Why didn't Sam Perkins become a star in the NBA?

[fpliii]

Dude was drafted 4th in the 84 draft, and from reading stuff written at the time, it seems he was considered a legitimate pro talent coming out of UNC. What went wrong?

Was he miscast as a franchise player? Drafted 10 or 15 years too early based on his playstyle? Did something slow his development during his first few years in the league?

:confusedshrug:

[ProfessorMurder]

I didn't see his whole career, due to my age, but I'd have to assume it's because the Mavs were a horrible mess. Big time log jam at the forward spots with Aguirre, Blackman, Perkins, Schrempf, and Tarpley... With Harper running point.

Combo of log jam, selfish guys, and drug problems.

If he would've been drafted by a different team I bet he'd have developed a lot more.

Regardless, he was super consistent for his first like 10 years.

I don't think he'd have been a transcendent guy, but 20/10 for a few years would've been possible.

[NBAplayoffs2001]

I didn't see his whole career, due to my age, but I'd have to assume it's because the Mavs were a horrible mess. Big time log jam at the forward spots with Aguirre, Blackman, Perkins, Schrempf, and Tarpley... With Harper running point.

Combo of log jam, selfish guys, and drug problems.

If he would've been drafted by a different team I bet he'd have developed a lot more.

Regardless, he was super consistent for his first like 10 years.

I don't think he'd have been a transcendent guy, but 20/10 for a few years would've been possible.

Tarpley drove me crazy. The dude had mad skills yet wasted most of it.:facepalm Could have easily been a top 5 player in the league.

[chocolatethunder]

Dude was drafted 4th in the 84 draft, and from reading stuff written at the time, it seems he was considered a legitimate pro talent coming out of UNC. What went wrong?

Was he miscast as a franchise player? Drafted 10 or 15 years too early based on his playstyle? Did something slow his development during his first few years in the league?

:confusedshrug:
He was exactly what he was, a very solid player and there's nothing wrong with that. I loved the guy and saw his whole career. Being drafted fourth doesn't mean you're instantly a hall of famer. Really good players and role players who are important to teams' successes get drafted fourth. The draft isn't a guarantee, it's a gamble. I'm sure lots of fourth picks would have liked to have had Sam Perkins' career.

[fpliii]

He was exactly what he was, a very solid player and there's nothing wrong with that. I loved the guy and saw his whole career. Being drafted fourth doesn't mean you're instantly a hall of famer. Really good players and role players who are important to teams' successes get drafted fourth. The draft isn't a guarantee, it's a gamble. I'm sure lots of fourth picks would have liked to have had Sam Perkins' career.
Did he have legitimate three-point range from when he came into the league? Could he thrive as a stretch-4 today?

[L.Kizzle]

Because he had to compete with the Barkley's, Malone's, Chambers', Cummings', Thorpe's, Oakley's, Grant's, Green's, Buck Williams', X-Man's at his position.

[JtotheIzzo]

I will deal with this when I have more time.

[dubeta]

Was Kendrick Perkin's father and thus had the Perkins curse

[chocolatethunder]

Did he have legitimate three-point range from when he came into the league? Could he thrive as a stretch-4 today?
He was always a great shooter and an excellent FT shooter but the game was different. When he was a rookie the three point shot wasn't popular. It was nothing like today. Later as the shot became more popular and he could shoot it better he would shoot it because at the time there weren't a bunch of guys at his position who could do that and it created a mismatch and brought his man away from the basket. Perkins wasn't a banger or a bruiser but he played in an era of them. He was skilled though and looked like he was moving slow but he was very smart and had a great feel for the game. As he aged his game changed which allowed him to stick around for a long time. If you can shoot you can stay in the league for a good run because there just aren't that many shooters especially not 6'10" guys.

[D-FENS]

He didn't have the mentality to lead a team, much like Rasheed Wallace. Super skilled, but happy to shoot long jumpers. He was actually a handful in the post as well, not to the level of Sheed, but you could probably build your offense around him

[Collie]

He was basically Miami Chris Bosh, so he was never gonna be a star. Also, he was lucky that he wasn't the big man drafted with the 2nd pick, so he didn't get the "drafted before MJ" rep.

