Maybe you were awed by Green's athleticism.
Maybe you were impressed that Green and Rondo had developed such quick, easy chemistry.
But for me, the first thought was this: You won't be seeing Kendrick Perkins or Nate Robinson do that anytime soon.
The contrast is pretty incredible. The Celtics picked up two players in their trade last week with Oklahoma City — Green, who's quickly become one of the best bench guys in the Eastern Conference in his first week on the job, and Nenad Krstic, who's become a solid starting center in the absence of Shaquille O'Neal.
They gave up two guys with bum knees who have hardly played a lick so far for the Thunder.
Perkins has a sprained left knee, suffered Feb. 22 in his final game with the Celtics. He'll be out for a few weeks. Robinson, as we discovered Friday, was forced to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and may miss the rest of the regular season.
So far, the Celtics have gotten something for nothing.
It's funny, because this is the opposite of what everyone predicted. The Celtics' goals for this deal were supposed to be long-term. They can re-sign Green this summer and use him as a building block for future seasons, whereas that wouldn't have been so easy with Perk. The thought, at least at first, was that the C's were giving up some short-term championship viability for the sake of the big picture.
But now what? Now that Green's throwing down alley-oops, Krstic is embracing his new role, and the two new Thunder guys are watching from the bench, what can we say?
The Celtics can win this trade long-term, and they're already winning it short-term.
Sounds like a win to me. Maybe we don't have to wait until June for a verdict on this one after all.
Are you ready to call the Celtics a winner already for their trade with the Thunder? Share your thoughts below.
