The trade shocked me. I love Perkins, as a player and as a guy. He is genuine off the court, and he works his tail off in games and in practice.

But, as we all know, the NBA is a business, and the Celts felt a deal had to happen.

The trade tells me a few things about the team’s outlook.

What We Learned

1. Kendrick Perkins would not have been retained after the season. The Celtics know that Perkins’s defensive prowess in the paint is a major asset, and Perk will likely garner numerous lucrative offers from teams willing to (over)pay for his services.

2. Boston is not worried about the Orlando Magic. Having Perkins gave the C’s a clear advantage over the Magic, since he could guard Dwight Howard. However, Orlando is still trying to find an identity after re-tooling their roster.

The Heat, Bulls, Lakers, Spurs and Knicks are all more relevant to the Celtics than the Magic, and these teams should be.

The Celtics have the personnel to let Howard score his 30 points and snatch his 15 rebounds, but keep guys like Jameer Nelson, Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu in check.

3. The Celtics are not sold on Perkins’s offensive progression. Boston viewed Perkins as expendable simply because he was an offensive liability. Although he was able to hide his deficiencies through the play of the other starters, he was clearly a defensively oriented player.

Having both Rajon Rondo and Perk on the floor on offense was making the Celtics easier to defend.

Teams don’t mind leaving Rondo alone (daring him to take jump shots), and can shade off of Perkins, relying on the time it took Perkins to hesitate, up-fake, or take the ball to the floor.

Essentially, opposition had free defenders to prevent Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce from scoring.

4. Delonte West is an upgrade over Nate Robinson, and Boston knows it. Nate Robinson was only expendable because Delonte West is a better point guard (to back up Rondo), a more consistent offensive player, and a stronger defender.

This brings me to my next point, why the trade makes sense for the Celtics.

It Makes Sense

First, Nate Robinson, although fun to watch, a high-energy defender and a light-it-up type scorer, he was inconsistent offensively.

Enter West, who can do what Nate Robinson does defensively, and even more offensively. West is significantly larger than Robinson, and he has a skill set of a natural point guard.

The Celtics have never truly been able to find a back up for Rondo, and West gives the second-unit a desperately needed point guard.

Now, in terms of what the Celtics got: Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

Jeff Green is a good player. He has averaged just under 15 points per game in his young career, along with 5.8 rebounds per game.

The Celtics have been looking for somebody to replace James Posey since the lock-down defender and three-point specialist moved on to New Orleans, and they finally have found their answer.

Green is a tall forward, at 6-8, so he has the size to guard power forwards and small forwards (LeBron James, for instance), but the quickness to keep up with slashing 2-guards. Also, he has been playing at power forward, where he is slightly undersized.

On the Celtics Green will be able to play his more natural SF position, where the size mismatch is in his favor.

Nenad Krstic is young (27), but has seen his numbers take a dip this season. Nonetheless, he has averaged 10 points per game over his career, and is a player who (unlike Perkins) is an offensive threat with jump-shooting capabilities.

He is certainly not as much of a defensive presence, but at 7-0 he can block shots.

Also, people think that without Perkins the Celtics will be lost defensively.

Boston didn’t look lost without him for the first half of the season, and defense is as much about being mentally strong as it is about being physically capable (as in guys can step in, embrace a way of playing, and add to their game).

Let’s look at the starting lineup, post trade (assuming Krstic will have the starting job over Shaquille O’Neal).

Defenses now have four players to focus on, meaning less double teams keying in on the C’s “big three”. This makes the offense more dynamic.

Here’s the much improved second unit:

Jeff Green starts on almost any other team in the NBA, as does Delonte West. Von Wafer, for some reason, has been lost on the Celtics bench.

He has an average jumper but is explosive when driving through the lane, and Doc has consistently praised his defensive awareness. He is similar to Marquis Daniels in terms of abilities, but he has more upside.

