Bahtendah Wisdom - Pay Attention!
Kendrick Perkins sucks. That's right, I just said what no one else in Boston is willing to say. Everyone is crying about how the Celtics will miss his size and rebounding come playoff time and I'm here to tell you they won't miss him at all. In fact, I like their chances to win Banner 18 better now than I did before the trade.
Yes, Perk has size. But that's it. He has some of the worst hands I've ever seen on a big man. He drops passes all the time and he gets stripped more often than a terrorist trying to get past the TSA. He also has the worst hops of any big man in the NBA besides perhaps Shaq, but Shaq is like 72 years old. I can't recall seeing a center get his shot blocked more often than Perkins. He's a terrible foul shooter and he racks up far too many T's. The real reason he looks good at times is because he plays with 4 All-Stars. I'd look good playing with 4 All-Stars. Perk himself has never been an All-Star and I don't think he ever will be
Nenad Krstic has far more skills than Perkins can ever hope to have. He's just as big as Perk and he's a far better shooter from the floor and the line. He's also a better passer and I think he'll get as many rebounds as Perkins, unless Doc has him spreading the floor to open up things for the likes of Pierce, Garnett and Rondo.
Think about it: We traded a guy who was drafted 27th overall (Perkins) for a guy drafted 5th overall (Green) and a guy drafted 24th overall (Krstic). That's right, Nenad Krstic was drafted higher than Perkins. Now, Nate Robinson was also part of the deal, but can anyone honestly say they're going to miss him? I don't think so. He's done nothing all year long and with Delonte West getting healthy, the Celts have a much better option to back up Rondo. Delonte is a far better player at the point than Nate, who's a 2-guard trapped in the body of a 1. Delonte plays defense, Nate doesn't.
The steal of this trade could be Green. He's young, athletic and averages 15 points a game in an offense that's dominated by Kevin Durant. I can't wait to see what kind of damage he can do on a team that loves to share the rock.
It's true that one of the reasons the Celtics lost in Game 7 to the Lakers last year is that Perkins was hurt. But he's now been replaced by Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal and Nenad Krstic. Throw in the additions of Jeff Green and Delonte West and I call that a serious upgrade. Relax Celtics Nation, we just got better. Bang. Pay attention!
PS - Remember Danny Ainge still has 3 open roster spots to fill. More upgrades on the way - I just pray Rasheed Wallace isn't one of them.
