Thank you Danny Ainge for ruining this season

[Roy H.]

And don't forget...... we where under 500 this year with Perk in the rotation.. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

This isn't true; the Celts were 8-4 with Perk playing.

To be fair, that's still lower than our win % for the year.

Yeah, it's lower, although not that much lower at this point.  It's definitely better than "below .500", though.

[cdif911]

...

...

[MikeB1]

One Clarification...when I said "Perkins" trade I did not mean just Perkins but the entire trade..all the players involved in the trade not just him.

I stand by my assertion that the trade in all its parts has adversely affected the 'chemistry' of the Celtics resulting in their 10-8 record after the trade.

Concerning Perkins  - he wasn't a great player offensively but he was a very good defensive player and Kristic is not, which has resulted in the Celtics poor defensive play at critical times especially in the paint.

I understand why Ainge made the trade because Perkins was going to be a free agent so Ainge decided to get something for him.  However, the timing of the trade late in the season has not been a good thing.  I think the Celtics with Perkins and the other players that were traded had a better chance to advance in the playoffs this year than the team without Perkins,etc and with Kristic and Green.   I agree even with Perkins there was no guarantee the Celtics would win the East or win the title, but I still say the team this year was better off without making the trade.

I hope the C's beat the Spurs tonight, if they don't the post trade record will be 10-9.  Glad many optimists think that is a good record....

[Marcus13]

"We still have a lot of work," Ray Allen told HOOPSWORLD. "I'm not comfortable and I think even if we didn't make trades, we still had injuries where we were still playing catch up. I'm not comfortable."

It used to seem easy for the Celtics, but that has changed since the trade deadline shook the team to their collective core.

"We gotta work to win them all now" said Kevin Garnett.



Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=19268#ixzz1IDHrfdBr

Players attitudes certainly seem to be getting worse and worse as we near closer and closer to the playoffs

[Vermont Green]

I am sorry, but if Ray Allen and KG are saying that they are playing badly individually because we traded a guy who played 22 minutes or so in each of 17 games (and I am not sure they are) then I say suck it up guys.  You are pros, headed for the hall of fame.  You have probably had dozens of teammates traded in your careers.  If this is the problem, you need to get over it.  It is not an excuse.

I don't understand how anyone can accept this as an excuse that lets the players off the hook (as apparently many have conceded that it is OK to blame chemistry).  If you are playing bad because you are hurt, tired, just plain old, whatever, that would be different, but it is time to get over the trade and play.  Quit talking about it, quit thinking about it, just get your head back in the game and focus on the team as it is constituted.  It is still a very good team.

(OK, rant completed). 

[Roy H.]

I am sorry, but if Ray Allen and KG are saying that they are playing badly individually because we traded a guy who played 22 minutes or so in each of 17 games (and I am not sure they are) then I say suck it up guys.  You are pros, headed for the hall of fame.  You have probably had dozens of teammates traded in your careers.  If this is the problem, you need to get over it.  It is not an excuse.

I don't understand how anyone can accept this as an excuse that lets the players off the hook (as apparently many have conceded that it is OK to blame chemistry).  If you are playing bad because you are hurt, tired, just plain old, whatever, that would be different, but it is time to get over the trade and play.  Quit talking about it, quit thinking about it, just get your head back in the game and focus on the team as it is constituted.  It is still a very good team.

(OK, rant completed). 

I think we can all agree that the players *should* get over it, emotionally.  However, if they can't, or if the new guys aren't in sync with the offense or defense, then I don't think it's an "excuse" to blame the trade.  Instead, it's a reality, that we wish wasn't the reality because we want our players to be above that.

[aporel#18]

Health will be the one thing that ruins this season, hopefully not. Danny just traded injured players for roster space, so we can't still judge the outcome, it's too early.

I believe Krstic and Green are at that point where you know all the things you need to do, but still can't do it the right way. Arroyo is ok, he will play Sam Cassell minutes whenever they need him, and will make a good shoot here and there. Sasha and Murphy are just insurance, hopefully I'm wrong with this and Troy can do something remarkable for the team in the playoffs, but I doubt it.

The O'Neal Bros are coming, and I trust Danny. They'll play and they'll be important. Shaq will play the Perk role, JO the PJ Brown role. Nenad, BBD and Green will replace what Powe and Posey added back in 2008.

Doc knows his rotation, and will have more weapons than ever. Everything rests on having healthy players by playoff time. I don't believe they are that bad... they are great.

We can't turn back the clock, and the Perk trade "on paper" is good for the Celtics. Letting Perk go is hard, same for Semih (in my opinion, the biggest loss in the whole trade deadline), and I will miss Nate, Marquis, and even Luke. But the reason the Celtics suck is that they are old and saving it for the best, just like last march.

I want to change my name to "aporel#19", so they better right the ship and get the championship.

Go Celtics!!!