Glen Davis will surely be in contention for sixth-man of the year, and he too could start on many teams.

The second unit is, quite frankly, the best in the NBA, and strong enough to compete with many first units.

Overall, the Celtics gained what they desperately needed, a young, healthy swing man who can play defense but also score. They lost out defensively, but Shaquille O’Neal is still in the mix, and if Jermaine O’Neal comes back, the team will have another big body to take up space.

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However, the Celtics obtained the rights to to an undersized big man who was considered overweight and borderline useless. After a year learning the ropes of the game from Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis emerged.

Currently, “Big Baby” is one of the league’s best sixth men. He can put points on the board, take charges and defend multiple positions. Essentially, he’s always the spark of energy for the generally older Celtics team.

As of now, it seems reasonable to consider Glen Davis a candidate for the sixth-man of the year award. Davis is currently averaging 10.8 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, .94 steals per game and 1.4 assists per game.

What makes Davis so dangerous is his versatility. He has the physical size to guard power forwards and some centers, but the quickness and speed to guard small forwards. Davis is quick to the ball and arguably the best player in the NBA at taking charges.

Charges are huge momentum swingers, and basketball is a game of runs and momentum. A charge results in a loss of possession (potentially a 5-point swing) and puts a team in foul trouble.

Considering Davis only averages 29 minutes per game, he is putting up some impressive numbers.

However, they could have made runs at picking up guys like Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, Mike Miller, Joe Johnson, or even Mario Chalmers.

I thought Joe Johnson could have been a huge pickup for Boston, but after signing a maximum contract with the Atlanta Hawks it was very clear that he was more interested in a big-contract and staying with his team than finding a place that had more talent or potential to win, which he could have done.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, the Lakers and Heat both have extremely talented rosters. Boston does have a lot of talent, but not the “sexy” talent like Miami or L.A. has with guys like Kobe Bryant, Wade, or James. Because of their current set of players, Miami and L.A. were able to pick up the second-third tier players like Blake and Miller, taking away players who could be pivotal on a Boston bench.

In grading an offseason, the fundamental question that needs to be asked is, did the team improve? Obviously the Cavaliers had a tough offseason…it would be very difficult to support and borderline unrealistic to say that the Cavaliers improved.

The Knicks, on the other hand, landed a very talented Amar’e Stoudemire who could bring some status to New York basketball.

Did Boston improve?

I would say yes, and although they could have done more, they certainly improved enough to keep themselves in contention for a title. Both Jermaine O’Neal and Shaquille O’Neal add depth where they clearly needed it last year, adding two very big bodies inside.

Depth  might be an issue towards the end December right before Kendrick Perkins returns, as exhaustion and small injuries may start playing a factor in player performances. Further, without Rasheed Wallace (retiring), the Celtics will eagerly await Perk’s return.

Jermaine O’Neal is a strong offensive player and can get rebounds, something the Celtics sorely needed when Perkins was injured/catching a breather. Shaq is a guy who can clog up the middle of, well, anything, including a basketball court.

The two will create a platoon to allow Perkins and Garnett to rest. While obviously not as defensively minded as Kendrick and KG, they will be able to pull down rebounds and score. Throw Glen Davis into the mix, and, when healthy, the Celtics have a very unique and dangerous combination.

I think the Celtics could have used another scorer off the bench. Right now their major threat is Nate Robinson and a lot may ride on guys like Luke Harangody (impressive thus far), and the oft-injured Marquis Daniels.

The major blow Boston will have to deal with is the loss of Tony Allen. Those who did not watch Tony play throughout the season did not realize his vast improvement, both offensively and defensively. Offensively, he became a guy who could drop some points by slashing to the basket while playing lock down defense on anybody, from LeBron to Kobe.

However, the Celtics drafted Avery Bradley. Although very raw offensively, Bradley is supposedly an NBA-ready defensive player, who should be able to cover one, two, and the smaller-sized combo-guard.

