I was holding off writing my piece on this season’s Celtics team until the injuries healed and the playoffs came around – let’s face it, though the C’s are near first in the East, it’s well known that they don’t truly become the Celtics until playoff time.

However, the trade deadline passed the other day and instead of bolstering their team for their inevitable playoff run, they (i.e. GM Danny Ainge) blew the whole thing up, trading five players (the most important being starter and defensive stalwart Kendrick Perkins), bringing in two new guys (for now), and collecting future draft picks.  I’ve read everything that has been written in the past 24 hours by journalists and bloggers alike:

“Celtics lost this deal.”

“Celtics won this deal.”

“Perk was indispensible guarding Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum.”

“The Celtics are banking on facing the Heat and Spurs, not the Magic and Lakers.”

“What happens to the Celtics defense now that their enforcer is gone?”

“The Celtics just became more versatile and dangerous at the 3, 4, 5 spots.”

“Celtics gave away the best player [Perk] in this deal.”

“Celtics got the best player [Jeff Green] in this deal.”

“They won a championship and would have won another if Perk didn’t blow out his knee.”

“Perk was rarely on the floor in ’08 and didn’t play the 4^th quarter of
playoff games.”

“The Celtics set themselves up for the future while sacrificing this year.”

“The Celtics should hang Banner 18 today; it’s inevitable.”

… And many good points have been made, but here’s my take on it:

A true team is more than a collection of individuals; it is a chain of connected links that must work together to get the job done.  Individually, a chain link is nothing.  Put a string of them together and you have one strong chain.  The Celtics refer to themselves as a family.  In their case, it’s the key to their identity; their strength is derived from their unity, and continuity.  Trust is a key component to any team, but the way the Celtics discuss it, it seems of biblical importance.  Trusting the guy next to you like he’s a brother, knowing his strengths and weaknesses, and being able to work together to overcome your collective weaknesses is the foundation of their defense, which is, in turn, the foundation of the success.  Ubuntu.  Garnett had a great quote in 2008 describing ubuntu – “You can’t be all that you can be until the guy next to you is all he can be.”  These guys derived their confidence from their trust in each other and their love for one another.  The Celtics spent holidays together, family vacations, birthdays.  They weren’t out partying in clubs or throwing lavish birthday parties.  They were with their families, watching their kids interact, discussing plays and players, working toward another championship.  Camaraderie.  These guys [Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins] had the most games started together since 2007 of any team in the league, a whopping 200+ including playoffs.  There is no way to duplicate the experience of playing together.  Now what?  25 games to figure out the new guys.  25 games to rebuild that trust amongst new teammates.  25 games to get into playoff mode with strangers lining up next to you.  This trade leaves many questions with so few games remaining.

In my humble opinion, Perk was simply too big a cog in the Celtics machine to have traded for a mediocre return.  If Perk wanted $9 million per year, promise him he’ll get it during the off-season.  Is he worth that on the open market, to any other team?  Probably not.  Is he worth it to the Celtics?  Definitely yes.  He was the bulldog in the lane.  The rock of the defense.  The enforcer.  Or, as I called him, the Angry Chipmunk.  He brought to the Celtics exactly what they needed out of their center – tough, trustworthy, smart, defensive.

Last season (2009-10), near the trade deadline, I completed a Celtics Untradeable List; from 1 (untradeable) to 15 (gotta go) – Pierce was #1.  Problem was that the Celtics immediately traded Eddie House, Bill Walker, JR Giddens, etc, and brought in Nate Robinson and others.  It was tough to redo the list not knowing how the new players would be incorporated during the remainder of the season.  Regardless, I will stand by my following opinion that Perk was the second most untradeable guy on the team:

“2. Perk – Do you understand the value Perk brings to this team?  He
is a tenacious post defender and a do-everything teammate who plays hard every
night.  He is still young, and has room to learn, but his offensive skill set (which should
take a back seat to his defense) is already growing at a nice rate.  Perk will be needed
in years to come to defend Bynum, Howard, and other young centers who aren’t going
to retire anytime soon.  He mans up one-on-one with the best in the paint and allows
the Celtics defense to be what it is, a masterful squasher of the pick-and-roll with a
collapsing presence in the paint.  Perk’s strength in the paint is an immeasurable asset
to his teammates in front of him, allowing Rondo to gamble on steals, Garnett to trap,
and Pierce and Allen to do their best to stay in front of quicker guys ten years their
junior.  Perk’s toughness and defensive acumen make him untradeable at this juncture.”

