Further Reactions to the Perkins/Walker Rumor

(Photo courtesy of DGA Productions)

By: Greg Payne

First it was Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. Then it was just Rajon Rondo. After that, it was just Ray Allen. Now, it's time for Kendrick Perkins and Bill Walker to step up to the rumor plate for their first at-bat of the offseason:

From Comcast SportsNet:

Here’s the exact quote from Felger, "We heard a rumble today, just a little rumble. Danny’s throwing a bunch of stuff against the wall as he likes to do. Memphis sitting there at number two. Perk and was it JR Giddens?" (Tanguay clarifies it’s Bill Walker).

So when will it be Paul Pierce's turn? Or Kevin Garnett's? Surely it's only a matter of time, right? Are these things being on sold on Amazon? Can I buy my own?!

Well, let's take a closer look at this latest rumor and discuss why it is NOT a veritable idea for the Celtics.

Mikki Moore's unproductive and unsuccessful stint with the Celtics is virtually over. I believe we can safely assume he will not be suiting up for us next season. Glen Davis and Leon Powe are both restricted free agents and there are no guarantees we'll be signing either of them. And to cap it off, Brian Scalabrine is only 6'9 and was put on this earth to guard versatile power forwards, not dominating centers who prefer to play in the post. The message here: We are practically out of big men. Not just quality big men, but big men in general. Period.

So why would Danny even contemplate trading away our best (sans Garnett) low post option, particularly on the defensive end? Were Perkins's 11.9 points per game, 11.6 rebounds per game and 2.6 blocks per game throughout the playoffs not enough of a statement that he's ready to make "the leap" into the Top 5 centers in the league? Why trade Perk now, when he could very well be looking at his very first All-Star bid next season? His play opened eyes in the postseason, particularly when he was matched up with Dwight Howard - and not just the eyes of Celtics fans. He finally garnered some national attention, which is always key for All-Star voting.

The list of quality centers in the Eastern Conference alone continues to drop, especially now that Ben Wallace's career has been over for the past four seasons and Zydrunas Ilgauskas is following steadfast in his footsteps. Behind Howard, who would YOU place ahead of Perk? Jermaine O'Neal? Andrew Bogut? Emeka Okafor? Let's be serious. If you throw in the fact that Perk has developed a reliable jump shot from 10-12 feet out, a turn around/step back jumper from five feet away, a legitimate jump hook and a consistent share of up and unders, it's practically a given that he's transformed into the second best center in the Eastern Conference right now. You could even argue that Perk has better stuff on the offensive side of the ball than Howard at this point in time.

So now we need to try and dive into Ainge's head here. We need to become Ainge. Go ahead, become Ainge with me. What would he have done with the second pick? Supposedly he's in love with Tyreke Evans from Memphis, but would he seriously give away our starting center for an unproven shooting guard, who supposedly cannot even shoot the ball that well? It's a well known fact in basketball that quality perimeter swing men come around much more often than seven-foot centers with All-Star potential, and Ainge knows that. It's almost an unspoken basketball rule that arguably the two most important positions on the floor are point guard and center, and since we finally have proven and reliable options at both of those positions, why would we trade that away?

With that in mind, if Ainge were to deal Perk away, wouldn't that have to mean that he has some sort of distinct interest in Hasheem Thabeet from Connecticut? BUT, that also doesn't make sense because why would Ainge take on an entirely new project at the center position when Perk is only 24 years old? You could even make the case that Thabeet right now is similar to Perk when he first came into the league. Neither have a lick of offense to speak of, but are quality defenders. The only difference now is that Perk has been guarding NBA bodies for five seasons already, has proven he can stand in as the team's best interior defender and now has a reputable offensive package to carry into every game with him. So why would Ainge draft the still very raw Thabeet and give C's big man coach Clifford Ray an entirely new project when he's so close to making Perk a well-respected force in this league? It just doesn't make sense.

UNLESS...Ainge gives away Perkins and Walker, obtains his second pick and then hands Orlando's backup center, Marcin Gortat some eye-popping money. Here's the problem: You don't trade away the second best center in the EC and then go out and sign a guy who averaged just three points and three rebounds for the entire postseason. I understand he was playing behind Howard, but Ainge CANNOT be serious about bringing in a guy who's started in a mere three games over the course of his entire career, with a 12.1 minutes per game career mark to go along with that. Gortat might have some talent, but whoever divvies up the cash for his services this summer will both overpay and regret their decision halfway through the season. So that potential scenario for the Celtics doesn't make sense either.

I believe I said this when I broke down a Ray Allen rumor last week, but I'll say it again: I do not wield the power to extinguish trade rumors, but if you reason through the possible options and try and predict what COULD happen, you can practically come to the conclusion that Ainge wouldn't seriously make a deal like this. He makes the right deals for this team, not hurried and drastic moves in desperation that come back and hurt the team in the long run. Perkins is a perfect fit for this team, so why would Ainge try and mess that up?

Stay Tuned.

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