Trade for a Center

[guava_wrench]

No point really in arguing about Perk. The team won with him. I'm thankful for his contributions.

Trent Dilfer QB'd a team to a Super Bowl victory. I would be careful about making to much of that.

[walker834]

I think people would be hard pressed to find 5 or 6 celtics centers better ever.  Cowens, Russell, Parish, Bill Walton. After that it's Perk, KG(played center for a short time but was more a PF), Ed McCauley. He's in the top 5. His contributions at center were better than Shaq or Mccauley. Even Walton is debateable.

1. Russell
2. Parish
3. Cowens
4. Walton
5. Perk

Al Horford will probably knock him out of the top 5 and take his place as the 4th or 5th best one.

If you think of all the other players  and centers that have been here over the years Perk was that good. It's as simple as that.

You can say right place right time but that's not even it.  Montross, Blount, Potopenko, Travis Knight, etc, etc, etc.  None of those guys were it.  Perk brought something to this team the minute he got here.  I watched it.  We went through a long stretch of bad centers.  It was a great pick by Ainge. Stojko Vrankovic. There were so many that were not Perkins.

[chiken Green]

Perk... ummm ...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewU0KYtgsuk

[walker834]

OKC also hasn't won anything and plays a really bad style of basketball. Perk was never a run and gun type of player. He could keep guys like Howard and Bynum out of the paint though. Ainge traded perk at the right time I felt because he got hurt and hasn't been the same player since.  Due to injury and just OKC's style of play. Perk was up for contract.

We should have maybe held onto Perk a little longer. I never liked the Shaq signing.  Getting Green made some sense at the time but didn't work out that great for us either.

Perk was up for a contract extension and Ainge didn't want to resign him with the injury. So he parlayed him for Green and we ended up getting a draft pick out of it. I was for that trade at the time and it worked out that way.

Shaq was washed up.  Perk may have been able to come back and get us another title.  I never really bought that though. The team was on the decline.

Signing Perk now would be similar to signing Shaq which I wasn't in favor of.  I like Perk better. But Amir is the better player at this stage.

[walker834]

There are worse things we could do than Perkins in my estimation.  Mahinmi or even KG wouldn't be horrible choices.  Amir is the best option as a backup though. He's only signed for 1 year though.  Zizic is the future there I think.

We have a team option on Amir and I'd expect the celtics to pick it up.  Develop Zizic. That's why we drafted him.

We are all set.  We just need Durant at this point. 

Saying Perkins wasn't good in his time here though is baloney.

Robert Parish wasn't very good on the bulls either. KG and pierce haven't been the same either. Why lie about Perk? I'd still take them back under the right circumstance over other players.  Right now probably isn't it.

[alewilliam789]

Andrew Bogut is a player that is on the market and fits beautifully as a rim protector/versatile big man that can play besides Horford. Both would be great fits for each other. Should be relatively cheap.
PG: IT
SG: Bradley
SF: Crowder
PF: Al Horford
C: Andrew Bogut

[Beat LA]

Yes Perkins was that good. You are all crazy.  The guy used to put up huge games at times particularly in rebounding +20 rebounds a game at times.  You see teams draft these centers later in drafts with a meanstreak. Perk was an enigma because he was 6'10" 280 pounds.  He was a 9 and 9 guy in his prime with high fouls because of his style of play.  He also was a great person here and there were moments where his leadership really helped guys like Pierce and KG.

Oh please.  The guy was the 21st century version of Greg Kite, lol, albeit with no speed.

He was our starting center and a key cog on that team that won a title in 2008.

Anyone who says stuff like was Perkins that good or that he always sucked does not understand.

Both he and KG were the main reasons why our defense was so good.

Dude honestly go home. You couldn't carry Perk's jock.

Ray and Pierce were not great defenders. NEither was Rondo.  Rondo was a gambler.  He was able to do that because of Perkins.

Rondo himself said Perkins was his best friend and he was devatated when he was traded.  Our defense also went down the tubes.  He was Rondo's best friend.  Rondo and Ray used to give players clear lanes to the basket.

I think you're forgetting that he played very little in the postseason in 2008 because of his offensive ineptitude, with his minutes being taken by PJ Brown, Posey, and Powe, iirc. 

I watched almost Perk's entire Celtic career, and aside from a few performances here and there, he just never impressed me.  All he did was beat the crap out of guys like Howard, Gasol, and Bynum, he had next to no offensive game, no speed, he wasn't a good passer or free throw shooter, and he never really developed any part of his game, quite honestly.  I get that he was buddies with Rondo, but Perk was not the reason why our defense was so good.  The credit for that goes to Thibs and KG, but especially Garnett, imo.  Don't forget, Perk started 53 of 72 games the year prior to the Big 3, and we were crap, defensively, so it wasn't like he was some kind of anchor or whatever for us.  KG made a lot of people look good on both ends, especially guys like Perk and Tony Allen despite their obvious limitations, namely because of his passing ability coupled with the defensive attention that he garnered, and I have no idea where the jock comment came from, but whatever .

[Beat LA]

OKC also hasn't won anything and plays a really bad style of basketball. Perk was never a run and gun type of player. He could keep guys like Howard and Bynum out of the paint though. Ainge traded perk at the right time I felt because he got hurt and hasn't been the same player since.  Due to injury and just OKC's style of play. Perk was up for contract.

