Shaq Reveals New Side to the Kendrick Perkins Deal
Just before the trade deadline last season, Danny Ainge made a move that will forever be a questionable decision in the minds of many Celtic fans: Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.
Ainge and the Celtics repeatedly defended the move by stating that Shaq was the current answer to a championship and they did not need Perkins if they had a healthy Shaquille O'Neal.
Many people hated the move because the return of Perkins to the starting lineup to bring home a championship had been long awaited. Even though it was clear that we could not re-sign Perkins at the end of the year, it appeared the Celtics were relying too heavily on the aging centers and were greatly risking their title chances.
Up until now, Ainge was given the benefit of the doubt with the understanding that he truly believed Shaq would be ready by the playoffs.
However, Shaq recently told John Reid of the Times Picayune (New Orleans) that, "I even told Danny Ainge not to do the Kendrick Perkins deal with Oklahoma City. I told them I might not be ready, and I’m definitely not coming back. Those guys did what they’ve got to do. I wasn’t surprised; I’ve seen it before. They say all that blah, blah, but you know it’s always going to be something different.”
If Shaq told Ainge not to deal Perkins because he was not sure if he could be ready to help the Celtics through the playoffs, why did Ainge pull the trigger on the deal?
He must have believed that the Celtics were not going to make it to the finals and were unlikely to get out of the East. Although he made the move knowing that Perkins couldn't be re-signed that summer (since he would want more money than they could provide), he clearly didn't trust Shaq's own evaluation of his health—or didn't think it mattered.
In the end, it might not have mattered whether Perkins was on the court during the playoffs since the Celtics really couldn't keep up with Miami, but with a healthy center the chances would have been much better.
Ainge didn't know that Krstic was going to sign overseas and leave the team with only Jermaine O'Neal at center, but Shaq's words make it appear that Ainge made an even bigger mistake than we first thought.
If these words are true, Celtics fans will have a hard time believing in any moves Ainge makes in the near future and doubt his belief in the team's ability to win without a major rebuild. Perhaps he has made up his mind that the Celtics need to look toward the future now, instead of after next season like everyone seems to believe.
At least for now fans are going to be extremely upset with this news—the Perkins deal was already controversial. There will be much debate again over whether or not Ainge made the right decision.