[chocolatethunder]

He didn't have the mentality to lead a team, much like Rasheed Wallace. Super skilled, but happy to shoot long jumpers. He was actually a handful in the post as well, not to the level of Sheed, but you could probably build your offense around him
I was gonna say the same thing about him and Sheed. On their best nights they'd tease you into thinking that they should average 26 a game. That wasn't their game though. They were instead happy to be very important teammates who didn't need to score a ton but instead did whatever was needed to win and contribute. He was an old school Carolina guy and Sheed had that same thing.

[SHAQisGOAT]

I wouldn't really call him soft but he was not much of a banger, not very physical, and he played in an era filled with those types guys at his position, he was a pretty good rebounder but not that close to a great one, and his lack of passing skills also considerably hurts his game especially since he like to stay on the perimeter, not what you call a good defender too.

Sam was a good role player, just what he was... A PF (call him a stretch 4 if you want to) with good shooting skills, a big to stretch the floor that was taking more jumpers but could also post-up pretty well, that could score as high as 16 ppg, offered some rebounding, crafty player, not a good passer but smart, not a bad defender, wasn't very physical, didn't had that killer and that big scorer type of mentality... That was "it" basically, still good, and yea not everyone can be an all-star.

[JtotheIzzo]

Nobody has posted correctly about the Big Smooth yet so allow me to make things clear.

Sam is one of my all time favorite players, so much so I rocked a Sam Perkins avatar for like my first six years on ISH (you noobs can ask an elder, they will tell you).

Sam is one of my favorites because he reinvented himself.

In his first decade in Dallas and LA he was a 16 and 8 kind of guy. Brought it nightly and played hard. he never ascended to stardom because of a number of factors, but he was a borderline all star many of those years.

In short a good solid pro and a starter on a Lakers finals team.

Into the second decade of his career (he played like 17 years) he reinvented himself as a stretch four (he might actually be the Godfather of stretch fours) and played on finals teams in Seattle and Indiana.

The second half of his career was all about great post defense and stretching the offense on the other end.

he did this superbly.

He was a phenomenal pro, who always looked chilled (so much so he looked super baked) and a great teammate.

Sam Perkins would be a star in today's NBA, he was actually ahead of his time and by the time coaches figured out how to use hi as a stretch four he was already a ten year vet.

To be fair though he was fairly athletic in his younger days so the post seemed like a better option.

In today's NBA he is a better version of Chris Bosh or a winning version of Kevin Love.

[fpliii]

Nobody has posted correctly about the Big Smooth yet so allow me to make things clear.

Sam is one of my all time favorite players, so much so I rocked a Sam Perkins avatar for like my first six years on ISH (you noobs can ask an elder, they will tell you).

Sam is one of my favorites because he reinvented himself.

In his first decade in Dallas and LA he was a 16 and 8 kind of guy. Brought it nightly and played hard. he never ascended to stardom because of a number of factors, but he was a borderline all star many of those years.

In short a good solid pro and a starter on a Lakers finals team.

Into the second decade of his career (he played like 17 years) he reinvented himself as a stretch four (he might actually be the Godfather of stretch fours) and played on finals teams in Seattle and Indiana.

The second half of his career was all about great post defense and stretching the offense on the other end.

he did this superbly.

He was a phenomenal pro, who always looked chilled (so much so he looked super baked) and a great teammate.

Sam Perkins would be a star in today's NBA, he was actually ahead of his time and by the time coaches figured out how to use hi as a stretch four he was already a ten year vet.

To be fair though he was fairly athletic in his younger days so the post seemed like a better option.

In today's NBA he is a better version of Chris Bosh or a winning version of Kevin Love.
:applause:

[NBAplayoffs2001]

Nobody has posted correctly about the Big Smooth yet so allow me to make things clear.

Sam is one of my all time favorite players, so much so I rocked a Sam Perkins avatar for like my first six years on ISH (you noobs can ask an elder, they will tell you).

Sam is one of my favorites because he reinvented himself.

In his first decade in Dallas and LA he was a 16 and 8 kind of guy. Brought it nightly and played hard. he never ascended to stardom because of a number of factors, but he was a borderline all star many of those years.

In short a good solid pro and a starter on a Lakers finals team.

