Perkins to OKC for Jeff Green
WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
Boston has agreed to send Kendrick Perkins to OKC for package that includes Jeff Green, sources tell Y!
The Thunder can resign Perkins and they get the legit C they have been after for years, I assume that Ibaka slips into the PF role giving them two real defensive presences at 4 and 5.
Green gives the Celtics a younger player but he's an SF/PF so he'll be behind KG and Pierce as shifting KG to C is very unlikely unless against smallball teams.
If this is the deal, I like it more for the Thunder at the moment although long term Boston get another nice player to compliment Rondo when the veterans have retired. Ironically Boston could have had Green in 2007 draft but traded him to get Ray Allen.
The Thunder can resign Perkins and they get the legit C they have been after for years, I assume that Ibaka slips into the PF role giving them two real defensive presences at 4 and 5.
Green gives the Celtics a younger player but he's an SF/PF so he'll be behind KG and Pierce as shifting KG to C is very unlikely unless against smallball teams.
If this is the deal, I like it more for the Thunder at the moment although long term Boston get another nice player to compliment Rondo when the veterans have retired. Ironically Boston could have had Green in 2007 draft but traded him to get Ray Allen.
Wow this is not a good move for Celtics. Perkins is very important and is one of the best post defenders in the league. They need him to go against Dwight and if they face the Lakers again. The thunders just became a better defensive team because of this, Ibaka + Perkins is a formidable defensive duo.
They needed that presence in the middle, and Perkins fits the bill better than a whole lot of other people. Add to it the fact that Ibaka is rapidly improving and they did not need an undersized Green taking minutes at the PF. No doubt they will lack depth at the 3, but they do have Kevin Durant after all, not to mention Sefolosha who is a combo wing. Plus, Nate Robinson as a spark plug, have to love that. They have so many options with this deal, I really like it for OKC. As a person who does not like OKC, I can even admit that getting a legit 5 to hold down the post for Jeff Green is exactly what they want. I know Kendrick is an UFA, but I love his chances of resigning with OKC. He is from Texas and I think he will fit in really well. Ibaka and Perkins are a great start to building a tough front court to go along with their talented scorers from the perimeter. I expect a lot more James Harden as well, maybe even seeing a three guard line-up with Sefolosha, Harden and Westbrook at times. They will have a hell of a time guarding legit 4's, but they already did with Jeff Green.
Boston is taking a giant gamble here. They give up a guy they felt would have won them the championship last year and was becoming a huge part of their defensive identity. They take on Green, who gives decent insurance for Pierce and Garnett, but is really nowhere in their league. Not to mention, what kind of money is this guy going to want in his next deal? If KG goes down, and Green takes over for him, they will have the same problem OKC had, in that Green is not who you want playing PF. So, he is great for their lack of depth on the wing, and even a step above Marquis Daniels, whose timetable for return is unknown, but you really have to wonder how he fits in. Green should be good, but the biggest problem will be losing Perkins. To me, he was essential to the Celts play-off run, and with Shaq and Jermaine being ticking timebombs, will either one step into his shoes? Perkins was a really nice security blanket for those too, a lot more of one than Nenad Krstic. They had better REALLY hope that Shaq stays healthy, and even than how many minutes can they expect from him? Certainly not the 28-30 minutes and solid defense that Perkins gave you. Green might mean a little less mileage in the regular season for Paul and KG, which could be nice come play-off time, but I do not feel the Celtics got better with this deal.
OKC really addressed an issue, whereas the Celtics may have gotten a talented player but are taking a major gamble by doing this deal. Also, even with Perkins being a Center, he is likely to sign for a lot less than Green. Are the Celtics trying to rent a player for what they deem as their last chance at a title with this current group? Possibly, if not they might have 5 guys making 8 figures next year, and I would love to know how that would work.
The Celtics also dumped Luke Harangody and Semih Erden on Cleveland for a future 2nd round pick, which is probably incredibly confusing for the Luke Harangody fan club that thought his one good preseason game signaled his status as draft steal.
I'm taking this as those two roster spots are going to be filled by Troy Murphy and Rasheed Wallace, which will ease the blow from Perkins leaving.
Like it for both teams. Green fits for Boston because he can play a lower level Lamar odom role off the bench. They have a guy who can score 15-20points off the bench now and teammates who will make him a better defender. Okc gets the defensive presences that ever fan has wanted them to have. And a guy who can score at least 10ppg ( he never had to score much but he is capable of some low post scoring. This kind hurts Durant because green helped space the floor for him as well as Westbrook to a extent
So if it turns out the Celtics can get a pair of big men (my guess is Murphy and Sheed) and a wing who plays a little defense (Rasual Butler or Anthony Parker) they will come out ahead. They could have replaced the big, grabbed a solid but unspectacular young forward in Green, and gotten a Clipper future first in the process.
A DIRE mistake by the Boston Celtics to undervalue what Perkins brings to the table. There is absolutely no duplicating what Perkins brings to the table for that roster. Jermaine is out for potentially the rest of the regular season and is essentially a non-factor until he shows he can play. The Celtics traded Erden. So now their C rotation is Kristic and Shaq. That is a major dropoff in defensive value that cannot be replaced. Perkins was the anchor of this teams' defense and that's off the roster now. Murphy is not going to replace that, either. A combination of Shaq playing 15-25 minutes, Murphy and Kristic is not going to get the job done in the playoffs.
