Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Was the Celtics trade a good one?

The Celtics tweaked a roster that needed no such thing. They were first in the Eastern conference and playing solid consistent basketball. Their defense ranked as one of the best in the NBA and players were getting up against top foes- Lakers, Bulls, Heat, Magic. So why make a move to shake up something that's not broken?

Very simple- The Celtics were playing just fine with Shaquille O'neal and rotating Kevin Garnett at the center position for the injured Kendrick Perkins. Now, thay have added Nenad Kristic and Jeff Green. Remember, Jeff Green was traded on draft day to the Seattle Supersonics for Ray Allen which led to the Garnett signing. The Celtics lose Perkins and more important than his numbers (which, by the way weren't too impressive) was his relationships with 'The Big Three'. Clearly the off court chemistry was what Perk brought to this team more than his interior defense. With coach Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett constantly preaching a defense first mentality, its hard to imagine other players not buying into their system.

The Celtics, in Kristic have a better shooter and longer arms that may not always block shots, but certainly he can disrupt shots. In addition, the Celtics have added Troy Murphy, a 6'11'' power forward who can shoot the 3. With a  James Posey like scoring punch off the bench in Jeff Green, the Green are looking more like the team that won the championship in 2007.  

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