Thank you Danny Ainge for ruining this season

[MikeB1]

I've been a Celtics fan for almost 50 years and I follow them daily during the regular season.  As soon as I heard about the Perkins trade, I knew the Celtics would be in trouble. With the Celtics being 10-8 since the trade, I think my fears have been confirmed.

The loss last night to the Pacers is just another example of the confusion the Perkins trade has caused. The players on the team were very close before the trade from public comments by Garnett, Pierce etc made after the trade.  Perkins and Rondo were close friends, and I believe the chemistry of the team has been destroyed. Hence the title to my post > thanks Danny for overreacting to what other teams were doing.

I also think an early exit this year from the playoffs will result in the retirement of Doc Rivers. I believe the Perkins trade will be looked upon as the end of the era of Garnett, Allen and Pierce...the team will never be the same again.  Back to rebuilding, if not next year, then the year after.  It has been fun while it lasted.  Mike

[Edgar]

Mike

Sorry, imho youre wrong, more than that, youre absolutly wrong
Without those moves Cs were facing the season with 7 players
all of them banged,  a bunch of rookies and Nate

If we are 10-8 with those 7 maybe we were 5 and 13

Edgar

[StartOrien]

The negativity in this town sucks

[fairweatherfan]

Hence the title to my post > thanks Danny for overreacting to what other teams were doing.

Yeah, I hate it when people overreact to what others are doing. 

[Mencius]

This team stunk it up for the last 54 games of the season WITH Perkins last year.  They went 35-12 (or some such) WITHOUT him this year.  They simply went into the same funk as they did last year WITH him a little later this year without him.

I don't put their poor play on the trade, either.  No guarantee they can get it together like they did last year (they are yet another year older with more miles on the odometer), but their early play this year without Perkins is reason for hope, if we can get back one or both of the ONeals.

[StartOrien]

For those of you who bashed the trade, I have a relatively simple request. Figure out the minutes on who'd play shooting guard and small forward for 48 minutes.

Right now I'd guess:

SF: Pierce (35) / Green (13)
SG: Allen (35) / West (13)

Before the trade my best guess is:

SF: Pierce (35)/ Wafer (13)
SG: Allen (35) / West (13)

If the playoffs were to end today we'd have the Knicks & Carmelo in the first and the Heat & Lebron in the second. Were you comfortable with either Von Wafer (and/or Sasha Pavlovic) playing at least 13 minutes (Pierce could get into foul trouble to increase time) or having Pierce play 40 minutes per night in the opening two rounds of the playoffs?

If you were, we can agree to disagree. If you weren't I think you need to reassess your position.

[Assassin70]

To late to play the shoulda/woulda/coulda game.

Bottom line is Perk is not walking through that door, and what is done is done.

It is time to stop making excuses and start winning games...simple as that.

[jambr380]

Unfortunately, this is one of those arguments that will never be settled. Even if the Celtics lose in the first or second round, supporters of the trade will say that it would have happened anyway and the veterans of the team should have been much stronger mentally. Detractors will of course say that Perk was the anchor of our team and point to what happened in game 7 last year without him.

Ainge made a calculated move. On the surface it looks to improve our team down the road and it really should have improved it slightly now (giving Pierce a viable back up). We were horrible in the second half last year - let's just hope the same thing happens again, only we win the championship this time. Anything less will be considered Ainge's folly - which I completely disagree with.

[GreenFaith1819]

Woah-woah-woah...please wait.

Season isn't over, ain't even close.

Sure we've been losing a few here lately - BUT: We have KG, Paul, Rajon and Ray relatively healthy.

Just wait until the playoffs - and even before then. I have a feeling we'll be sending CHI and MIA some messages here over the next few weeks.

And against LA? What? No Perk? No offense, Perk - but IMO the most important player on our team in a matchup vs LA is none other than a healthy Kevin Garnett.

In a fairly-reffed game, with KG healthy and plugged in - he will neutralize Pau's production, and Gasol, to me, is the key to beating the Lakers. When Kobe is not trying to win it on his own, he is running the offense through Pau.

This season is not over, by any stretch - no matter who was traded. To me, it begins anew on Apr 17.

[jpd985]

You can't blame him for the big man and marquis injuries or for the players when they decide to coast.

[Tai]

For those of you who bashed the trade, I have a relatively simple request. Figure out the minutes on who'd play shooting guard and small forward for 48 minutes.