Into the second decade of his career (he played like 17 years) he reinvented himself as a stretch four (he might actually be the Godfather of stretch fours) and played on finals teams in Seattle and Indiana.

The second half of his career was all about great post defense and stretching the offense on the other end.

he did this superbly.

He was a phenomenal pro, who always looked chilled (so much so he looked super baked) and a great teammate.

Sam Perkins would be a star in today's NBA, he was actually ahead of his time and by the time coaches figured out how to use hi as a stretch four he was already a ten year vet.

To be fair though he was fairly athletic in his younger days so the post seemed like a better option.

In today's NBA he is a better version of Chris Bosh or a winning version of Kevin Love.

Pure post right here :rockon:

[G.O.A.T]

Sam Perkins wasn't a superstar for the same reason Charles Barkley was.

Their personality wouldn't have it any other way.

Sam Perkins nickname was Big Smooth and it was very fitting. Sometimes people thought he was lazy, he took some heat for that, usually his coaches and teammates came to his aid. The soft-spoken Perkins was unlikely to complain.

We've all seen his game, the lefty jump hook, the quick high release from three, the corner 18 footer, the fall-away. Even his moves are modest; subtle, casual, noninvasive. Has anyone ever seen Sam Perkins dunk?

This is, in my opinion, and his I think, because of his background. He is a Jehovah Witness, and there is an extreme emphasis on being humble, modest.

For Big Sam it's easier to blend in to the mix than aspire to stand out as one must do to be a star. A 6'10" and not that skinny, it's hard to blend in, but if there is one place he could, it's the NBA.

As he put it. "Jehovah's Witnesses teach people to be meek and mild, and I think a lot of that rubbed off on me. But I can't help it if I look nonchalant. When I play it may look easy, but it isn't. I sweat."

[JtotheIzzo]

Sam Perkins wasn't a superstar for the same reason Charles Barkley was.

Their personality wouldn't have it any other way.

Sam Perkins nickname was Big Smooth and it was very fitting. Sometimes people thought he was lazy, he took some heat for that, usually his coaches and teammates came to his aid. The soft-spoken Perkins was unlikely to complain.

We've all seen his game, the lefty jump hook, the quick high release from three, the corner 18 footer, the fall-away. Even his moves are modest; subtle, casual, noninvasive. Has anyone ever seen Sam Perkins dunk?

This is, in my opinion, and his I think, because of his background. He is a Jehovah Witness, and there is an extreme emphasis on being humble, modest.

For Big Sam it's easier to blend in to the mix than aspire to stand out as one must do to be a star. A 6'10" and not that skinny, it's hard to blend in, but if there is one place he could, it's the NBA.

As he put it. "Jehovah's Witnesses teach people to be meek and mild, and I think a lot of that rubbed off on me. But I can't help it if I look nonchalant. When I play it may look easy, but it isn't. I sweat."

You are only referencing decade two Sam and not Dallas Mavericks Sam, who was skinny, dunked a lot and was first team all rookie (out of that loaded 84 draft, no easy feat, basically proving him to be a good pick at four at the time).

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/883/539/1199450_display_image.jpg

The trouble was with Dallas, it was a shit show.

The had a great backcourt with Ro Blackman and Derek Harper, but the front court was too loaded and there simply wasn't enough shots to go around. They strung together some 50 wins seasons, but Mark Agguire (ball hog extraordinaire) was their leader and Sam was forced to share the post with uber-talented Roy Tarpley, the NBA's poster child for drug abuse, as well as lumbering centers like James Donaldson and Bill Wennington.

There simply wasn't enough touches for Sam (10-11 shots per game) and the fact that he was putting up 16/8 while in Dallas is kind of impressive (especially with Aguirre hoisting 20 shots a game and Tarpley another 16 from the forward spots). The backcourt of Harper (14 shots per game) and Blackman (17 shots per game) was an offensive force too, so basically Sam was the fifth option on a team despite being quite talented.

Also, Perkins averaged around 30 three point attempts per season in Dallas, so it wasn't until he got to Seattle where he started shooting a lot of threes.

The guy is the consummate pro, who was dealt a bad hand on an underachieving team in Dalls but rolled with the punches and churned out a 17 year career.

