CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: There's a Movement Afoot to Get Perk to the All Star Game

Thanks to Loscy for the photo
Everyone who has talked to me for more than 2 minutes over the past 6 years knows that I love Perk. Over the past few years, Perk has won over a lot of fans with his work ethic and his tough defensive play. Every year he has been in the league, he has improved. This year he has added improved offense to his defensive repertoire.

Perk deserves to be on the All Star team. And, there are some Perk fans out there trying to make it happen. KWAPT has started a Vote for Perk website to make it easier for you to cast your ballot for the Beast! In case you are wavering on whether he deserves to be there or not, here are some facts from Loscy's article this morning.

So back to that difference: Perk’s play is starting to translate into noticeable stats:

* Perk has 38 blocks this season, which is good for 5th best in the association.
* Perk’s blocks are almost an equal balance between jump blocks and close blocks.
* More impressive than that, Perk has a 1.88 ratio of blocks/fouls.
* Perk is shooting 64% from the field. Whoa.
* Perk is averaging a career high 12 ppg.

But the kicker in all of this? Perk’s game is continuing to develop in ways that still don’t show up in the stat sheet:

* Perk’s improvement in setting legal screens (hip hip, hooray!).
* Perk’s vision to see the passing lane.
* Perk’s ability to execute a pass when a player is on the move and cutting to the hoop (very new).
* Perk’s ability to not only back down a player on the post, but to also front him.
* Perk’s evolving post moves: spins, hesitations, ball fakes.
* Perk’s slowly increasing range from the baseline.

See more of his stats at 82games.com and basketball-reference.com.

Simply put, this man is a beast. Perk is truly contributing to making a great team greater.

Good stuff and very good points. And from Hardwood Paroxysm, there are these facts:

I was all prepared to rip this to shreds with advanced staty-stats. Then I actually looked at them. And you know what? Perk’s been downright awesome. He’s averaging 17.4 points per 40. THINK ABOUT THAT. ON A TEAM WITH KG, PIERCE, AND ALLEN (AND RONDO) HE’S AVERAGING 17.4 PER 40.

So Perk’s sixth in usage, and fourth in PER. He’s tops in TRR. He’s tops in TS% (natch). So he’s taking a more active role in the offense, and being more productive. Even with fewer minutes, those numbers are terrific for a what, fifth, sixth option? In short, the man is a Goddamn beast, there’s no other way to say it.

When Celtics blogs started talking about Perkins for All-Star game I chuckled at their brazen homerism. Now? Good God, you’re talking about arguably the most productive overall member of the best team in the league. Maybe it’s not so crazy after all.

So there you have it. There are solid facts and statistics that prove that Perk very much deserves to be an all star. But yet, Perk's value goes way beyond statistics. They don't measure hustle, tip outs, screens, box outs and defense in the box score, but yet those are the things Perk does every trip down the floor in every game. If every Celtics fan voted for Perk every day, he would win. So, here's your chance to do something good. Go to Vote for Perk and cast your ballot today and every day. I'll be including this link in every day's links to remind you. Let's get Perk to the All Star Game!!!

[Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!]