Right now I'd guess:

SF: Pierce (35) / Green (13)
SG: Allen (35) / West (13)

Before the trade my best guess is:

SF: Pierce (35)/ Wafer (13)
SG: Allen (35) / West (13)

If the playoffs were to end today we'd have the Knicks & Carmelo in the first and the Heat & Lebron in the second. Were you comfortable with either Von Wafer (and/or Sasha Pavlovic) playing at least 13 minutes (Pierce could get into foul trouble to increase time) or having Pierce play 40 minutes per night in the opening two rounds of the playoffs?

If you were, we can agree to disagree. If you weren't I think you need to reassess your position.

I guess you don't like the idea of Wafer backing up the SG position, like he would?

And from Doc's rotations, it's clear West will be the backup PG while Arroyo is the 3rd string PG, so West wouldn't play SG either.

[FatjohnReturns]

For those of you who bashed the trade, I have a relatively simple request. Figure out the minutes on who'd play shooting guard and small forward for 48 minutes.

Right now I'd guess:

SF: Pierce (35) / Green (13)
SG: Allen (35) / West (13)

Before the trade my best guess is:

SF: Pierce (35)/ Wafer (13)
SG: Allen (35) / West (13)

If the playoffs were to end today we'd have the Knicks & Carmelo in the first and the Heat & Lebron in the second. Were you comfortable with either Von Wafer (and/or Sasha Pavlovic) playing at least 13 minutes (Pierce could get into foul trouble to increase time) or having Pierce play 40 minutes per night in the opening two rounds of the playoffs?

If you were, we can agree to disagree. If you weren't I think you need to reassess your position.

yea exactly tp
No Tai Wafer should not see the floor. In the playoffs Doc should use a three guard rotation Rondo,Allen,West. Green must play 15-20 at SF while we dont overplay Paul.

[StartOrien]

For those of you who bashed the trade, I have a relatively simple request. Figure out the minutes on who'd play shooting guard and small forward for 48 minutes.

Right now I'd guess:

SF: Pierce (35) / Green (13)
SG: Allen (35) / West (13)

Before the trade my best guess is:

SF: Pierce (35)/ Wafer (13)
SG: Allen (35) / West (13)

If the playoffs were to end today we'd have the Knicks & Carmelo in the first and the Heat & Lebron in the second. Were you comfortable with either Von Wafer (and/or Sasha Pavlovic) playing at least 13 minutes (Pierce could get into foul trouble to increase time) or having Pierce play 40 minutes per night in the opening two rounds of the playoffs?

If you were, we can agree to disagree. If you weren't I think you need to reassess your position.

I guess you don't like the idea of Wafer backing up the SG position, like he would?

And from Doc's rotations, it's clear West will be the backup PG while Arroyo is the 3rd string PG, so West wouldn't play SG either.

I'm pointing out that before the trade it was a neccessary evil, as I don't want to see Sasha Pavlovic play any playoff minutes. Once Marquis went down it left a gaping hole at the 3.

I assume there's 8 minutes behind Rondo, those will be played by West in either situations as I can't see Arroyo getting more minutes than the occasional few seconds before the end of a quarter.

I like Wafer, and have thoroughly enjoyed his transformation as a player before his injury, but I don't want to have to rely on him playing any minutes in the playoffs either.

[Sizzlack]

Look, here's the bottom line, those of us supporting the trade from the beginning have been saying it: If the Oneals aren't healthy, the trade drastically hurts this team.

Now, everyone is out condemning the trade because of this last stretch, but news flash people, neither Oneal has been playing. Danny said it from the get go "We were a better team with Shaq of the floor" he's banking this years success on the health of Shaq and Jermaine, he knows without them, losing Perk will really hurt this team.

Is it a risk? Of course, JO has knees of glass and Shaq is... well, really old. But it was a calculated gamble, and you can't jump to conclusions about the trade based on the recent stretch where, neither of them have been available.

Playoffs will start, the veterans will find that second gear and kick it up a notch, and if the Oneals are healthy, this team will be just as poised for Banner 18 as they were before the trade.

[FatjohnReturns]

How anyone can criticize Ainge after what he has accomplished here is beyond me.

I think as fans we need to put our faith in the job Danny has done and the job he is going to do in the future.

I have no doubts I trust Ainge to run this team completely.