NBA’s Unsung Heroes Still Breathing

The unsung guys, their contributions mighty, but often can go unnoticed if you rely solely on the boxscore for your insight.

Kendrick Perkins (Celtics)- Guy is just what you need in a center in today’s NBA where the guards and athletic forwards determine tempo and much of the offense. Perkins is wide and sets good picks, while also using his wide frame and mean streak to be a post presence on both ends of the court. He also has displayed from time to time the ability to get you 20 points in an evening.  Very good rebounder. Ever wonder why the Celtics interior defense is so stingy? It’s not all because of Garnett.

Chuck Hayes, undrafted but not unknown (Image:Newscom)

Chuck Hayes (Rockets)- Henry Abbott of TrueHoop had a nice quick blurb about Hayes today which got me to thinking about those players who do all the little things to help their team win. Chuck’s contributions usually don’t show up in the boxscore and sometimes are not really noticeable to the lackadaisical run of the norm basketball observers. He’s often in the right place at the right time and takes charges with the best of them. He’s quite the post defender as well, usually holding his own with guys two to four inches taller than him. Though he might have the ugliest free throw stroke in the history of organized (or unorganized) hoops but fortunately for the visually unimpaired Chuck doesn’t visit the line for weeks at a time.

Luke Walton (Lakers)- With the Lakers being such a deep team, Luke has fallen quite a bit in recent years in the playing time category. Phil Jackson still eeks out some minutes for him though as Luke will not hurt the team, that is for certain. What he provides is a decent shooting touch and an uncanny ability to see the floor, making the quick pass for an open teammate, sometimes even after slyly beating his man off the dribble. What holds Luke back is his less than eye opening athleticism, but with young erratic athletes galore on the Lakers sometimes all you need is a solid veteran presence that just knows how to blend in.

Anthony Carter (Nuggets)- Carter’s getting up there in age (gonna be 34 next month) but still can turn on the jets and blow by you from time to time if you relax. Not known or being a real consistent three point shooter (just 24% for his career) Carter doesn’t fling them up there all that much, instead he embodies the pass first point guard mentality that helps the Nuggets be successful. Carter has a knack for hitting tough around the basket layups in transition, but his ability to defend and choreograph the offense allows for George Karl to put Chauncey Billups at the two guard position certain stretches of the games, which is huge. Having a veteran point guard who knows his role so well is vital, because not every backup point guard can handle it, teams must cherish the guys who can.