Perk was going to walk

[CptZoogs]

https://sports.yahoo.com/kendrick-perkins-trading-actually-smart-154146102.html

Does this change anyone's opinion about the Jeff Green trade?  I don't think Perk was healthy enough to make an impact during the playoffs that year.  This article also pushes back on the idea of Danny being a cold-hearted jerk.  He comes off as an honest straight shooter in this scenario.

[jambr380]

Thanks for posting - TP! From the article:

"So, I was hurt that the team was still having success with Jermaine O'Neal and Shaq (and) was still at the top of the East. So, it surprised everybody else but it didn't surprise me. And, I was not mad at Danny because Danny could have sent me anywhere. He sent me to place that he knew was they going to pay me what I was worth. So it wasn't a bad trade on Danny's part because I was leaving Boston anyway that summer, so it was actually a smart move by Danny."

I the deal when it was made and I still agree with it to this day. We conceivably had enough Center depth as we also acquired Krstic in the deal (who was pretty good at the time). Along with Jeff Green and a 1st, we really took OKC to the cleaners.

Perkins was never going to be ready to contribute fully to a playoff run and who could predict Rondo having his arm ripped out its socket by Wade or all of our Centers dropping like flies. Injuries happen, just ask GSW this year.

Glad to see there are absolutely no hard feelings on Perk's part. Between him and IT both still being fond of Boston, people need to chill on the 'Danny is a snake' narrative.

[obnoxiousmime]

Is this a new revelation? It was clear at the time we couldn't afford Perk because there were 4 other starters more important than him making or soon to make big money.

I think the issue was 1) The team was so tight-knit so of course it was painful and 2) they didn't get an adequate replacement. We signed old vets who couldn't stay healthy (Shaq/Jermaine O'Neal). At the time I liked the Shaq signing even though the injury risk was high, just because old Shaq was still effective in spurts and a space-eater. But Jermaine O'Neal was just way too fragile for my liking. Apparently, Ainge asked Pierce and/or some of the vets who they should sign and of course they said him. To me that's just evidence that players sometimes don't know what actually is the best choice even though they play the game, which is crazy. It's like LeBron telling the Lakers to sign Rondo and Stephenson, they'll always pick the veteran "name" guy even if it's not the best fit or the player is past their prime.

The other issue was, Jeff Green was trash. I mean, this guy was the ultimate tease of a basketball player. I would have rather they had acquired someone with a lot less talent but more dedicated and reliable. Ainge and Doc just loved the guy since the draft and I just never understood it. 

[gift]

Is this a new revelation? It was clear at the time we couldn't afford Perk because there were 4 other starters more important than him making or soon to make big money.

I think the issue was 1) The team was so tight-knit so of course it was painful and 2) they didn't get an adequate replacement. We signed old vets who couldn't stay healthy (Shaq/Jermaine O'Neal). At the time I liked the Shaq signing even though the injury risk was high, just because old Shaq was still effective in spurts and a space-eater. But Jermaine O'Neal was just way too fragile for my liking. Apparently, Ainge asked Pierce and/or some of the vets who they should sign and of course they said him. To me that's just evidence that players sometimes don't know what actually is the best choice even though they play the game, which is crazy. It's like LeBron telling the Lakers to sign Rondo and Stephenson, they'll always pick the veteran "name" guy even if it's not the best fit or the player is past their prime.

The other issue was, Jeff Green was trash. I mean, this guy was the ultimate tease of a basketball player. I would have rather they had acquired someone with a lot less talent but more dedicated and reliable. Ainge and Doc just loved the guy since the draft and I just never understood it.

Not new info, but I think Perk addressing that aspect of it is new (to my knowledge).

[CelticsElite]

I never hated the deal. It made sense. We needed someone to give pierce/allen rest. Perk was never going to be paid by danny. We had like 40 centers that year

[gift]

I never hated the deal. It made sense. We needed someone to give pierce/allen rest. Perk was never going to be paid by danny. We had like 40 centers that year

Unfortunately we had 40 injured centers that year.

Honestly, I think if one of them was healthy they would have won in '11. No doubt if the healthy one was Shaq.

[Roy H.]

To clarify, Perk was going to walk because Danny wouldn’t offer more than $6 million.

I do wonder what would have happened if Danny kept Perk, and then signed-and-traded him after the season.

[Moranis]

I never hated the deal. It made sense. We needed someone to give pierce/allen rest. Perk was never going to be paid by danny. We had like 40 centers that year

Unfortunately we had 40 injured centers that year.

Honestly, I think if one of them was healthy they would have won in '11. No doubt if the healthy one was Shaq.

The Heat absolutely destroyed the Celtics.  Unless the healthy center was someone like Dwight Howard, Boston was not beating Miami that year. 

And I don't want to hear any garbage about the next season going 7.  Sure, because Chris Bosh didn't play in the first 4 games and barely played in game 5.  he got much closer to normal minutes in games 6 and 7 and the Heat throttled Boston both games. 

The simple truth is the run was over.  The C's were cooked as a real contender the minute James, Wade, and Bosh joined forces.  They had no shot at beating that team.  None at all (especially in a post-KG injury world).  The Jeff Green trade actually probably increased Boston's chances of winning the title that season.  People forget that at the time of the trade Paul Pierce was the only healthy wing on the team as Daniels had just gone down.  Without adding a wing, the team would have gone into a tailspin and Pierce would have been playing so many minutes he would have been toast by the time the playoffs started.

