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LeBron not alone ABCD big man Perkins also a likely lottery pickPosted: Tuesday July 09, 2002 5:35 PM
By Albert Lin, CNNSI.com HACKENSACK, N.J. -- America already knows about LeBron James, the Akron, Ohio, swingman universally acclaimed as the best high school player in the country and acknowledged as the likely No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. The name of James' post counterpart, though, is not yet on the tip of everyone's tongue. Rest assured that by next February or so, however, you will be intimately familiar with Kendrick Perkins. The rising senior from Ozen High in Beaumont, Texas (80 miles east of Houston), is the other prep star scouts are saying can be a lottery pick in next June's draft. A 6-foot-10, 265-pound center, Perkins is more in line with the type of high school player the NBA historically has deemed worthy of a pick. In 2001, a record four, all 6-11 or taller, were selected among the top eight choices. Two weeks ago 6-10 Amare Stoudemire was tabbed ninth overall by the Phoenix Suns. Save Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, when the NBA goes young, it always goes big. "It's great to me that somebody thinks that high of me," Perkins said. "I just gotta stay hungry, keep working." Perkins appears to be the rare youngster who understands how to use his size and has no desire to drift to the perimeter. Time and again he set up in the post and demanded the ball, never stepping outside the paint even if he was double-teamed. He probably isn't big enough to be a center at the next level, but he definitely has the makings of a good power forward. He is nimble, runs the floor well and has a surprisingly good passing touch from the high post and down low. The skill that no doubt has piqued the interest of NBA teams is readily apparent: With teams at all levels lamenting the disappearance of post play, Perkins clearly knows what to do when he has the ball with his back to the basket. He gathers himself, feels out the defender, takes his time and shows a variety of spins, turnarounds and up-and-under moves. "Right now there's nobody in high school or college who can stop me," he said. The two visible weaknesses? He doesn't appear to be the most explosive athlete, but how many 265-pounders are? Also, he didn't attack the boards here with abandon, which may have had as much to do with the all-star setting as his own game. Perkins' list of potential college destinations includes Alabama, Texas, Memphis, Miami and North Carolina, among others. There is not much likelihood he will matriculate, though, if the recent past is any indication. With the ability to guarantee yourself millions of dollars by fulfilling a lifelong dream, how could a kid say no to the NBA? "Right now I'm 50-50," Perkins said about the decision. "I'm keeping my options open." He added that he will rely on his own instincts to tell him whether or not to bypass college; where he is projected to be drafted will not be a factor. "If I think I'm ready, I'm just going," he said. So get ready, America. With a strong summer circuit and more regular-season buzz, Kendrick Perkins will be headed to an NBA arena near you. "Right now I know I'm ready, but I don't wanna go to the league and play three minutes a game," Perkins said. "If I'm going I wanna be able to contribute, to play. I don't wanna go and sit on the pine and have people say, 'He wasn't ready.' I wanna go get minutes." If he is as talented as people seem to think, those minutes no doubt will find him.
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