgone conclusion, in my mind.

I Just hopes he keeps it up.

[DarkAzcura]

I had doubted Perk could ever play at this level. He never really gave me a reason to believe he could. I thought he had already peaked. I'm glad to see I was wrong.

05-06 season pre-injury Perk?