Kendrick Perkins signs Extension

[wiff]

Just stay healthy kid. Nice deal lets get Westbrook, Serge and Harden wrapped up and call it a decade.

[bbms]

Presto!

But I'd rather have Nene on my team.

[Jimmy76]

Just stay healthy kid. Nice deal lets get Westbrook, Serge and Harden wrapped up and call it a decade.

Yep

Presti is everything I thought he was

[Hobes]

Nice list Fallacy, that just put's into perspective how great this signing was. Great job Presti!

[D5150]

Wait a minute. I agree this is clever from a salary cap standpoint (ala the Nick Collison move). But does this make Presti a genious/wizard/savant? No. To me this is the most risky move he has made to date. I realize you sometimes have to roll the dice and take some chances but still, you just signed the guy to a 4 year 34 million dollar deal and he hasn't played a minute in a Thunder uniform. The jury is still out on this one.

BTW: Do you think maybe everyone is overstating Perkins value/worth because of the team he played for previously? In other words, sometimes the system/team mates make the player, not the other way around.

[slick_watts]

Wait a minute. I agree this is clever from a salary cap standpoint (ala the Nick Collison move). But does this make Presti a genious/wizard/savant? No. To me this is the most risky move he has made to date. I realize you sometimes have to roll the dice and take some chances but still, you just signed the guy to a 4 year 34 million dollar deal and he hasn't played a minute in a Thunder uniform. The jury is still out on this one.

BTW: Do you think maybe everyone is overstating Perkins value/worth because of the team he played for previously? In other words, sometimes the system/team mates make the player, not the other way around.

You have to think about the bigger picture for OKC. After this summer, Russell Westbrook will have an active near max extension, and the Thunder will have little maneuverability to make a play for roster upgrades.

I look at this acquisition as a preemptive free agency signing. OKC had little chance at a Gasol, or a Nene. After that, who's available better than Kendrick Perkins? I don't think there's anyone. 4 years, 34 million is not a lot for a starting center.

Perkins is undoubtedly a good defender, great screen setter, and adequate rebounder. I don't think system changes that stuff. He's not the perfect player, but he's the best center this franchise has had since when? Lonnie Shelton?

[D5150]

Well Slick, we will see. You make a good argument, but they just signed a 34 million dollar question mark. No matter how you slice it, that is what it is.
You are right on the money about one thing though; Preemptive signing. Whatever else this franchise may be it is not an attractive destination for top tier free agents. They may be able to keep players they already have but can they attract free agents? I doubt it.

[slick_watts]

Well Slick, we will see. You make a good argument, but they just signed a 34 million dollar question mark. No matter how you slice it, that is what it is.
You are right on the money about one thing though; Preemptive signing. Whatever else this franchise may be it is not an attractive destination for top tier free agents. They may be able to keep players they already have but can they attract free agents? I doubt it.

Exactly. Perkins would have been third on the list of free agent centers, and that includes Marc Gasol who would have been restricted. I doubt Presti would have been able to lure him away from, say, the Rockets if they had offered him big $$$. Or at least gotten him on good value. I think at his age and injury history, the four years is an important factor in the deal. I'd feel a lot less good about a five year contract which, barring CBA changes, is what he would have gotten in free agency.

Any acquisition is a risk. I think it might have been riskier to go into this offseason without a front court solution whatsoever. Then you're banking on free agency to solve it for you. I have my concerns about how Perkins will fit, but he's a lot better than what we had.

[D5150]

Fair enough. Like I said in another thread, I am very interested to see how this turns out.

[Balkman32]

6'10" big men do not grow on trees. He has won a ring, is younger than the other two, oh and yeah he signed before he even played a min. This goes both ways. His contract is going to be worth about 8 million per season. That is less than almost every decent Center in the league. Great move IMO!

[Stolen Team Fan]

Wait a minute. I agree this is clever from a salary cap standpoint (ala the Nick Collison move). But does this make Presti a genious/wizard/savant? No. To me this is the most risky move he has made to date. I realize you sometimes have to roll the dice and take some chances but still, you just signed the guy to a 4 year 34 million dollar deal and he hasn't played a minute in a Thunder uniform. The jury is still out on this one.

Presti makes gambles often, but has had luck on his side for the most part. In 2007, people thought he was nuts to trade our leading scorer (Ray Allen) for a draft pick and let our #2 guy walk (Rashard Lewis). That same year, he drafted 2 SFs at #2 and #5 (Durant and Green), even knowing that a very talented C (Joakim Noah) was still on the board (that's not hindsight... look at the draft reports). In 2008, instead of taking either Jarryd Bayless or Brook Lopez, Presti went with a defensive specialist combo-guard (Westbrook), and later at 24 an unknown Serge Ibaka. I admit that I thought he was nuts at the time. In 2009, he drafted by need and picked Harden over the more-talented Tyreke Evans. That draft, he also traded Beaubois to Dallas for Mullens. He also traded for Tyson Chandler, but backed out on dubious medical reports.

Overall, Presti didn't bat 1.000, but he did generally do a good job. I would still take him over most if not all other GMs out there.

[Hobes]

Great little clip showing Perk talking about his extension.

http://www.newsok.com/thunder-signs-ken ... e_nba-news

Seems like a really great and down to Earth guy. He seems to really talk from the heart and be thankful for his position.

[Celtics_35]

Great little clip showing Perk talking about his extension.

http://www.newsok.com/thunder-signs-ken ... e_nba-news

Seems like a really great and down to Earth guy. He seems to really talk from the heart and be thankful for his position.

We'll always love Perk in Boston and yes he is a rather humble and quiet type of guy, a really working class type of player who plays 100 percent every time he takes the court.

If he didn't go down with that knee injury in last year's finals, we would have won the ring no doubt about it.

I wish him and the Thunder all the best, and may he have the same success in OKC as he did in Boston.

[God Squad]

Whens Perk coming back? Anyone with any information?

[slick_watts]

Whens Perk coming back? Anyone with any information?

He practiced with the team the other day and is on track to come back in less than two weeks.

[fallacy]

Whens Perk coming back? Anyone with any information?

March 18th. He could come back sooner but they want him to make his debut at home. What better time than the start of a six game homestand to show him off to the fans?

[bbms]

Two weeks.