We should have maybe held onto Perk a little longer. I never liked the Shaq signing.  Getting Green made some sense at the time but didn't work out that great for us either.

Perk was up for a contract extension and Ainge didn't want to resign him with the injury. So he parlayed him for Green and we ended up getting a draft pick out of it. I was for that trade at the time and it worked out that way.

Shaq was washed up.  Perk may have been able to come back and get us another title.

Signing Perk now would be similar to signing Shaq which I wasn't in favor of.  I like Perk better. But Amir is the better player at this stage.

So which is it?  Even with Perk, we weren't winning it all that year, in my estimation, as Ainge did not provide the team with nearly a good enough bench, especially at the backup swing position.

[Beat LA]

There are worse things we could do than Perkins in my estimation.  Mahinmi or even KG wouldn't be horrible choices.  Amir is the best option as a backup though. He's only signed for 1 year though.  Zizic is the future there I think.

We have a team option on Amir and I'd expect the celtics to pick it up.  Develop Zizic. That's why we drafted him.

We are all set.  We just need Durant at this point. 

Saying Perkins wasn't good in his time here though is baloney.

Robert Parish wasn't very good on the bulls either. KG and pierce haven't been the same either. Why lie about Perk? I'd still take them back under the right circumstance over other players.  Right now probably isn't it.

Mahinmi just signed with the Wizards, Zizic was drafted so that we wouldn't have to pay him right away , iirc, Parish was 42 years old when he signed with Chicago, and Pierce and KG are done.  It happens to everyone at some point.

[Csfan1984]

I'd bring in Stat or Gasol in FA if team adds KD

[walker834]

I'd take either Gasol.  We could use another big man if we get Durant and still have a ton of draft picks to play with if we go the trade route. Who is Stat? Ezeli?

Amir is completely out if we add another big contract big man. I'm for that in ways.

I was just using those guys as comparable big men to Amir. Mahinmi is too overpriced. Amir is signed one year and is not the end all be all.

Zizic will probably be overseas or here to develop as a possible option there down the road.

Upgrading our big men is still an option even with Horford here.  I don't see Marc Gasol going anywhere though or who we would trade for.  We would need to clear cap room by relinquishing rights to a lot of our free agents to sign someone else besides Durant.

Trading for one is an option too.  I am not huge on Pau Gasol due to his age but it's not horrible.

 It really depends what kind of style we want to play.  Would Pau even come here to play limited minutes and be a situational player?

We need size and he fits.  But he also would be a situational player here.  Pau is a better option than Howard that way.

I feel like he is going to want to play and will end up elsewhere like Portland or San Antonio or something.

Our team is pretty set with Durant although we could add another big man or wing shooter even still.

I think most likely we just pick up Amir's and JJ's options and roll with what we have. 

[LarBrd33]

Let's pull a Miami Heat ... just like when they got the 2003 Draft darlings together (LeBron #1, Bosh #4, and Wade #5)... let's pair 2007 draftees Durant (#2) and Horford (#3) with Greg Oden (#1).   After the gut-punch we had falling to 5th in that draft, we'd not only end up winning a title the next year but end up with the top 3 picks, baby.  Lol

[jdz101]

Ainge avoided the post-knee perkins disaster once already. He's not about jump into it again.

[walker834]

We could sign Pau and then reliquish everyone else and then target a guy like Perk for the vet minimum and that's where it would fit but I just doubt this will happen.

Pau is going to want to play somewhere and is deciding between other teams.  Perk is a cheaper option to Amir if we want to pull something like hat.

This isn't what Ainge is doing though. We just drafted a big man to develop and have Amir signed for now.

Ezeli isn't going anywhere either.  GS is just waiting on Durant who we are getting.   After Durant decides GS will throw a lot of money at Ezeli and Barnes.

Most worthwhile free agents have signed. Pau is the last one.   Tim Duncan is deciding on retirement. GS is in a holding pattern like we are.

Pau is going to end up in Portland or SA to replace Duncan.

Durant goes to GS suddenly Barnes and Ezeli become available but I dont think they are coming here. I don't think Durant is going there anyways. It's here or back to OKC for a year because he promised Westbrook one last shot and wants to get paid.  Spending on Pau also doesn't make sense for us. We'd just wait until next year for Durant. Worst case is Durant signs long term with GS or OKC.  I don't think that's happening though.  I don't even think he's going back to OKC.

Amir is really a bargain compared to some of what the other backup big men are signing for. They are either more expensive options or less expensive options. Zeller is also still an option for us.  We are really just in a holding pattern right now until all major free agents are signed.  Horford was who we were targetting and Durant.  We got one so far. Then we might look at trades or secondary options to maybe add a big and a shooter.  But we may just pick up options. Zeller may take his qualifying offer if we don't rescind it as well.

[passesofftodj]

I'm liking the idea of bringing back Perkins over Amir now that i think about it.  More of a team leader and a good backup to have who will muscle guys with Horford here.

Would love to see KG and pierce back in backup roles too but not sure how that would work.

This really needs to be KD's team.  I think having Perk back would be enough.  Having KG and Pierce would be a bit much imo.

Perkins over Amir?  Thanks, I needed a good laugh.  Always fun to hear from people who haven't watched the NBA for 5 years.