Should Leon Powe Make a Permanent Move into the Boston Celtics' Starting Lineup?

The Boston Celtics shouldn't be starting Kendrick Perkins. In reality, Leon Powe deserves to be the starter.

Now, maybe I'm a little biased because I saw Powe when he played for the California Golden Bears in college, but Powe has a way better game than Perkins.

The only things that Perkins has going for him is that he's taller than Powe and he's a little bit better of a shot blocker at this point.

Offensively, though, Powe is far superior to Perkins. Take, for example, in Powe's first start of the season against the Warriors, he had 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots. Not bad for his first start of the season.

Now that he's starting, he's not going to be a focal point in the offense like he was when he played in college, but Powe does the little things to get open or to get the offensive rebound. Powe is currently second on the Celtics in getting to the free-throw line and, unlike Perkins, Powe can actually hit a free throw.

If Powe is in the lineup on a regular basis, the Celtics are even scarier. Now, most people would say that Powe is undersized at 6'8", but that's where most people are wrong. Powe has all the fundamentals and actually does have a solid mid-range jumper—well, at least he had one when he played at Cal.

So, offensively, Powe is far superior to Perkins. There's a reason why Powe was ranked No. 4 in the country coming out of high school as a recruit. Before he signed a letter of intent with California, he was sought after by schools like Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Arizona, and UNLV.

Because Powe went to college and Perkins did not, Powe has a clear advantage over Perkins offensively. Defense is maybe the area in which Perkins could quite possibly outshine him, but let's take a look at their whole stats this year.

Perkins averages around 30 minutes per game and 9.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.4 turnovers, 1.8 blocks, and 3.5 fouls per game.

That's really not much production out of the center position. I do realize that Perkins epitomizes the meaning of a role player, but in reality the better player who fits the role is left on the bench. Powe should be the starter for the Celtics, even when Perkins comes back from his injury.

I know there are probably many people who will disagree with me, but I do believe that Powe is a far superior player than Perkins. There's a reason why so many colleges were after him.

I do understand that when he was drafted there was worry about injuries because of him sitting out his sophomore year of college, but Powe is the type of player that just finds a way to get it done.

Coming back from his injury for the Bears, he led them to the NCAA tournament and, along the way, Powe averaged 20.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game during his junior year at Cal, after which point he entered the NBA draft.

The only reason why Powe may not be starting is because he adds toughness to the second unit, as well as his ability to score around the basket. Not many NBA fans will forget his playoff performance against the Lakers, when he scored 21 points in just 15 minutes.