With that said, Green gives them an extra dimension they didn't have. A good versatile player, and a wing who can create his own shots and score off the bench, and now the Celtics have the ability to slide Garnett to the 5 and put Green at the 4 and play some small ball. Kristic gives them a big man who they can pick and pop with. Still, I wouldn't have done this deal if I were Boston. They are going to really miss Perkins.
For Oklahoma City, however, Perkins is the exact type of player they have been looking for. Someone who can be an enforcer in the paint and make guys think a little before running into the lane. With Nate Robinson as well giving them another scorer and someone who can come off the bench and give them a spark and bring the ball up the court in some situations with Durant as well. I like the deal a lot for them, Green is a good player but not the perfect fit for what OKC needed on their roster. The question now is, how do they replace Green's scoring in the starting lineup. He was that 3rd option who could take a little pressure off Durant and Westbrook, so that is something they'll need to adjust and figure out.
This overreaction to how the Boston Celtic roster looks on 2/24 is like how people thought the Heat wouldn't be able to field a roster the day after signing LeBron. They aren't done. They'll get another center, and, by the way, Boston did well for 43 games this year without Perkins.
This is very risky by the Celtics, but they can still win with Big Baby, J. O'Neal, Shaq, and possibly Murphy, who I assume the Celtics will get if the aforementioned Erden + Harangody dump happens. Green could definitely help the Celtics backing up each forward spot. The Celtics will still defend well without Perkins. I doubt they would have made the trade if it weren't for Orlando's collapse, but it looks unlikely that the Celtics will have to face the Magic in the playoffs.
They may sign Murphy too, but are those guys going to have the same type of impact in the play-offs as Perkins? Not to mention, Sheed has a horrible back and does anyone know if he has touched a basketball since last years Finals? Rasheed is super talented, and I take him over a lot of other bigs who are coming back from a supposed retirement, but I have a feeling the only place he was running to was the fridge. Also, this may not be as significant as people think, but Delonte West has not really played a lot. Who knows his mental, and Avery Bradley is not a back-up PG. Rondo can play minutes, but Nate Robinson helped that team out big time last year. Dude can score in bunches and made some big shots. Jeff Green is all well and good and Nenad is another big body, but we saw what those two did last year against LA. They had better hope they get all of these names that are floating around, because they definitely do not look like as scary a team without the two guys they just traded away. I could be overreacting, but these are legit questions about the deal Boston just made. They will be fine in the regular season, but I am thinking about play-off time.
He had no idea he was being moved.
Rasheed will not be returning to Boston. Murphy is their #1 choice.
I'm not going to undervalue Green, he gives them a dimension they did not have and allows them to do things they couldn't with their previous roster, but Green cannot replace what Perkins did. And the regular season is not the playoffs, different animal. They now have depth issues at a former position of strength, because with both O'Neal's dealing with injuries and on their last legs, Glen Davis is going to have to play more minutes at the 5, a position he struggles to defend and Kristic and Green are going to be playing minutes at the 5 and 4 respectively, and bringing the same issues they had in OKC to Boston.
I will say, though, Green is a piece they can build around after the big 3 break up and/or retire. I'll be very interested to see how Doc incorporates Green onto the team.
But Perkins is fairly young also. And they don't need to get "younger", their built to win now.
But they still are. The Celtics are also looking to add Troy Murphy if he's bought out so they will be alright. The Celtics have Rondo, Bradley 2 1st round picks in 2012 and a 2011 1st rounder as future pieces. Garnett and Allen have maybe 2 seasons left in them and Pierce have 3-4 so they could start looking to get players around them.
Remember, these guys (sans Garnett who got hurt) all played 100 plus games for the past 2-3 seasons. Toll on the body. Also, Perkins is young, but got hurt AND he's a HS guy. His tail off might be quick
"Rasheed will not be returning to Boston. Murphy is their #1 choice."
By A. Sherrod Blakely at Comcast Sports Net New England
Is Rasheed Wallace in Celtics' future?
DENVER -- Most of Boston's moves caught so many off guard because they didn't really address the Celtics' greatest need leading up to the deadline - a backup small forward for Paul Pierce.
Semih Erden and Luke Harangody were traded primarily to open up roster spots, with at least one expected to be filled by a veteran player who becomes available via buy-out, or is currently unsigned.
Troy Murphy, who was recently traded from New Jersey to Golden State, is expected to receive a buy-out from the Warriors soon. Murphy is said to be weighing offers from the Celtics, Magic and Heat.
But Boston may also bring back Rasheed Wallace, who has remained in the metro Boston area after retiring following Boston's Game Seven loss to the Lakers in last year's NBA Finals.
Although he told CSNNE.com this past summer that his NBA career was a "wrap like Christmas," sources have indicated recently that Wallace might have a change of heart if the C's had a roster spot become available.
Damn my slow computer, you go it in before me