Overall, the Celtics would certainly have benefited from holding onto Allen and/or adding another perimeter scoring threat. The team didn’t have the high-profile pickups like maybe the Heat or even Los Angeles, but they certainly made their team better.

The offseason is not over, and for the Celtics to jump into the A range they’ll need to sign a small forward or shooting guard who can score so that the backup role doesn’t fall completely in the hands of untested players.

Grade: B/B+

Tony Allen possesses ridiculous athleticism, defensive intensity, and an upside as high as one of the elite 1-on-1 defenders in the NBA. This past season as a Celtic, Allen finally showed fans what he was capable of, especially in the playoffs.

His athleticism was shown by his beautiful finishes at the rim and a dunk during which he pulled his arm back and dunked around and over Anderson Varejao.

However, it was his defending that earned him a top spot on the bench.

Tony Allen was vital in the Celtics playoff run. He offered rest to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and slowed the likes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, and on a lesser scale, Vince Carter.

Offensively, Allen was a player who could slash to the basket and on occasion finish with emphasis. While he is not nearly an offensive threat, he was a serviceable 4th or 5th option.

TA is a unique player in that he gives a team defensive versatility.

Think of him like Darelle Revis on the New York Jets.

The Jets have the capability to stick Revis 1-on-1 with any wide receiver in the NFL, knowing that Revis will succeed. This allows them to send blitzes to rush the quarterback or double cover other offensive threats.

Allen allowed the Celtics to do the same. In the Finals, he covered Kobe Bryant. While Bryant still put up points, Ray Allen and Tony Allen made him take many shots which were very much forced.

This lead to Kobe’s low overall shooting percentage of 40% from field goal range, and 31% from beyond the arc.

Against the Heat, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were both inconsistent when guarding Wade, but when Tony played against Flash, he not only allowed Pierce and Ray to get into an offensive rhythm (instead of overworking themselves defensively), but also made life very difficult for Wade.

Wade ended up scoring a remarkable 56% from the field, but T. Allen received limited playing time.

Defensively, the C’s only needed to concern themselves with Wade, the Heat’s major offensive threat. They knew they could let Wade go for 30 and still win through team offense, which Tony sometimes struggled with.

However, when he did play, there was a noticeable drop in Wade’s energy level.

While not always statistically shown, Tony Allen can go 1-on-1 with the best players in the NBA and allow other players to play a team/help defense.

With the new big three in Miami, Tony could have guarded Wade or LeBron, while the Celtics could double team the other. Kevin Garnett, although aging, can still handle Chris Bosh with the help of Jermaine O’Neal and when healthy, Kendrick Perkins.

Without Tony, the Celtics will presumably double James, which will put Wade in 1-on-1 situations with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Marquis Daniels. All are capable defenders, but with each one the Celtics sacrifice in a significant fashion defensively.

With Tony Allen, they wouldn’t have to.

Three of the top players in the entire NBA, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and of course LeBron James all on one team. That means 60% of the Heat’s starters are Olympic Champions.

Most people believe that makes the Heat the best team in the NBA, most certainly the East.

Overall I agree, Miami is not only the team to beat, but they clearly have the most talented roster, regardless of who they add. However, as of now, I would argue that the Celtics would beat the Heat, as would the Lakers. No, not just because it would be 5-on-4.

The Heat need to add a big man to play center.

Whether it be Shaq or another free agent big man willing to take a pay cut to win a ring, Miami needs a player who can bang around with the likes of Andrew Bynum, Kendrick Perkins and Dwight.

I think that is Miami’s primary concern as of now, and if they are able to find a big, bruising center, they will have a nearly completely unbeatable team.

Now, if they added a spot-up three point shooter like Mike Miller or J.J. Reddick, or even a slasher like Matt Barnes to come of the bench, they will be extremely dangerous.

No matter who the defense tries to double team, they will always be threatened by the long shot.

