The Worker and the Queen

In the last two nights Kendrick Perkins and Brent Barry had huge games, perhaps career games. And it reminds us of how good the NBA really is. And how hard.

KP is a big boy, he’s got skills, and he can outrebound a good rebounding team in the Pistons. Yet dude only averaged 6pts and maybe 8 boards during the regular season.

BBarry, similarly was WAIVED by Utah (or something) for cap space, yet exploded for 23pts against the Lakers and had the ball in his hands for the game winning opportunity Tuesday night.

What is amazing is that these guys have all the potential to be outstanding players, yet they will wallow in the mire of mediocrity for the rest of their careers. Is it that they lack some drive to pull these types of games off at this level consistently; did they get lucky; or is it rather a situational thing where they are willing to take a backseat to be on a better team. What, I guess, is the difference between KP and David West, or BB and T-Mac (Barry did win the dunk contest after all)?

Maybe it is really an issue of motivation at the intersection of skill, certainly one can compensate somewhat for the other, but you need to have both at a high level for true success in the League. Which brings us back full circle in questioning KP and BB, which of those two components do these guys lack?