Straight up stud. With a bit of luck he could have been in Robert Horry's spot, or even Chris Bosh's.

[LootOP]

http://i61.tinypic.com/wgw3eg.jpg

#neverforget

[East_Stone_Ya]

wanted say some things about Perkins but damn JtotheIzzo has already summed him up well :applause:

[G.O.A.T]

You are only referencing decade two Sam and not Dallas Mavericks Sam, who was skinny, dunked a lot and was first team all rookie (out of that loaded 84 draft, no easy feat, basically proving him to be a good pick at four at the time).

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/883/539/1199450_display_image.jpg

The trouble was with Dallas, it was a shit show.

The had a great backcourt with Ro Blackman and Derek Harper, but the front court was too loaded and there simply wasn't enough shots to go around. They strung together some 50 wins seasons, but Mark Agguire (ball hog extraordinaire) was their leader and Sam was forced to share the post with uber-talented Roy Tarpley, the NBA's poster child for drug abuse, as well as lumbering centers like James Donaldson and Bill Wennington.

There simply wasn't enough touches for Sam (10-11 shots per game) and the fact that he was putting up 16/8 while in Dallas is kind of impressive (especially with Aguirre hoisting 20 shots a game and Tarpley another 16 from the forward spots). The backcourt of Harper (14 shots per game) and Blackman (17 shots per game) was an offensive force too, so basically Sam was the fifth option on a team despite being quite talented.

Also, Perkins averaged around 30 three point attempts per season in Dallas, so it wasn't until he got to Seattle where he started shooting a lot of threes.

The guy is the consummate pro, who was dealt a bad hand on an underachieving team in Dalls but rolled with the punches and churned out a 17 year career.

Straight up stud. With a bit of luck he could have been in Robert Horry's spot, or even Chris Bosh's.

I remember an interview with Sam from when he was in college where he said he didn't like to dunk. I know he was a better player in Dallas, but I think he was the same personality. I do recall how George Karl gave same the green light to shoot three's and how much it used to irk Hakeem Olajuwon, especially in the 1993 playoffs. The line was shorter, but Sam was a stud three-pointer shooter in college too. He hit like five the game he dropped 30 on Ralph Sampson of UVA.


Thanks for finding a picture of Sam dunking, I was racking my brain for a memory of it. Finally I recall a quote from James Worthy about Perkins. Asked when the last time he saw Sam get mad he. said..."I've known him since North Carolina and I've been waiting since then to see him get mad." (probably not exactly right)

[JohnMax]

is he related to Kendrick Perkins?

[kshutts1]

This is, in my opinion, and his I think, because of his background. He is a Jehovah Witness, and there is an extreme emphasis on being humble, modest.

For Big Sam it's easier to blend in to the mix than aspire to stand out as one must do to be a star. A 6'10" and not that skinny, it's hard to blend in, but if there is one place he could, it's the NBA.

As he put it. "Jehovah's Witnesses teach people to be meek and mild, and I think a lot of that rubbed off on me. But I can't help it if I look nonchalant. When I play it may look easy, but it isn't. I sweat."

This may be incredibly naive of me, but I don't really care. Truly don't know. I lived down in TN for a year, and played with two really, REALLY good ballers. They didn't play for the school, they told me, because they were Jehovah's Witnesses, and their religion didn't allow them to play organized sports.

Was that not true, then? Or is it possible they followed a more strict code? Anyone know?

[chocolatethunder]

You are only referencing decade two Sam and not Dallas Mavericks Sam, who was skinny, dunked a lot and was first team all rookie (out of that loaded 84 draft, no easy feat, basically proving him to be a good pick at four at the time).

http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/883/539/1199450_display_image.jpg

The trouble was with Dallas, it was a shit show.

The had a great backcourt with Ro Blackman and Derek Harper, but the front court was too loaded and there simply wasn't enough shots to go around. They strung together some 50 wins seasons, but Mark Agguire (ball hog extraordinaire) was their leader and Sam was forced to share the post with uber-talented Roy Tarpley, the NBA's poster child for drug abuse, as well as lumbering centers like James Donaldson and Bill Wennington.

