Danny Strainge

I get in the car yesterday, pulling out of campus, turn on the radio. WEEI was on but I was looking for some classic rock for the ride back up to Hingham. I was about to start scrolling around when Glenn Ordway mentions "Kendrick Perkins" and "traded" in the same sentence..........then I hear "Jeff Green" in the next.

Hold up.

Obviously, my heads spinning here. On the one hand, "Jeff Green? The dude we traded for Ray Allen? Who's only 24? Not only can he help us now, he can replace Paul Pierce down the line!"

Or, "Kendrick Perkins? One of the only centers in the league capable of shutting down Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum defensively? Who's absence in Game 7 last year damn well may have cost us the title?"

Perkins was apparently devastated upon learning of his trade. I wouldn't want to live in Oklahoma either. But life can't be too bad playing with Kevin Durant.

Immediately the latter theory takes hold. Haven't the Celtics been priding themselves on the notion that with a healthy lineup of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Garnett, and Perkins, they've never lost a playoff series? And then all of a sudden, just as Perkins gets back from his torn ACL in the Finals last year, he's gone with no viable replacement?

Sure, the Celtics are fine offensively without Perkins. And fine is undercutting it. They're actually substantially better without Perk clogging the lane and taking forever to go up to the hoop. Big Baby may be undersized, but he's still more sound around the rim than Perkins, and is a much better shooter from mid-range and the foul line. Shaq can still provide some great scoring touch inside. And Nenad Kristic, who's also coming over in this swap, is a more refined shooter than Perk.

But this isn't about offense. When you already have Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo, do you even need an offensive-minded center? Of course not. This is all about defense, or, suddenly, a lack thereof.  Currently, the Celtics are the NBA's most efficient defensive team. That's not likely to change substantially, but again, the Celts' main competition, Miami aside, all have elite centers. And we're going to rely on a 38-year old Shaq and a 6'7" Glen Davis to shut down the Dwight Howards and Andrew Bynums of the world now?

I keep hearing "oh it's alright, they'll just sign Troy Murphy when he gets bought out by Golden State". So Troy Murphy is our Lord and savior huh? The dude's put up some solid rebounding numbers over the years with the Warriors and Pacers, but he's never played in a playoff game, doesn't play a lick of defense, and, for what it's worth, is a career 44% shooter compared to Perkins 56%. So please, spare me with this Troy Murphy garbage. And if this in any way leads to even a conversation about luring Sheed out of retirement, well, at least we have the Bruins.

Just the thought of a Sheed reunion tour makes me want to light myself on fire.

The sad part of this deal is that even though Jeff Green is uber-talented and a star in the making, he's not what we need right now. Sure, a respectable backup for Paul Pierce would be nice, but that's not the be-all, end-all. Green, the no. 5 pick in the 2007 draft whom the Celtics traded for Ray Allen, is a career 14.2 ppg scorer, a number that could certainly be higher if not playing in the shadow of Kevin Durant. He's a small forward capable of player power forward, and can shoot the occasional 3-ball. His shooting percentages aren't anything to write home about, at a career 44% pace, but remember, the man's 24. So down the line here, assuming the Celtics plan on re-signing him (and if that's not the plan, then I don't know which way is up or down anymore), he and Rondo can form the nucleus of the next generation of the Celtics once the Big 3 have come and gone.

At the end of the day, though, this isn't about 2013 or 2014. Danny Ainge took a huge gamble with this deal. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall that Perkins wasn't going to re-sign here at the end of the season? I don't know. Maybe any chance you have to get a 24-year old star-in-waiting, you do it. I applaud him for that. But the Celtics were perhaps the only contender other than San Antonio with no visible weaknesses. Now, there's a big gaping hole right in the center. I hope I'm wrong. Prior to this trade, I knew the Celtics could win a championship. I still think they can. But I certainly don't know it anymore.