I'm still waiting for the rest.With the announcement today that the Cs traded their only "real" big man Kendrick Perkins, I found myself scratching my head.
I still am.
What's the game plan now? Danny traded Perk and Neo-Nate to OKC for a solid small forward in Jeff Green and a big stiff named Nenad Krstic, and I keep asking myself what's the point?
Ainge also traded Luke Harangody and Semih Erden to the Cavs for a second-round pick, and Marquis Daniels to the Kings for cash. Somehow the Cs also ended up with the Clips first round pick (protected top 10).
If he was going to blow up the championship hopes this year, why go through the motions of bringing the core back? I know Perk is not necessarily the guy who was going to lead this team to the promised land, but he was the guy that played the role that no one else on the team played. He is a great one-on-one defender against the best big men in the league, a solid rebounder, and a guy that cleared the space in the paint for all the other Cs.
I guess a number of things are possible, like:
-- Danny didn't think Perk's knees/other injuries were going to hold out.
I guess a number of things are possible, like:
-- Danny didn't think Perk's knees/other injuries were going to hold out.
-- Danny didn't think he would ever get Perk to sign after he reportedly, recently, turned down a four-year $22 million deal...(however, with a lockout looming, I don't get why he would sweat that now).
-- Danny looked at the East, and saw a fading Orlando, and realized that with Carmelo now in NY and Lebron in Miami, that it was more important to have a guy like Green to help guard those guys in the playoffs, than to have Perk defend Dwight Howard -- in order to get out of the East. (still don't know what this means against the West in a championship series though).
-- Danny looked at his aging crew and decided he wanted Green as another building block to go with Rondo for when the aging Big 3 retire.
All of those are possibilities. And in their own right, make some sense.
However, last June Ainge made the decision to make another run at the title. He had the "right" to make the move then to blow it up, and start over again, and didn't do it. The moves he made today, as of now, don't bring the Cs any closer to the ring than they were yesterday.
Hey, I don't claim to know more or understand more about the game than Danny. He has made the right moves before, and maybe this will pay off down the road. Maybe Green will be the answer to the Carmelos and Lebrons come playoff time. Maybe Shaq will stay healthy and impact the playoffs. Maybe Jermaine O'Neal will walk again and produce something.
Maybe.
Until then, I guess I'll keep scratching my head.
-- Danny looked at the East, and saw a fading Orlando, and realized that with Carmelo now in NY and Lebron in Miami, that it was more important to have a guy like Green to help guard those guys in the playoffs, than to have Perk defend Dwight Howard -- in order to get out of the East. (still don't know what this means against the West in a championship series though).
-- Danny looked at his aging crew and decided he wanted Green as another building block to go with Rondo for when the aging Big 3 retire.
All of those are possibilities. And in their own right, make some sense.
However, last June Ainge made the decision to make another run at the title. He had the "right" to make the move then to blow it up, and start over again, and didn't do it. The moves he made today, as of now, don't bring the Cs any closer to the ring than they were yesterday.
Hey, I don't claim to know more or understand more about the game than Danny. He has made the right moves before, and maybe this will pay off down the road. Maybe Green will be the answer to the Carmelos and Lebrons come playoff time. Maybe Shaq will stay healthy and impact the playoffs. Maybe Jermaine O'Neal will walk again and produce something.
Maybe.
Until then, I guess I'll keep scratching my head.
1 comments:
Perk is well respected by ESPN analysts evidently, but I remember how he looked 'pre-big3'(not good) and contrast that to how he's perceived now. We may soon find out that he, more than any other member of that starting five, benefits by whose been on the floor with him. Going forward, the more shooters (and the Celts got two more in this deal) around Rondo means easy baskets. There was no such thing as an easy basket when Perk had the ball...
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