There simply wasn't enough touches for Sam (10-11 shots per game) and the fact that he was putting up 16/8 while in Dallas is kind of impressive (especially with Aguirre hoisting 20 shots a game and Tarpley another 16 from the forward spots). The backcourt of Harper (14 shots per game) and Blackman (17 shots per game) was an offensive force too, so basically Sam was the fifth option on a team despite being quite talented.

Also, Perkins averaged around 30 three point attempts per season in Dallas, so it wasn't until he got to Seattle where he started shooting a lot of threes.

The guy is the consummate pro, who was dealt a bad hand on an underachieving team in Dalls but rolled with the punches and churned out a 17 year career.

Straight up stud. With a bit of luck he could have been in Robert Horry's spot, or even Chris Bosh's.
Those Dallas teams had it all and shoulda been awesome. I loved all those players pretty much.

[GimmeThat]

Dude was drafted 4th in the 84 draft, and from reading stuff written at the time, it seems he was considered a legitimate pro talent coming out of UNC. What went wrong?

Was he miscast as a franchise player? Drafted 10 or 15 years too early based on his playstyle? Did something slow his development during his first few years in the league?

:confusedshrug:

you are better off saying that he played for the wrong coach

[JtotheIzzo]

is he related to Kendrick Perkins?

No.

[JellyBean]

Big Smooth was a star. He wasn't a mega star but he was a star. I think mainly because, and like others have stated, his personality. He was never the "Wow" guy.

[SHAQisGOAT]

I remember an interview with Sam from when he was in college where he said he didn't like to dunk. I know he was a better player in Dallas, but I think he was the same personality. I do recall how George Karl gave same the green light to shoot three's and how much it used to irk Hakeem Olajuwon, especially in the 1993 playoffs. The line was shorter, but Sam was a stud three-pointer shooter in college too. He hit like five the game he dropped 30 on Ralph Sampson of UVA.


Thanks for finding a picture of Sam dunking, I was racking my brain for a memory of it. Finally I recall a quote from James Worthy about Perkins. Asked when the last time he saw Sam get mad he. said..."I've known him since North Carolina and I've been waiting since then to see him get mad." (probably not exactly right)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuNgoWlruyg

[97 bulls]

I like the reviews Perkins has recieved. He was a very good player throughout hus career. But for the life of me, can someone explain why he and Divac (another player highly respected on this site) never get any acknowledgement as players for their role on the 91 Lakers. Some of you act as if that team had a doughnut in the middle after Kareem retired.

[chocolatethunder]

I like the reviews Perkins has recieved. He was a very good player throughout hus career. But for the life of me, can someone explain why he and Divac (another player highly respected on this site) never get any acknowledgement as players for their role on the 91 Lakers. Some of you act as if that team had a doughnut in the middle after Kareem retired.
I think it's just because not a lot of people here actually saw them play. I don't remember Divac being respected on this site other than by older dudes like me. He was a flopper for sure and not respected defensively and on this site he gets slagged. I really liked him. He was smart and could pass and shoot. Perkins played PF and SF and as Elden Campbell blossomed they got rid of him for Doug Christie and Benoit Benjamin I think but Benjamin didn't last long on the Lakers.

[HomieWeMajor]

That heroin addiction really messed him up. Dude could flat out ball.

[bizil]

I wouldn't really call him soft but he was not much of a banger, not very physical, and he played in an era filled with those types guys at his position, he was a pretty good rebounder but not that close to a great one, and his lack of passing skills also considerably hurts his game especially since he like to stay on the perimeter, not what you call a good defender too.

Sam was a good role player, just what he was... A PF (call him a stretch 4 if you want to) with good shooting skills, a big to stretch the floor that was taking more jumpers but could also post-up pretty well, that could score as high as 16 ppg, offered some rebounding, crafty player, not a good passer but smart, not a bad defender, wasn't very physical, didn't had that killer and that big scorer type of mentality... That was "it" basically, still good, and yea not everyone can be an all-star.