[Jon]

I am sorry, but if Ray Allen and KG are saying that they are playing badly individually because we traded a guy who played 22 minutes or so in each of 17 games (and I am not sure they are) then I say suck it up guys.  You are pros, headed for the hall of fame.  You have probably had dozens of teammates traded in your careers.  If this is the problem, you need to get over it.  It is not an excuse.

I don't understand how anyone can accept this as an excuse that lets the players off the hook (as apparently many have conceded that it is OK to blame chemistry).  If you are playing bad because you are hurt, tired, just plain old, whatever, that would be different, but it is time to get over the trade and play.  Quit talking about it, quit thinking about it, just get your head back in the game and focus on the team as it is constituted.  It is still a very good team.

(OK, rant completed). 

I think we can all agree that the players *should* get over it, emotionally.  However, if they can't, or if the new guys aren't in sync with the offense or defense, then I don't think it's an "excuse" to blame the trade.  Instead, it's a reality, that we wish wasn't the reality because we want our players to be above that.

I'm not saying you're "wrong" Roy about the trade being a good or bad idea.  However, I do think you're wrong IF (and clarify your position for me if I'm wrong) you think we're losing now because we don't have Kendrick Perkins. 

We were fantastic earlier in the year with Shaq starting and Semih Erden backing him up (and at times, even Semih Erden starting, BBD backing him up, and playing 4 guard lineups).  Clearly, this is not a case of Perk goes, and the team falls apart.

Now I am not saying that the naysayers won't have their complaints ring true a month from now.  There may indeed come a time when we do miss Perkins.  However, I think at this point there's zero evidence to say we'd be better off now without the trade, especially when you think about what might've happened to this team with Perk, Shaq, and JO out for several weeks.   

[LooseCannon]

"The Trade" has coincided with a stretch where Rondo has played poorly.  Some people think the two are related, but let's say they are not.  Hypothetically, what would have produced a better win-loss the past few weeks?  Everything else remains the same (KG, PP, RA don't play better or worse, for example, and the Celtics don't make a replacement trade but still pick up the same bought-out players) and:

A) The trade never happens but Rondo still has the same major slump.

or

B) The trade happens and Rondo plays as well as he did before the All-Star Break.

[tyrone biggums]

Look this has been mentioned to death...our record would probably be the same or even worse with Perkins during this stretch.

The following would have been injured at some point during this run

West- Came back 2 weeks ago
Perkins-Was out for a few weeks then came back
Nate-Out till playoffs
Shaq-Hurt
J.O.-Hurt
Erden-Banged up, wouldn't have been much of a factor even if healthy
Harangody-Come on, the guy can't even start in Cleveland

So that's 7 healthy bodies for the run...(Probably still would have signed Murphy or Arroyo) I'm also working under the assumption that people are also against the Cleveland deal too. You then have no room without either of these moves to get help. This is the point, the C's could have ended up as the 4th seed if they didn't make this deal. Folks, Perkins was one of my favorite players but he is A ROLE PLAYER!! He was not a superstar! If I didn't know anything about Basketball and read these threads I would have thought we traded Michael Jordan. Seriously enough please.

[Weird Facts]

LOL - THANK YOU CARLOS MENCIA FOR RUINING COMEDY.

sorry I thought we were just venting? 

DA didn't ruin the season - this is pretty comical -
The team is aging.  KG ain't what he used to be.

Doesn't mean when the playoffs come around they aren't going to turn it on.

Relax - they're not going down without a fight.

[LooseCannon]

Look this has been mentioned to death...our record would probably be the same or even worse with Perkins during this stretch.

But I'm not focusing on injuries.  I'm asking whether or not we would be complaining if Rondo had been playing well (assuming his recent problems are unrelated to Perk being traded).  Does it matter how many healthy centers we have if Rondo remains in a slump (hopefully the last game is a sign that he won't).

[gar]

These guys will figure it out....soon I hope!?

[kg is king]

You mean "Thank you Danny Ainge for ruining the REGULAR season" 

[European NBA fan]

The general assumption is that Rondo has been in a slump. When it comes to driving and scoring, I agree, but I'm not so sure about the defense and playmaking. These things are not all under his control. It's not like Delonte has been an improvement for more than 1 or 2 quarters, and that's probably only because he is a better shooter.

While other bad streaks in the Big 3 era has been mostly due to coasting or injuries, this year it seems like it's in their heads. Perk is probably one of those guys that make you feel really comfortable working with: Reliable, great spirit, good sense of humour, tough etc. And he IS Ubuntu: You know he is not the greatest player around, but he will do anything that this team needs. If you lose that kind of person in your group, you need to find those strengths elsewhere, and for a guy like Rondo, he needs to find them within himself.

The others might be struggling with it too, but I think they are more mentally fatigued. It's late March, the playoff spot has been secured forever, and there really hasn't been any breaks for a long time. The focus has probably been on gelling with the new guys and teaching them offense and defense a la Boston. It's like a new training camp, and you have to work the details to get it right. And until they get it, the old guys will feel uncomfortable. I would not be surprised to see a complete turnaround during the first round of the playoffs, and not really depending on whether the O'Neals are ready or not. They will just make everything easier.