The hype surrounding the 2010-2011 NBA season continues to build. This was already one of the most anticipated NBA seasons since Jordan’s comeback, and so far it hasn’t disappointed. With the trade deadline looming, the NBA saw a flurry of action as teams juggled their rosters and huge names were shipped off in the blink of an eye.
First Carmelo Anthony got his wish, in a trade that may have actually made the Denver Nuggets a better team, and then Deron Williams got shipped to the New Jersey Nets.
And then all hell broke loose.
The Phoenix Suns and the Houston Rockets swapped point guards, exchanging Goran Dragic for Aaron Brooks.
The Atlanta Hawks traded Mike Bibby, Jordan Crawford, Maurice Evans and a 2011 first-round pick to Washington Wizards and in exchange received Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.
The Clippers sent Baron Davis to hell, excuse me, Cleveland, for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.
But then the Boston Celtics shocked the entire NBA by dealing Marquis Daniels, Nate Robinson and Kendrick Perkins, one of the building blocks of the Celtic’s championship team. This move surprised everyone.
Consider this: That starting five combination of Perkins, Garnett, Rondo, Allen and Pierce has never been beaten in a playoff series, although injuries to both Garnett and Perkins have prevented those five from defending their title.
The Celtics dealt Perkins and Nate Robinson to the Oklahoma Thunder for Jeff Green and Kristic. Sure, the Celtics get a young dynamic swing man in Green, but you have to feel like they lost some soul with the departure of Perkins.
This must mean is that the Celtics think Shaq will be ready for the playoffs and let’s face it, when Perkins wasn’t in the line-up, the Celtics kept rolling. That said, it wasn’t the playoffs. Perkins is a menacing force in the paint, he’s part of the grit and toughness that the Celtics have worn as a badge of honor over the past few seasons. Perkins started his career with the Celtics and won a ring as a rookie. It’s hard to see how this one is going help the Celtics in the long run.
As for Oklahoma, Perkins is exactly the player they’ve been missing. Perkins fills the void in front-court toughness that the Thunder were lacking and his presence gives them a chance to compete against the size of the Lakers and Spurs down the road.
