I love Perkins, he's one of my all time favorite Celtics, probably in my top 5. I can't stand that he was traded, I hate it.
This was a great trade and "potentially" one of the best in Celtics history. There are so many reasons why, I'll list them numerically and you guys can pick me off on whatever points you want.
1. With DWest & Jermaine out for most of the season, as well as 10 games missed by KG, 10 by Rondo, 15 or 20 by Shaq, 10+ by Erden and 10+ Daniels, we still beat all the best teams convincingly when it mattered, have the best defense in the league and the second best record - all without Perkins.
This Begs the question, if everyone but Perkins had been healthy all season, isn't it fair to say we'd probably have won another 7-8 games and be somewhere around 48-7, without Perkins?
2. This team is like the Jordan led Bulls "in that" it is great beacuse of KG, PP, RA and Rondo for the most part, just like the Bulls were great because of Pippen and Jordan. You can change the pieces around that core with comparable talent and you will be just as successful.
3. If Ainge ends up adding Murphy, Powe and another decent wing, this team will be so much better than before the this trade, it'll be scary.
4. We still have Nenad, Shaq, JO, Baby and possible another big man to be named to play center. Again, this is like the Bulls, committe at center, the talent is your core, in this case KG, PP, RA and Rondo.
5. We have the best defense in the league - "without Perkins this year"
6. If we bring in a few good pieces, hopefully Murphy, a wing and a Vet point -it'll be game over, we hang #18.
Moving forward and here is where Ainge really approaches Auerback status to me.
7. KG and Ray "will be gone" inside another two years - or at worst will be coming off the bench if they sstill want to play.
They won't be able to handle the heavy starter minutes.
8. If Ainge paid Perk $10mil plus, he'd be affecting his ability to sign two max free agents in the next biggest fee agent class, which is 2012.
9. Just like Jerry West "positioned" himself to take a run at Shaq when Shaq was in Orlando - by unloading guys ahead of time when he had no guarantee Shaq would even come, Ainge is doing the same thing now with his eye on Dwight Howard.
10. His sell will be, I have the ebst point in the league, I need the best center, coem to Boston and we're chasing titles for the next 10 years.
11. There is NO GUARANTEE that Dwight will choose Boston. But, if you don't put yourself "in position" to make a play for him, you can be guaranteed he won't be coming to Boston. You have to be "in position" to make a play at the players you want and then you have to collect players who can fill in the holes and make it attractive.
12. Your next Celtics incarnation will be a team built for speed and built around Rondo.
13. Jeff Green is a young guy who can fly up and down the court. He is not the answer, but he is a nice "piece" of the next team Ainge "is already building now".
14. Kendrick Perkins is a plodder - he does not fit well into a fast break team. Especially if he's had a serious knee injury and he's already nearly a 10 year veteran bu the time KG and Ray are done. However, he could be a nice "piece" at the right price. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer...
15. So now you have Rondo, Bradley, DWest, Baby, Jeff Green and Pierce on book as you come into the 2012 free agent summer. Your salary is probably around $40 mil "if you've signed both Baby and Green to $7-8 mil deals. If you haven't signed them to deals that big or not at all, you're closer down around $25 to $30 mil - which means...you could possibly sign two max free agents - Dwight Howard and.....
Dwight Howard
Baby / KG?
Pierce / Jeff Green
Max Free agent / Ray Allen?
Rondo / DWest
This is an attractive scenario for free agents.
16. But here are perhpas the biggest reasons why Danny Ainge is one of the best GM's in the league and the closest thing we've had to Red Auerback at the GM position.
At the trade deadline:
* Ainge traded Erden and Harangody for a Cavs 2nd rounder - this will likely be a 31st or 32 pick
* He also traded Nate and Perk for Nenad, Green and the Clippers 1st round pick, likely a lottery pick somewhere between 11 and 15
* This means that Ainge will have basically three first round picks in the summer of 2012 - the Clippers pick being a likely lottery pick - along with the ability to sign two max free agents to add to a likely core of Pierce, Rondo, DWest, Jeff Green and Baby. The team would be rebuilt without missing a beat.
17. The ultimate kicker? If you'd played 8 years and grown up with Rondo, Pierce, KG and Ray ( who we'll assume are playign at reduced roles and contracts in two seasons) don't you think for equal money or maybe a little less, Perk will get over it and probably come back home?
If that happens, you realise don't you, that it would mean that at the trade deadline yesterday Ainge basically would have traded:
Nate Robinson, for:
Nenad Kirstic, Jeff Green, a Resigned Kendrick Perkins and a Clippers lottery pick.
That is one helluva trade.
I would have told Perkins I have to trade you now to start rebuilding or it will take me forever to have you guys competing for titles after KG and Ray go. I've got to start getting pieces in NOW, and Jeff Green is one. I'll be on the free agent market this summer and so will you - I want you back at the right price. Go try to win a ring in OKC this year, let's talk this summer.
There are alot of ifs and there are no guarantees, that we can get Howard - but Ainge has nbow put himself in "position" to build another championship team in short order once KG and Ray are gone.
Just as West did when he positioned himself for Shaq -
And just as Ainge did when he traded for Ray without knowing he could get KG...
Ainge has done the same thing again with this trade - he's "in position" and if you don't do that, you have no shot to be in the game at all.
Great trade, great GM. Have faith.
Topic: Perkins Trade - Potentially one of best in Celtics History (Read 17534 times)