The Kendrick Perkins Trade
The Kendrick Perkins trade certainly sent a shockwave of emotions throughout Celtics Nation and spurred reaction with everyone familiar with the NBA. Most people feel that the deal has caused the Celtics to take a step back in their goal to win a championship this year. While the sentiment seems to be split when it comes to whether or not this is a good deal long-term for Boston, most agree that it weakens their core in the immediate sense. After a couple of days now to think this through I feel like this could be a good deal for Boston and I'll tell you why.
One of the first things that I like about the trade is that it is the exact opposite of standing pat and hoping everything will fall into place. With this trade, Danny Ainge has taken a direct shot at complacency and keeping the status quo. Although it has been said by coach Doc Rivers and many others that the Celtics starting five had been undefeated in a playoff series when they were all playing together and healthy during a series is a fact, it's no guarantee that this would hold true this year. It's possible that the Celtics realized that Perkins may be good for only short minutes during the playoffs. What Danny Ainge did was add to the team's depth and athleticism while only taking away only a role player from the roster's core.
The next thing that I like about this deal is the main piece coming back which is Jeff Green. While Green will never be confused as a franchise player, he does show the ability and acumen to grow into an invaluable support cast player. In OKC he has been a main cog in the past, and he has also managed to kill Boston as well. Unfortunately he was not in OKC's future plans after the next season or two. The same could be said for Perkins and the Celtics. In Green, Boston received a player that is young and still has some room for improvement. He also can backup Paul Pierce at the 3 which is something that Boston was lacking ever since Marquis Daniels went down with a spinal cord injury. Knowing that Daniels wasn't coming back, Ainge began shopping for a suitable replacement and hit a homerun in this department. Green is much better scorer that can help stretch the floor with his shooting ability when he plays. He is also brings flexibility and versatility as he is big enough to play the 4 when the Celtics want to go with a smaller unit. This ability gives the Celtics more lineup possibilities and will help them when they play teams other than the Los Angeles Lakers. The team was built to matchup against the Lakers, but before Green they lacked offense and agility when playing any other team. Now the team has a backup for Pierce so that they do not have to burn out all of his fuel during the regular season. They also now go into a playoff series with a roster that allows coach Doc Rivers to make lineup adjustments when he finds it helpful or necessary. In Jeff Green, they have the closest player to James Posey that they've had since he departed in free agency.
The Perkins trade will not be as devastating as many think it will. The greatest issue will be in the chemistry department as the starting five has grown very close over the last few years. In the end, the Celtics did not trade the second coming of Bill Russell as some in Boston would lead you to believe. Although he is one of if not the best low post defender in the league, his lack of offense often hurt the Celtics during crunch time. Now that will be a less of a worry as the Celtics can now diversify their offense based on matchups with the opposing team.
The fact of the matter is this, the Celtics were aware that with their current cap situation, they were going to have an extremely difficult decision on whether or not to re-sign Perk after the season and I do believe that they had to factor in whether or not he was a good fit for the future lineup after the Allen, Pierce, and Garnett era. Only time will tell if the trade helps right now as much as it seems to be clear that it helps going forward into the future.
One of the first things that I like about the trade is that it is the exact opposite of standing pat and hoping everything will fall into place. With this trade, Danny Ainge has taken a direct shot at complacency and keeping the status quo. Although it has been said by coach Doc Rivers and many others that the Celtics starting five had been undefeated in a playoff series when they were all playing together and healthy during a series is a fact, it's no guarantee that this would hold true this year. It's possible that the Celtics realized that Perkins may be good for only short minutes during the playoffs. What Danny Ainge did was add to the team's depth and athleticism while only taking away only a role player from the roster's core.
The next thing that I like about this deal is the main piece coming back which is Jeff Green. While Green will never be confused as a franchise player, he does show the ability and acumen to grow into an invaluable support cast player. In OKC he has been a main cog in the past, and he has also managed to kill Boston as well. Unfortunately he was not in OKC's future plans after the next season or two. The same could be said for Perkins and the Celtics. In Green, Boston received a player that is young and still has some room for improvement. He also can backup Paul Pierce at the 3 which is something that Boston was lacking ever since Marquis Daniels went down with a spinal cord injury. Knowing that Daniels wasn't coming back, Ainge began shopping for a suitable replacement and hit a homerun in this department. Green is much better scorer that can help stretch the floor with his shooting ability when he plays. He is also brings flexibility and versatility as he is big enough to play the 4 when the Celtics want to go with a smaller unit. This ability gives the Celtics more lineup possibilities and will help them when they play teams other than the Los Angeles Lakers. The team was built to matchup against the Lakers, but before Green they lacked offense and agility when playing any other team. Now the team has a backup for Pierce so that they do not have to burn out all of his fuel during the regular season. They also now go into a playoff series with a roster that allows coach Doc Rivers to make lineup adjustments when he finds it helpful or necessary. In Jeff Green, they have the closest player to James Posey that they've had since he departed in free agency.
The Perkins trade will not be as devastating as many think it will. The greatest issue will be in the chemistry department as the starting five has grown very close over the last few years. In the end, the Celtics did not trade the second coming of Bill Russell as some in Boston would lead you to believe. Although he is one of if not the best low post defender in the league, his lack of offense often hurt the Celtics during crunch time. Now that will be a less of a worry as the Celtics can now diversify their offense based on matchups with the opposing team.
The fact of the matter is this, the Celtics were aware that with their current cap situation, they were going to have an extremely difficult decision on whether or not to re-sign Perk after the season and I do believe that they had to factor in whether or not he was a good fit for the future lineup after the Allen, Pierce, and Garnett era. Only time will tell if the trade helps right now as much as it seems to be clear that it helps going forward into the future.
Comments