So right now, a healthy Celtic or Laker team is superior to this star-studded Heat team (which has not shown they can work together as of yet), but if Miami can find a way to make two or three acquisitions which add depth down low and give them another three-point shooter, they will be virtually unstoppable.

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have consistently outplayed and often dominated their opponents throughout this relatively unexciting playoff season.

Expect that to change.

The Celtics and Lakers are evenly matched. The Lakers can drop 100 points on any team, but the C’s can hold a group under 90 points on any given night.

It’s firepower versus firepower for these Finals games, and you can expect amazing to happen.

So, what will win either team a Finals?

It comes down to four key match ups.

Lamar Odom vs. Rasheed Wallace: Both players come off the bench for their respective teams, Lamar for LA and Wallace for Boston.

Both are extremely versatile, they can play strong defense, are viable threats to shoot the three point ball, and can post up smaller defenders.

However, both are also extremely streaky and fairly inconsistent. The team that has their sixth man play better in a game will win that game, because the Celts cannot match up with Lamar and the Lakers cannot match up with Rasheed.

Tony Allen vs. Kobe Bryant: Tony Allen was key in the Celtics victory over the Cavs, as he played strong defense on LeBron and was actually a threat offensively, driving to the basket.

Against Orlando, on the other hand, he was ineffective, as despite playing good defense, he was an offensive liability. If TA can get to the rim and play with some control offensively, the Celtics have a major option in stopping Kobe.

Kendrick Perkins vs. Andrew Bynum: Although Perk will be matched up against Pau Gasol for some possessions, the majority of Perk’s time will come down low against Bynum.

Andrew has a bum knee, and Perk is too strong and aggressive for Bynum to compete with without being at full strength.

If Boston can exploit this matchup, the Celtics will dominate the paint.

Rajon Rondo vs. Derek Fisher: Rajon Rondo is fast, quick and explosive, plus he’s playing the best basketball of his career. Fisher is old, slow, and will have trouble keeping up with Rondo, on both sides of the ball.

If Rondo can get to the hoop, draw fouls on the Lakers bigs, and shut down D-Fish as a defender, the Lakers will have trouble winning games.

Obviously, both teams will be relying on their superstars, but these three match ups will be very important in determining the outcome of the series.

I have the Celtics in 6.

LA has shown they can be exploited defensively after facing the Suns, while the C’s showed that if they played a poor game, they’d lose… surprise surprise.

LA won’t score 100 points night-in and night-out against Boston like they did against Phoenix, and their defense is not good enough to go head-to-head against the Celtics, who also have a deeper bench.

Most of all, I like the Rondo – Fisher match up, and I think Doc Rivers is a smart enough coach to exploit the hell out of it.

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Paul Pierce has stepped up, and Kevin Garnett’s mid-range jump shots seems to be finding the net with much more regularity at this point. Rajon Rondo, previously a threat to the Celtics at the free throw line, is now hitting shots from the charity stripe with more regularity.

Kendrick Perkins, another young player, has stepped up in a big way. He is averaging 7.6 rebounds and 12 points per game, and has become a defensive presence as a shot blocker down low.

Boston looks unstoppable right now, as they hold the best record in the entire NBA, as well as the best road record (11-1). Throw in a 10 game win streak, and this team looks like it should.

Not only has Perk improved defensively, but his offensive skills look much more refined, he is playing with more control, and he is keeping his head  in the game. Kendrick still does display a disgusted look after a questionable foul call, but he is rarely involved in technical fouls.

Also, after losing some weight in the off-season, he is much more athletic. Multiple times this year I have seen Perk fade away from a few feet off the basket and drain a little hook shot. While it doesn’t seem like much, he is keeping defenders honest by adding a second offensive dimension.

Previously, he had trouble even with simple layups, his only weapon, so defenders could play him to his weakness, a shot from a little farther out.

Now, Perk has been giving defenses fits by draining the shots when the opportunity presents itself.

