The Perkins Trade: One of the Worst in NBA History

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by ateamstupid

When I think of a terrible trade, I think of something like the Herschel Walker/Steve Young/Dominique Wilkins deals. This was an ill-timed trade, but I'm pretty sure if Shaq stayed healthy and Rondo doesn't lose his arm, it doesn't look nearly as bad as it does now.

It's an easy scapegoat for a team that suffered through a bunch of injuries and frankly, gave away two games in the series against Miami (with the help of some typically Sternian officiating in Game 5).

As I said in the first post, materially, the trade was actually pretty decent. They weren't going to pay Perkins anyway and getting a potential lottery pick as well as Green and Krstic for him was a good haul.

The timing in this deal is everything. Who makes that trade when a title is in the balance?

[declansharbor]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

As I said in the first post, materially, the trade was actually pretty decent. They weren't going to pay Perkins anyway and getting a potential lottery pick as well as Green and Krstic for him was a good haul.

The timing in this deal is everything. Who makes that trade when a title is in the balance?

The Sixers traded an injured Theo Ratliff while atop the Eastern Conference in 2001. Deke came in and helped us get to the Finals !!

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by declansharbor

The Sixers traded an injured Theo Ratliff while atop the Eastern Conference in 2001. Deke came in and helped us get to the Finals !!

Good pull but that's a different trade altogether. Mutombo and Ratliff played the same position and Deke was the best interior defender in the league at the time. Ratliff was expected to miss another 20 games at the time the trade was made and possibly more.

Trading a healthy Ratliff for Deke would have been an upgrade. Trading a seriously injured Ratliff for Deke was a no brainer. I realize that Perkins was injured when Boston traded him but it was minor. Ratliff had a pretty serious wrist injury.

[Cannon Shell]

I dont see Perkins in his current state making a difference for Boston. He wasn't going to make much of a difference against Miami. His biggest value was against Orlando and LA both who are also gone.

The idea that Perkins in the middle would have made a difference was pretty much shredded by what Memphis did. I mean would he have shutdown Joel Anthony anymore than Anthony is shutdown by his own self check? Boston's chemistry would have been much better if Paul Pierce didnt look like he aged 20 years the last 6 months, Rondo's left arm was still attached, Garnett didn't bounce after every good game and Big Baby didnt completely tank the series.

Watch Perkins tonight, he isn't moving very well even for him.

I didn't understand the trade for Boston at the time and still don't think it is going to look good in hindsight but I don't think Perkins at 80% (being kind) would have made any difference in this series.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I dont see Perkins in his current state making a difference for Boston. He wasn't going to make much of a difference against Miami. His biggest value was against Orlando and LA both who are also gone.

The idea that Perkins in the middle would have made a difference was pretty much shredded by what Memphis did. I mean would he have shutdown Joel Anthony anymore than Anthony is shutdown by his own self check? Boston's chemistry would have been much better if Paul Pierce didnt look like he aged 20 years the last 6 months, Rondo's left arm was still attached, Garnett didn't bounce after every good game and Big Baby didnt completely tank the series.

Watch Perkins tonight, he isn't moving very well even for him.

I didn't understand the trade for Boston at the time and still don't think it is going to look good in hindsight but I don't think Perkins at 80% (being kind) would have made any difference in this series.

Memphis is a completely different team on both ends of the floor than Miami and Boston is a completely different team defensively than OKC. How you can say that what Memphis did against OKC is proof of anything that Boston would have done against Miami just doesn't make sense.

Boston's problem against Miami, aside from the obvious injury to Rondo, was that Wade and Lebron could sail through the lane unmolested and without fear. Was Krsti or 95 year old twins jermaine O and KG going to lay a body on those guys? I don't care if Perkins was 80%, on the defensive end, that is a vast improvement over what Boston had individually not to mention what it did for the team as a collective unit. Rondo was more free to take chances on the perimeter and Allen could actually put a hand up in Wade's face instead of having to give him two feet or worse, boston having to double.

I think its fair to say that its questionable that Boston would have beaten Chicago with or without Perkins. But at the same time, Boston probably would have had homecourt advantage over Miami and things might have played out a little differently. I think Boston's record AFTER the trade not to mention Rivers comments (AFTER he got the money!) give a little credence to my argument.

