Catch and Shoot: Trade Deadline

I want to talk about a big trade that went down in the NBA a few weeks back, one we haven't covered yet.  And it’s Goran Dragic to the Rockets.  Just kidding.  It was the trade of Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson from Boston in return for Jeff Green and Nenad Kristic from the Thunder.

Impact on the Celtics: I hate, repeat hate this trade for Boston.  Yeah, Jeff Green is a nice player, but he’s just a guy.  He isn’t going to be a huge difference maker, especially on a team with so many offensive options.  He doesn’t fit Boston’s offensive scheme either; he’s not a spot-up shooter so he doesn’t fit great with the penetrating Rajon Rondo, and he doesn’t really have a back to the basket game.  Green really occupies the same role that Kevin Garnett does as a face up shooting forward, but he isn’t nearly as effective.  While he might turn into a nice piece for Boston down the road, you don’t think long term when the ultimate prize is within reach right now.  Green does a lot of different things well, but isn’t great at any one thing.  He’s undersized for power forward and doesn’t have enough handle or scoring ability for the small forward slot.  He only gets 6 rebounds a game, and certainly won’t be able to protect the rim or bang with opposing centers, which is exactly what Kendrick Perkins did do for Boston.  Perkins’ numbers weren’t as good as Green’s, but his impact was much larger.  I realize Boston didn’t have him for most of this year, but he has been integral in their previous playoff runs.  As maybe the best one-on-one post defender in the NBA, Perkins is strong enough to hold up at the point of attack against Andrew Bynum or Dwight Howard.  Now who fills that role for Boston?  Garnett doesn’t have the body, and Jermaine O’Neal is always injured and can barely move at this point in his career anyway.  Shaquille O’Neal is enormous but has hardly been on the floor this year and can’t log major minutes in the playoffs (even if he could play a lot he’s too slow to stay with anyone).  Glen Davis has a wide body, but at 6’8” opposing bigs shoot right over him, and Nenad Kristic is a stiff.  Boston’s calling card, their biggest advantage, is their defense, and in many ways Perkins was its anchor.  Now they’ve forfeited that advantage for a guy that will come off the bench for Garnett or Paul Pierce.  This trade must make the Heat ecstatic.  Now Chris Bosh can enjoy a little more freedom in the post and won’t endure as much punishment.  Bosh can also now take Garnett away from the rim and allow LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to drive to the hoop against the likes of Davis, Green, and maybe Shaq.  Bad, bad move Boston.

Impact on the Thunder: I love the move for Oklahoma City.  They had nobody in the post for the last two years, and their lack of size was probably the biggest weakness of any team considered a major contender.  Perkins isn’t a scorer, but he’s going to grab a bunch of rebounds, eliminate most people he guards, and dump in 8-10 points with high percentage shooting.  Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are going to carry the scoring load for this team, which made the tweener Green expendable.  Green has plateaued as a player, and it was time for the Thunder to cash him out for a valuable return.  The Thunder don’t need much more offensively than their dynamic duo, so what they did was grab a defensive specialist and overall post presence.  In a separate deal the Thunder also acquired center Nazr Mohammed for Morris Peterson and D.J. White, two stiffs (I just like that word right now).  The Thunder gain two guys who aren’t going to score much, but have the length and bulk to battle the Lakers, Spurs, and Mavericks in the West.  Add uber-athlete and shot blocker extraordinaire Serge Ibaka, and the Thunder boast maybe the best defensive frontcourt in basketball.  Ibaka has the athleticism to come from the weakside and challenge shots, while Perkins will use his body to wear out opposing centers.  Keep in mind that Durant is a 6’10” small forward.  Put it all together and this should be a very strong rebounding team moving forward.  The Thunder did lose some scoring in this deal, and they may be an offseason acquisition away from being a Finals-worthy team, but I think they made a wonderful move to change the team dynamic.  If Nate Robinson can be a guy that can consistently score 10-12 points off the bench, then this deal is even more of a slam dunk.

Recap: Bad Boston!!  Good Oklahoma City!!

--from Adam