Despite his more recent injuries, I believe what I wrote then stands true today.

In my humble opinion, the C’s are toast this season, and for the foreseeable future.  It can be argued that Perkins was an offensive liability, he was an upcoming free agent who had turned down the C’s best offer, etc, but the key for me is that the remaining Celtics players have lost their sense of trust in each other and faith in the team.  Ainge may have made a move he felt he had to make (for the present and future), but he ended up destroying any shot they had of winning the Championship this year and for the foreseeable future.  I won’t be surprised if the C’s are knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by a young team that brings the fight to them.  The C’s may be more talented, but they’ve been broken from within, they have lost their identity, they’ve had their swagger shipped to Oklahoma City, and ubuntu has been euthanized.

I wish all the best to Kendrick Perkins and his family.  He was a man worth rooting for and a player worth watching.  He always will be a Celtic.

Other Celtics thoughts for the 2010-11 season:

- It’s nice to see the Celtics defending their home court this year.  After a rough record at home last season, which destroyed their chances of having home court advantage in the playoffs, which, in turn, probably cost them the title, the Celtics have righted their ship and currently boast a fantastic home record.

- It’s also nice to see the Celtics playing better against lesser opponents.  They’ve dropped their guard a few times [Cavs, 76ers, Raptors, Thunder w/o Durant], but overall they’re bringing energy most nights.

- Garnett, Pierce, and Allen are healthy and playing well.  I hope it keeps up for the remainder of the season.  Pessimism abounds for me with Celtics and health.

- It’s great to see Delonte West back and playing his game.  He is smart and he is talented, and come playoff time he will be a huge help leading that second unit.

- Von Wafer has been a pleasant surprise this season.  He bought into playing defense and he is a terrific finisher around the rim.

- ‘Big Baby’ Davis, who I wish everyone would start calling Glen, has to cease and desist with the 18ft jump shots.  He is not Kevin Garnett and I am sick and tired of watching him brick long jumpers.  He shouldn’t even be that far away from the basket.  Now a compliment: He is a phenomenal finisher around the basket for his size.

- It’s disappointing to hear that Rondo needs to be told time and again to attack the basket.  It should be in his DNA by now.  When he attacks the basket, allowing the other guys to space the floor, they win.  For the last time, keep attacking the basket, Rondo!

- There is no guarantee that the O’Neals [Shaq and Jermaine] will be healthy for the playoffs.  Everyone can hope, but they’re old and suffering from leg issues.  Without healthy big guys, they’re not winning the Championship.

- I’m going to miss Semih Erden, as odd as that sounds.  He played above his talent, especially when on-court with the starting unit.  He’s a legit 7ft and was toughening up.  I wish him the best in Cleveland.  Same for Luke Harangody, who was a great energy guy in garbage time.  He may carve out a place for himself in this league.

- Congratulations to Paul Pierce for passing the 20,000 point milestone.  Third player ever [Havlicek, Bird] to do it entirely in the C’s green.

- Congratulations to Ray Allen for making the most 3-pt shots in NBA history, passing Reggie Miller.  He’ll be #1 for a long, long time.

- As for the two new guys (who I watched play against the Clippers last night), I loved Nenad Krstic’s energy on the offensive boards – keep it up!  I didn’t see much from Jeff Green, but he has 25 games to get in flow and comfortable in the system.  I have high hopes for both of them this season.  They won’t help sustain our league-leading defense, but if they can carry their weight and assist on the offensive end then I won’t be as nervous as I am now.

- As for who to pick up off the free agent / buyout pile to fill out the remaining three roster spots:

o       Troy Murhpy – rebounder, 3-pt shooter

o       Leon Powe – ease the pain of losing Perk

o       PG – in case of injuries

o       Joel Pryzbilla , Samuel Dalembert, or the best defensive swingman available

- Chances of winning the 2011 NBA Championship:

o       Beginning of season – 51%

o       Prior to Trade Deadline – 45%

o       Right now – 30%

Published on February 28th, 2011 at 7:39 pm in thoughts and musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.