Danny Ainge has rolled the dice numerous times as General Manager of the Boston Celtics coming up a winner every time, however his latest trade may crap out! The trade of center Kendrick Perkins shook the Celtics tightly wound cocoon and left all involved emotionally drained, except for Ainge. Its a general managers job to make the hard decisions and take the heat that comes with those decisions but this one may be hard to sell. Although Perkins has been injured for most of the season dating back to last years NBA finals and recently turned down a four year $30 million extension he is still one in a small class of centers in the league. It has been logged into the history of the NBA that you can’t win a title without a good center and the Celtics just traded one of them for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.
Look at the last three NBA champions, in 2008 the Celtics won because the Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum was hurt and no one could guard Perkins. In 2009 the Lakers won because they were able to match Bynum against the Superior Dwight Howard and at least slow him down and in 2010 the Lakers won again! Why you ask? They won because Perkins got hurt in game six leaving them without a center for the two crucial games in Los Angeles and the Celtics had no one to replace him. Compile those previous three scenarios with the fact that one of the Celtics biggest threats is the Orlando Magic who have possibly the best center in the league in Howard. Howard is a monster and he abuses most teams with his size and strength, however his worst performances in his career have come against whom you ask? You guessed it…the Celtics!
Yet the biggest issue I have with this trade is that Ainge put all his money on Shaquille O’Neal being the Celtics center for the playoffs. The oft-injured Shaq isn’t able to dominate a game anymore, matter a-fact he isn’t much of a factor at all anymore. Take a look at the last two teams who put there playoff hopes in Shaq’s hands, the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers and check the results…it blew up in there faces. I fear that Ainge and the Celtics have sealed their own fate with this ill-advised trade of Perkins. Again, you need a big man to win titles and the Celtics lack that now. So I ask you this question Mr. Ainge. Why take something that wasn’t broke and try to fix it?

With the Celtics up 3-0 in the NBA Eastern Conference Championship, a return to the NBA Finals after a one-year hiatus looks imminent. However, Boston needs to give it their all to win this year. Rajon Rondo has played great all season long, but how much better can he get? Clearly he will never be a primary scorer, and he already does everything else well. So to think he will get a lot better is pretty foolish. Kevin Garnett is playing better in the postseason than he did during the regular season, but clearly age has caught up with him. Paul Pierce seems to be a Celtic for life. Ray Allen will be a free agent, and considering Boston was possibly shopping him earlier in the season, who knows if he will be brought back. And Kendrick Perkins is one temper tantrum away from getting himself into trouble.

Coming into the season, I would have said that Boston’s run in 2008 would be their only one with this core. But these playoffs have proved me, and many other people wrong. But as the years go on, their window closes. That is why the Celtics need to win it all in 2010 for their sake.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has been suspended for Game 2 of Boston’s first-round playoff series against the Heat for landing an elbow to the face of Miami’s Quentin Richardson in a fourth-quarter fracas during Game 1 on Saturday.

The announcement was made Sunday by Stu Jackson, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations.

Richardson was fined $25,000 for his role in the altercation.

Garnett earned a double technical and ejection in the melee that unfolded after Paul Pierce tumbled to the ground near the Miami bench with 40 seconds left in Boston’s victory at the TD Garden.

Click here to read the full article – By Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett returned to practice Tuesday, engaging in full activity for the first time since hyperextending his surgically repaired right knee late last month.


By all accounts, Garnett looked fluid and he even expressed a desire to return to game action as soon as possible, though Celtics coach Doc Rivers indicated it will come no sooner than Friday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Boston is waiting to see how the knee responds in the next few days before making a decision on that contest.

“Felt good to be back with the guys today, [my] first real practice, it felt good,” Garnett said.

Asked if he would push Rivers to put him in the lineup Wednesday night on the road against the Detroit Pistons, Garnett joked, “It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t … [But I'm] being smart about injuries, so they don’t get worse. I think I learned that last year the hard way. I’m trying to be patient and actually listen.”

Click here to read the full article – By Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com