Shaquille O'Neal or Nenad Krstic? The Boston Celtics' Center Dilemma

Nenad Krstic has started all eight of his games as a Celtic, averaging 13.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Not bad for the seven-foot Serb, who was met with grimaces when he and Jeff Green were traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Celtics for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

The Celtics also have another seven-foot center, Shaquille O'Neal. Shaq, who is currently out with a sore Achilles tendon, is said to be itching to get back. There has been talk of him having an injection to play through the pain, though that has been played down by Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge, who just want the big man back when he is in "no pain." Before his injury, Shaq had been a great fill-in for then-injured Kendrick Perkins and helped the team go on its longest winning streak of the season, at 14 games.

Both guys seem like they could do an adequate job at center. This is the dilemma the Celtics face. When push comes to shove, bodies are healthy and everyone's gunning for a place on the floor, who gets the start? Here are both of the arguments.

Reasons for Shaq To Start

When it comes to experience, Shaq wins hands down. He has won four titles, and this cannot be underestimated in the attempt to get the 18th banner.

Shaq also has a great presence in the paint. If the Celtics face the Magic in the playoffs, I don't expect Shaq or Krstic to be able to control Dwight Howard, because who actually can? It's all about not preventing Howard from dominating the pain and the game to an extent where the Celtics can't compete. Personally, Shaq is going to be better at clogging up the paint than Krstic, and he'll do a better job with Howard.

O'Neal also averages more defensive rebounds a game, which may be huge if we cast our minds back to Game 7 last year and the 23 offensive rebounds that the Lakers claimed, which killed us last time out.

Reasons for Krstic To Start

Can the Celts actually count on Shaq? Can the big man stay healthy? I hope so, but it's far from guaranteed that Shaq will be able to last in a long playoff run. Krstic seems to be healthy and is far from injury prone. It is far more likely that he will be healthier than Shaw down the stretch.

Krstic also possesses a mean, accurate jumper, which helps spread the floor. He isn't slow to the basket and his movement from one end of the floor to the other is much quicker than Shaq's. This up-and-down game could become a lot more prominent down the stretch too.

Verdict

If Shaq is healthy, Rivers will start him, but it's a lot closer than people expected when Krstic was first dealt to the Celts. An injured Shaq won't prevent the Celtics from winning an NBA title, because Krstic is no sleeper. He can play.