You might have a point that Perkins would not have made a difference but everything I saw especially the blowout in Miami at the end of the regular season tell me differently. I think if you are in contention to win a title, which anyone would agree that they were, you don't trade your starting center away (one of the top five defensive centers in the league) for a tweener, a draft pick and a soft euro.

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

You might have a point that Perkins would not have made a difference but everything I saw especially the blowout in Miami at the end of the regular season tell me differently.

Would his presence have kept Rondo from getting hurt? Cuz they ain't doing shyt without Rondo. I think the trade hurt the team more in chemistry. Nate R was like a lil cheerleader on Anjo Dust. Bitch is all quiet in OKC.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by dalakhani

Memphis is a completely different team on both ends of the floor than Miami and Boston is a completely different team defensively than OKC. How you can say that what Memphis did against OKC is proof of anything that Boston would have done against Miami just doesn't make sense.

Boston's problem against Miami, aside from the obvious injury to Rondo, was that Wade and Lebron could sail through the lane unmolested and without fear. Was Krsti or 95 year old twins jermaine O and KG going to lay a body on those guys? I don't care if Perkins was 80%, on the defensive end, that is a vast improvement over what Boston had individually not to mention what it did for the team as a collective unit. Rondo was more free to take chances on the perimeter and Allen could actually put a hand up in Wade's face instead of having to give him two feet or worse, boston having to double.

I think its fair to say that its questionable that Boston would have beaten Chicago with or without Perkins. But at the same time, Boston probably would have had homecourt advantage over Miami and things might have played out a little differently. I think Boston's record AFTER the trade not to mention Rivers comments (AFTER he got the money!) give a little credence to my argument.

You might have a point that Perkins would not have made a difference but everything I saw especially the blowout in Miami at the end of the regular season tell me differently. I think if you are in contention to win a title, which anyone would agree that they were, you don't trade your starting center away (one of the top five defensive centers in the league) for a tweener, a draft pick and a soft euro.

I agree that the trade was very strange for a supposedly legit title contender especially so considering the age of their key players. But he simply hasnt been that healthy this year and I cant see how he would have prevented James or Wade from doing anything very often. This is 2011. If he had taken a shot or hard foul on either of them he would have been tossed. And if you watched the Memphis series you didnt see Memphis have much of a problem sending guys far inferior to James/Wade to the basket. Perkins is an excellent low post defender but he isnt Dwight Howard back there.

And Bostons record after the trade is fairly immaterial as they rested players far more than teams usually do down the stretch. I turned on a game against the Wizards late in the season and you would have thought it was preseason with the team Boston fielded for most of the 2nd half of a tight game.

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I agree that the trade was very strange for a supposedly legit title contender especially so considering the age of their key players. But he simply hasnt been that healthy this year and I cant see how he would have prevented James or Wade from doing anything very often. This is 2011. If he had taken a shot or hard foul on either of them he would have been tossed. And if you watched the Memphis series you didnt see Memphis have much of a problem sending guys far inferior to James/Wade to the basket. Perkins is an excellent low post defender but he isnt Dwight Howard back there.

And Bostons record after the trade is fairly immaterial as they rested players far more than teams usually do down the stretch. I turned on a game against the Wizards late in the season and you would have thought it was preseason with the team Boston fielded for most of the 2nd half of a tight game.

Memphis perimeter players weren't getting to the basket except for game 7 when Mayo had a few nice drives. Even so, those were on the break and not in the half court set for the most part. Randolph played out of his mind and Gasol did okay for most of the series. Again, the heat doesn't have players like Gasol and Randolph. From the halfcourt, the heat clear out. If the middle isn't open, the Heat become very stagnate on offense. Check what Boston did against them before and after the trade. Very telling.

You are going to say that the reason Boston finished 16-12 after the trade is because they rested players? Really?? The game against the Wizards they rested players...because it was the second to last game of the freaking season and they had already locked in the third seed not to mention they had just gotten blown out the day before against miami. If you are talking about the one the week before, they beat washington by 16 at home although they did blow them out in the fourth quarter after it being tight for the first three. Boston was 3-0 against Miami pre-trade. Then, in the biggest game of the regular season with the number 2 spot on the line, The Celtics get blown out on national tv and get outrebounded 42-26 while prior to that they had outrebounded miami cumulatively and in 2 out of the 3.

Either way its speculation as what they would have done. To me though, their record and stats don't lie. There was a big difference after the trade.