The second one is clearly not true.
nope.jpg
Your second statement is in no way, shape, or form a settled point. Anyone who argues that our championship run was derailed by the loss of Perkins/Nate, instead of, you know, injuries, has a steep hill to climb. Because I'm goign to see your "Perkins", and raise you a "no Shaq" and a "one-armed Rondo", and I like my chances.
And if we're not talking about a championship, there's precious little else to judge to move by, because Ainge is not paying Perk what OKC did, and there's no telling that he'd be able to get an equivalent to better offer in a S&T.
I think you're shifting the field goals there to make your point. I am not arguing that 'a championship run was derailed by losing Perkins/Nate'. I'm arguing that the team played worse without Perkins than they would have, got very little
in retrospect for a piece that clearly has and had value, and likely would have been better served by simply letting him expire.
We could've landed David West if Perkins had been let to expire, then S&T'd to another team with our only asset gained being a trade exception. How is that not better?
Turns out, it would've been a lot better to let Perkins expire and keep the band together.
I'll take the 1st round pick in a stacked 2012 draft, and a fair chance that we get Green back regardless of his problems, over some warm fuzzies.
Well, now I also you're the one who is making a bit of a leap of faith.
A) A 20th overall pick in an allegedly 'stacked' draft means absolutely squat unless the pick/trade pans out. Its a wait and see situation, but it is without question that the value of the asset has dropped significantly since the Clippers acquired Chris Paul.
B) 'regardless of his problems'? Regardless of his problems (and by that, I mean before his heart condition was revealed), Jeff Green was a very unknown quantity going forward, at least for the Celtics. If they weren't going to pay Perkins long-term, why in the world were they going to pay Green beyond the qualifying offer, at least with what he has shown in the NBA up until this point?
Then, factor in the heart condition, and factor in the Celtics' priorities (cap room, cap room, cap room), and factor in Green's demands (long-term money, for sure. this was supposed to be his payday). Whether or not the Celtics are ever going to see Green play another game in green is far from a settled issue.