And to Roy, I'm not suggesting that a center's only role is to guard the opposing big man, I just see Perk's defensive abilities as tremendously diminished at this point-- especially how he used to switch on picks and man up on drivers-- and think that you're getting similar production from JO and actually have a back up for Paul which you wouldn't have had.
I wasn't directing anything at you specifically, KC. It's an argument I've seen repeated dozens of times. "Howard and Bynum are out of the playoffs, so Perk wouldn't have been valuable". I think that's nonsense.
Perk played a big role in defending the paint against penetration. You rightfully point out JO as somebody who does the same thing. However, if we'd still had Perk, we could have 48 minutes of strong center play, rather than around 30. Controlling the paint from Lebron and Wade is one of the keys to this series, and we're losing that battle so far.
Regarding the trade itself, I'm pretty worn out from the debate, and don't want to get into it. I understand that people worry about Perk's current physical condition, and they're skeptical that whatever replacement SF we signed could have matched Green's contributions. There's no real way to prove anything.
However, from my point of view, this playoff series didn't do anything to vindicate Danny Ainge. Green hasn't made a huge impact, and we've struggled at times defending the paint and rebounding. Between the play on the court, the chemistry issues (at least during the regular season), and our mini-collapse in the standings (where we blew something like a 7 game lead to the Heat, surrendering home court), it's not a trade that I'd personally choose to write home about.