Lopez had 4 blocks tonight, a double-double, and Perkins had zero points. What more do you expect in a defensive center?
His PER so far this year, as well as his FG% and other things, haven't really improved at all. Some of his stats have actually diminished. Please explain your "switch" post. LMA is still the same LMA in the post-Roy era that he was last year.
Aright, How many times do you see Lopez getting a double double and 4 blks? Perkins is not a center that scores the ball.
He just looks more aggressive and capable when he's forced to go toward the hoop and he's rebounding quite a bit better than I can remember. Overall I think he just looks more physical.
I switched to nBA Tv immediately after the game (hate how quickly Comcast here shuts off the post game stuff) and they were saying its not ridiculous to talk about him as MVP. Kenny said MVP often goes to the best player on a surprise contender that emerges. Gave Nash when he first got back to the Suns as an example.
It's because he has Lopez at his side. Lopez and Mo were HUGE acquisitions. Exactly what this team needed.
All LMA needed was a true center to take some pressure off of him at both ends. This was obvious to many of us over the summer. Instead, some wasted months clobbering posters who said LMA needed to stay, and that Olshey made some solid acquisitions. What a win!!! WOOO HOOOOO!
Yeah sort of this. He's been "very good" for a little while now, but I'm not sure he had the alpha dog mentality you see in "great" players. If he keeps this up the rest of the season and then can somehow carry this team through a couple of playoff series he gets to join that club. I love the way he's playing and I love his shift in attitude, he's just got to sustain it.
He's needed more shooters around him to stretch the floor. The amount of mid range shots the Blazers make pull defenders off of him. Plus he's playing his guts out.