Well said! That era Perk played in was full of tough guys and enforcer types at PF. They were guys who were tough on AND off the court. Other than Chambers, basically all the top PF's in the L back then were bad asses. He had a versatile offensive skillset, actually on of the most complete ones at PF in that era. But he wasn't DOMINANT enough to be a true star. Let alone a superstar. But he was a very good player, certainly one of the top 15-17 PF's in the world in his prime years. The number one factor to being a great player is DOMINANCE! It's one thing to be very skilled and can do a number of things well. But u must be DOMINANT to really standout and be a star. Even a guy like Stockton was a dominant passer, arguably the most dominant passer of all time. Rodman was a dominant rebounder and defender. So u don't have to be a dominant scorer to be a great player.

[bizil]

I like the reviews Perkins has recieved. He was a very good player throughout hus career. But for the life of me, can someone explain why he and Divac (another player highly respected on this site) never get any acknowledgement as players for their role on the 91 Lakers. Some of you act as if that team had a doughnut in the middle after Kareem retired.

I agree! That Lakers team was very good with Sam and Vlade up front. I actually consider them a huge reason why the Lakers made the Finals in 91. Magic was still in his prime and the 2nd best player in the L. Worthy was still one of the top SF's as well. But the new bigs in Sam and Vlade added new life to the team and gave the Lakers some much needed depth up front. But I gotta admit, I was pleasantly surprised they made the Finals in 91. I thought they needed another year or so to gel and become a threat again.

[Replay32]

That heroin addiction really messed him up. Dude could flat out ball.


:biggums:

[Replay32]

I agree! That Lakers team was very good with Sam and Vlade up front. I actually consider them a huge reason why the Lakers made the Finals in 91. Magic was still in his prime and the 2nd best player in the L. Worthy was still one of the top SF's as well. But the new bigs in Sam and Vlade added new life to the team and gave the Lakers some much needed depth up front. But I gotta admit, I was pleasantly surprised they made the Finals in 91. I thought they needed another year or so to gel and become a threat again.

They upset Portland. Scott and Worthy played well in that series, but unfortunately worthy hurt his ankle. And Scott got hurt in the finals, I think it was game 3. I really feel the lakers could of beat the bulls or pushed them to 7 if worthy was healthy for the series.

Perkins was solid. He had post game and on occasion was a threat from 3. Vlade was a solid center as well, who could play inside and had a nice touch outside. The lakers surprised a lot of people that year.

[bizil]

They upset Portland. Scott and Worthy played well in that series, but unfortunately worthy hurt his ankle. And Scott got hurt in the finals, I think it was game 3. I really feel the lakers could of beat the bulls or pushed them to 7 if worthy was healthy for the series.

Perkins was solid. He had post game and on occasion was a threat from 3. Vlade was a solid center as well, who could play inside and had a nice touch outside. The lakers surprised a lot of people that year.


Ya I thought it was gonna be Portland vs. Chicago for sure. We got that series the following year though. Worthy and Scott getting hurt REALLY allowed MJ and Pippen to load up on Magic. I thought the Lakers had the edge as a whole with the PF and C positions. So those injuries to Scott and Worthy made a huge difference. I could have seen the Lakers pushing the Bulls to six or seven if they were healthy.

[Soundwave]

Is it really a given that a no.4 overall should be a star player?

He had himself a pretty decent career.

[97 bulls]

Ya I thought it was gonna be Portland vs. Chicago for sure. We got that series the following year though. Worthy and Scott getting hurt REALLY allowed MJ and Pippen to load up on Magic. I thought the Lakers had the edge as a whole with the PF and C positions. So those injuries to Scott and Worthy made a huge difference. I could have seen the Lakers pushing the Bulls to six or seven if they were healthy.
Well Jordan played with an injured big toe. I'm sure that effected his defense. He said it gave was hard to plant. So it evens out. Scott hurt himself in game four a game the Bulls had well in hand.

And the one game the Lakers did win I feel could be greatly attributed to the Bulls finals jitters. They all said that after game one, they felt the Lakers weren't as good as they thought they were.

[JohnMax]

That heroin addiction really messed him up. Dude could flat out ball.

http://i40.tinypic.com/104nd6f.jpg

[Force]

Sam became exactly what he was supposed to be.

I've never heard one person ever in my 30 plus years following the NBA call Perkins a bust or anything close to it. Never heard anybody say he didn't live up to his expectations. He had a damn good career.