[Mr October]

I never hated the deal. It made sense. We needed someone to give pierce/allen rest. Perk was never going to be paid by danny. We had like 40 centers that year

Unfortunately we had 40 injured centers that year.

Honestly, I think if one of them was healthy they would have won in '11. No doubt if the healthy one was Shaq.

Man the Shaq games were such a tease. The Celtics were destroying everyone that first half of the season. It was glorious. Shaq's hands were like giant magnets catching passes from Rondo.

If he and the rest of the team miraculously stayed healthy, i think the Celtics could have beaten Miami. But that they were just too old and broken down. 

[gpap]

No offense to Perk, but it sounds like he could also be angling for a job with the Celts (or any coaching job for that matter.)

Not sure he says this back in 2011.

Those who support the trade forget that Jeff Green made absolutely NO impact in 2011 upon his arrival.

Perk was injured for a couple weeks after the trade but came back to being healthy when he was in OKC.

8 years can change someone's opinions, depending on the circumstances.

[BudweiserCeltic]

No offense to Perk, but it sounds like he could also be angling for a job with the Celts (or any coaching job for that matter.)

Not sure he says this back in 2011.

Those who support the trade forget that Jeff Green made absolutely NO impact in 2011 upon his arrival.

Perk was injured for a couple weeks after the trade but came back to being healthy when he was in OKC.

8 years can change someone's opinions, depending on the circumstances.

Regardless if he was going to walk or not, Perk was going to ask in the open market more than we were willing to pay.

Also forgotten, is that we had no one behind Paul Pierce that year.

Also forgotten, Perk wasn't good during the playoffs that year either, particularly with his defensive speed. But he was a big we could've used after all the injuries for sure, but we also needed a wing behind Pierce, even more so.

[SHAQATTACK]

Is this a new revelation? It was clear at the time we couldn't afford Perk because there were 4 other starters more important than him making or soon to make big money.

I think the issue was 1) The team was so tight-knit so of course it was painful and 2) they didn't get an adequate replacement. We signed old vets who couldn't stay healthy (Shaq/Jermaine O'Neal). At the time I liked the Shaq signing even though the injury risk was high, just because old Shaq was still effective in spurts and a space-eater. But Jermaine O'Neal was just way too fragile for my liking. Apparently, Ainge asked Pierce and/or some of the vets who they should sign and of course they said him. To me that's just evidence that players sometimes don't know what actually is the best choice even though they play the game, which is crazy. It's like LeBron telling the Lakers to sign Rondo and Stephenson, they'll always pick the veteran "name" guy even if it's not the best fit or the player is past their prime.

The other issue was, Jeff Green was trash. I mean, this guy was the ultimate tease of a basketball player. I would have rather they had acquired someone with a lot less talent but more dedicated and reliable. Ainge and Doc just loved the guy since the draft and I just never understood it.

If you could not get enough of Jeff Green as a player ...then look no further than Andrew Wiggins .


Green made little to no impact ....having a gimpy Perk beats having a dude with ZERO drive and emotion ...just clocking in and picking up a pay check.

[IDreamCeltics]

https://sports.yahoo.com/kendrick-perkins-trading-actually-smart-154146102.html

Does this change anyone's opinion about the Jeff Green trade?  I don't think Perk was healthy enough to make an impact during the playoffs that year.  This article also pushes back on the idea of Danny being a cold-hearted jerk.  He comes off as an honest straight shooter in this scenario.

It doesn't change my opinion of the trade for several reasons. 

Reason #1.  The Celtics were up 3 games to 2 on LA in the finals the previous season when Perk went down with an injury 6 minutes into game 6. 

They subsequently lost that series making it blatantly obvious how critical he was to the teams' championship aspirations.
 
Reason #2:  Danny's not that smart.  This is not a knock on Danny as much as it is a realistic admission that building a championship contender is incredibly difficult and has as much luck involved as planning.  To dismantle the starting 5 that had already won a championship and had lost in the finals the previous season due to injuries was a mistake and effectively closed the window on that championship team.  The trade was an example of Danny buying his own hype as a GM and outsmarting himself.  He made the cardinal sin of trying to fix what wasn't broken.  You can argue it was a good trade if you want, but the fact is the Celtics haven't been back to the finals since trading Perk.

Reason #3:  The other starters weren't on board with trading Perk for Jeff Green...  The Patriots have proven the LAST thing you need on a championship team are distractions.  Minor distractions are game killers, but distractions that linger all season are absolute season killers.  With best intentions Danny completely took the focus of that year off of pursuing a championship and the team never really regained that sense of purpose or Ubuntu.

That trade for me will always go down as the end of that particular championship era. 

[jambr380]

We really can't just forget this happened either:


It just wasn't in the cards that season. Injuries derailed that season more than trading a gimpy Perk. Heck, Pavlovic would have been our main wing back-up without Green there.

[Eddie20]

I never hated the deal. It made sense. We needed someone to give pierce/allen rest. Perk was never going to be paid by danny. We had like 40 centers that year

Unfortunately we had 40 injured centers that year.

Honestly, I think if one of them was healthy they would have won in '11. No doubt if the healthy one was Shaq.

The Heat absolutely destroyed the Celtics.  Unless the healthy center was someone like Dwight Howard, Boston was not beating Miami that year. 

And I don't want to hear any garbage about the next season going 7.  Sure, because Chris Bosh didn't play in the first 4 games and barely played in game 5.  he got much closer to normal minutes in games 6 and 7 and the Heat throttled Boston both games. 

And you claim to be a fan. No real fan would confuse a lead going into 4Q of game 7 will getting “throttled”.