NBA Trade Rumors: Jeff Green Won't Have Chance at Redemption with Boston Celtics
Jeff Green was traded to the Boston Celtics along with Nenad Krstic, but there was a stigma attached to his arrival.
Although the Celtics were receiving a high-energy source and young basketball body, they were losing a fraction of their starting lineup and a big reason why they won the 2008 NBA Finals Championship: Kendrick Perkins.
No matter how many Lakers fans would like to voice their opinion about the true reason Boston, Rajon Rondo especially, was slipping down the Eastern Conference totem pole, Perkins stood as cause No. 1.
It was not a drift predetermined by the big man himself, so that may have allowed a few less sleepless nights as he saw his former squad struggle without him. Saying that Perk’s exit did not have a detrimental effect on the Celtics is a foolish conclusion.
Rajon Rondo, personally, was shooting particularly well before the trade with 59 percent of the games he played shooting above 50 percent, including the last game he played with Kendrick where he shot for 75 percent against the Golden State Warriors on February 22.
After the trade, minus the two games at the end of the regular season that Rondo was benched, he shot above 50 percent in only 36 percent of his games, with the remaining 16 shooting below.
Are we still blaming his bad shooting averages on Barack Obama?
His shooting issues came even before his visit to the White House when he revisited the Golden State Warriors and shot 47.7 percent worse than he did just a week or two before.
Green was tossed into a situation where he was surrounded by men confused by the move that had just been made and forced to make a decision. Would he fill Perkins’ shoes or make C’s fans long for the big man for the rest of the regular and postseason?
Fortunately for the Miami Heat’s hopes of making it to the NBA Finals for the first year after the assembly of the infamous “Big 3,” he fell short.
Green averaged 15.0 points per game before the trade not to mention from the month of February to the month of March alone, Green’s statistics went down in the categories of free throw percentage, rebounds, assists and blocks.
As reported by Yahoo Sports columnist Marc J. Spears, Green knew throughout his time with the Celtics what people expected of him.
"“The one thing about me is that I’m not trying to fill anybody’s shoes,” Green said. “Kendrick is a totally different player than myself. People looked at me being the type of player I am and with the name I have going into this situation, they expected me to fill his shoes.”
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He is completely right about that. Kendrick Perkins is a completely different player than he is. They contribute on the hardwood in two totally different ways and for fans to expect him to grant the Celtics the same hard-body performance was just wishful thinking.
The reason for the trade may have been financial. However, to make such a risky move when Boston had an apparent chance to dominate the fresh trio in Miami, who had no big-body presence to compete with both Jermaine O’Neal and Kendrick Perkins, or the Chicago Bulls, who had Carlos Boozer to look to for most of their around-the-rim production, has given me a downgraded spectrum of respect for Danny Ainge’s ability to see into his organization’s future.
No one is a fortune teller in this business, but the outcome of Boston’s postseason after the trade could have been predicted by a five-year-old for a lollipop.
Now, he must correct his wrongs. After the lockout is lifted, whenever the owners and the Players Association decides that it is a valid request from fans to meet more than once a month, Ainge must address the biggest question: Jeff Green.
What will he do with the young and still raw talented player? The most likely determination will be a trade. As Green is a restricted free agent, he is facing a very vulnerable position in the league.
Although he could be a viable asset for other teams, he may not be allowed to prove himself to his new teammates.
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