Shaq will be vital to our success, but it sounds like DA is confident he will be able to go. the playoffs are what matters and if we get the Shaq we got at the beginning of the season I think we are the favorites. After all Shaq just starts the games, not finishes them.
Good stuff via ESPN below:
There were plenty of factors that went into this deal, including Perkins' impending free-agent status. Injuries created a dire need for depth on the wing, and Jeff Green should provide that going into the future.
But for all the positives associated with the trade, there's no way to view it as a net gain for the Celtics' post defense. That doesn't necessarily spell doom for Boston, though.
Keep in mind that the Celtics were 33-10 without Perkins this season, the best record in the East.
In the end, it all comes back to Garnett's defensive presence.
Over the past four seasons, Perkins was plus-13.0 points per 48 minutes when on the court with Garnett. But without him, Perkins was minus-2.1 points per 48 minutes.
Now another Boston center gets to feed off KG. While Garnett leads the NBA in plus/minus per 48 minutes at plus-13.0, Shaquille O'Neal is right behind him at plus-12.5. Perkins, by contrast, is plus-6.3 through 12 games.
Shaq is still a defensive force down low. Opponents are shooting just 32.4 percent against him and averaging 0.70 PPP in post-up situations, according to Synergy.
Even with his 39th birthday coming up March 6, O'Neal is still a far more dynamic offensive threat than Perkins has ever been. If healthy (a legitimate if), O'Neal more than capably fills the post on both ends.
Consider the evidence: The Celtics' four main starters are plus-18.2 points per 48 minutes when joined on the court by O'Neal. In 12 games with Perkins, that's just plus-13.0.
In fact, the best plus/minus per 48 minutes for those four with Perkins came in 2007-08, when they were plus-17.7. In other words, the group has been doing better with Shaq than it ever did with Perkins.
Ultimately, that's the gamble. With the trade, the Celtics are counting on Shaq to get (and stay) healthy for the stretch run. The Celtics took a risk by breaking up their core but seem likely benefit in the short term.
The true test might come in the postseason, particularly if Dwight Howard looms in the paint.http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/columns/story?columnist=lundblad_jeremy&id=6156817
Topic: Importance of Shaq (Read 944 times)