Why is this important to the Celtics?

As I already mentioned, he presents another defensive threat down low to complement Kevin Garnett, and has become a shot blocking player. On offense, he just adds to the complexity of the Boston offense, one that features Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and the ever improving Rajon Rondo.

Not only have his skills scoring, rebounding and defending improved, but he has also become a strong pick setter. He is very controlled when stepping in on a defender as a pick, and always has his feet set before taking a body. This gives guys like Ray Allen and Eddie House open looks and very often lead to three pointers or uncontested drives to the basket.

In all, Perkins is just another piece of the puzzle while Boston tries to build a championship run, but his presence can never again be looked over as opposing teams try to plan for the Green.

Answered:

1. Will Rasheed Wallace be a cancerous player? Will he affect the chemistry which has become 2004 Red Sox’ like between the Celtics’ players? No. He has only been beneficial as a PF/C. He has hit seven three pointers, and is almost shooting an incredible 50% from beyond the arc. Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers are clearly making a concerted effort to keep the hot head cool, and his presence is stretching opposing defenses and making other players ever more threatening. For instance, playing the Cavs, there may be a situation where big man Anderson Varejao needs to step out on Sheed, giving a guy like Rajon Rondo or Paul Pierce an open lane to the basket with one less person to divert the shot attempt. Good move Ainge, Rasheed was a great acquisition.
2. Marquis Daniels will really help this team. Another great move by Danny Ainge. Marquis Daniels is not the same player that James Posey was, but he gives Pierce an opportunity not to guard the oppositions’ best player like LeBron for an entire game. Tony Allen was supposed to be like Daniels, a defensive presence with slashing abilities on offense, but injuries held him back. Daniels is a threat offensively and is a solid defender.
3. Kevin Garnett is fine. There are still questions about the long haul, but he has reacted well to the surgery and is playing with the same intensity that he always had.
4. The playoff performances by Rajon Rondo were not flukish. Rondo has continued to produce at a high level. Against the Bulls and one of the most hyped young point guards in the league (Derrick Rose), Rondo had 16 assists.
5. Kendrick Perkins is still improving. Perk is in his 7th season, but is improving like it’s his 3rd year. He continues to block all kinds of shots, and his offensive game is a threat, especially down low. He’s a mammoth of a man, and really does a great job clogging lanes, but his growth and development have given him abilities to be in good position to block shots.
6. Eddie House is going to be huge. Down the stretch, the Celtics will need to win games when their starting five aren’t playing up to their full potential. Eddie House will prove to be a huge spark, as his shooting abilities will be amplified with defenses having to worry about Rasheed Wallace and now Marquis Daniels.

Questions:

1. While Garnett has showed signs of health and success early on, will his knee be able to survive a full, 82 game season? If the Celtics continue to win games that they should enabling KG to get some rest, then yes. Plus, Doc Rivers is being cautious with Garnett, so if he ever feels KG needs a day off to recover, we shouldn’t worry about Rivers being afraid to give Kevin a day off. I think KG will be fine, but there will certainly be times when he was not as effective as last year.
2. Will Rondo hit his jump shots? Rondo has not had many shot attempts, just two against the Bulls, but he did hit a few jumpers against the Cavaliers and Bobcats. This is always a question with the Celtics, because teams know that Rajon will not hurt them with his mid-range shot. If he can develop that shot and continue to improve upon it (it already looks a little better) then opposing teams will have yet another item to worry about.
3. How will Glen Davis’s return affect Boston? He should only help the team. Despite his questionable decision making, he was seen smiling with Danny Ainge and joking around with teammates. He is still a part of the C’s, and when he returns the Celtics will have a sensational four man rotation of Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Rasheed Wallace and Big Baby. Throw in Brian Scalabrine and the strong rebounding and athletic Shelden Williams, and the C’s should be dominant down low.

So, while questions remain, the C’s have showed early season dominance, and at this point, there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue.