BradyManny
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2006
- Messages
- 11,103
- Reaction score
- 1,520
When he pulled the trigger on the trade, he made a gamble on health (Perkins's as well as the O'Neals') among other things and lost.
This is what it came down to. I agree with the rest of your analysis, sorry I didn't read through your previous post more carefully (technically, I'm "working" right now..)
And it was, IMO, a terrible gamble.
Ultimately, what he gained in Green was nothing. Green was the frustrating player that OKC fans described on their own message boards. Frustrating in the sense that he is such a tease - his athleticism and size is unique and rare.
Yet, he - until the last few playoff games - does not have a good outside shot. He's a subpar ball handler. He cannot defend at either the 3 or 4 position and he is a terrible rebounder. He is a great offensive player on the fast break, and as a slasher and or post-up option against smaller 3's. But that is not something that is irreplaceable.
Quite frankly, Von Wafer's play before his own injury was contributing more to this team than Jeff Green did in his small time with us.
So, at the end of the day, Ainge traded Kendrick Perkins for nothing.
The sad part is, looking at the future of this team - you have a very good point guard with a couple fundamental flaws; you have 3 still very good players at the 2, 3 and 4 spots that are past their prime, but still assets. The one area where the Celtics can upgrade and stay a legitimate contender is the 5 spot. No doubt about it. Perkins, at the very least, gave them elite defense at the position, and elite screen-setting, a hugely underrated factor on this team.
With 1 through 4 on this team staying the way it is, we'll end up in the same position next year. A very good team, but struggling to defeat the elite. We need to get better at 5, and I have no idea what Danny is going to do there, especially with Perk in OKC.
Last edited: