On a day when Kendrick Perkins walked through some plays in practice (and even dunked a couple times, and might even be back by late January), I finally discuss the Orlando Magic’s trades.

Why didn’t I write about them before? For a couple reasons: 1) Life sometimes interferes even with the most dedicated bloggers, and 2) I needed some time to wrap my head around the thought of Malik Allen being a number one backup center.

Okay, on to the roster overhaul. First, I have no idea whether it will work. My guess would be that it doesn’t — mostly because, for it to work, Gilbert Arenas needs to return to ’06-’07 Agent Zero, and Hedo Turkoglu needs to revert to the walking mismatch who was Orlando’s go-to playmaker in their 2009 Finals run. To expect either of them to return to their former selves requires a leap of faith I’m not ready to make.

More likely, Jason Richardson will end up being Orlando’s most important acquisition from the trades. Which is fine… unless you’re actually trying to win an NBA championship, in which case you need at least one player who can create at the end of games. Richardson isn’t that guy, and neither is the Arenas we’ve seen since his return, and neither is the zombie living in Hedo’s body the past two seasons.

It’s clear Orlando made these moves to win an NBA championship now, and to entice Dwight Howard to stick around when his contract expires. But how much closer are they to a championship? They have SO many question marks in their lineup now.

How do Jameer Nelson and Gilbert Arenas fit in the same backcourt? Who becomes the playmaker come crunch time? Can this team stop anyone? Will Dwight Howard get into more foul trouble than ever before because his perimeter defenders act as a funnel straight to him? Is the trio of Ryan Anderson, Malik Allen and Daniel Orton REALLY Orlando’s only backcourt bench help? Is one ball going to be enough for this psychotic, half-crazy (entirely crazy?), shot-happy (no pun intended for Gilbert) crew? Does Hedo Turkoglu’s heart even still beat?

Okay, so the Magic probably aren’t done trading yet. I don’t see J.J. Redick sticking around (there isn’t really a spot for him anymore), so he’ll probably get swapped for some big man help. Even so, the perimeter questions still stand. All of them. Call me crazy, but I don’t see any of these new Magicians A) fitting in well with Stan Van Gundy’s style, B) stopping a soul, or C) taking over come crunch time. In their primes, yes. But these folks aren’t in their primes anymore. In their Magic opener, Hedo (shocking nobody in Toronto or Phoenix) still sucked, and Arenas came off the bench and shot 2-11 (also shocking nobody). Will they improve with time? I assume. But don’t expect any of these guys to be stars, in Orlando. And the Magic need at least one of them to be capable of star production.

(Side note: Malik Allen played 13 minutes in his first post-trade action, registering 0 points and 1 rebound. That next trade can’t come soon enough.)

In conclusion, I like the motives behind the trades, but not the trades themselves. Otis Smith knew his Magic, as they were constructed, weren’t going to win a championship. So he pulled the trigger, drastically changing a team that was only a step shy of a championship in the first place. More GMs should be built like that. The NBA should be about winning championships, and anything else should be uncivilized.

Just take a look at the Atlanta Hawks. As presently constructed, they have zero shot of winning a championship or even coming close. But they just signed Joe Johnson for $120 million, apparently so they can continue their string of first- and second-round playoff runs for the foreseeable future. It’s like when the Celtics traded away Joe Johnson so they could rent Tony Delk and Rodney Rodgers. Sure, the trade helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals, but I promise: no matter what happened, a lineup of Kenny Anderson, Paul Pierce, Tony Delk, Antoine Walker and Tony Battie was never taking down the Shaq-Kobe Los Angeles Lakers. What’s better — reaching the Eastern Conference Finals or keeping your most promising rookie since Paul Pierce? What’s more important — reaching a low ceiling, or trying to make that ceiling a little higher?

Back to the Magic, I admire the stones Otis Smith displayed while trying to shake things up. But the overhaul seems a lot more like Steve Kerr’s failed Shaq experiment in Phoenix, rather than the Rasheed Wallace trade that spurred Detroit to the 2004 title. Trading for big names doesn’t always equate to success, and I have a feeling Otis Smith will soon kick himself that he didn’t spend more time trying to acquire Carmelo Anthony.

Basically, the Magic traded two old, over-the-hill big names (and Marcin Gortat) for two old, over-the-hill big names (and Jason Richardson). They changed, indeed.

But are they any closer to the elusive NBA championship? I think not.

Is Howard worth it?

I was confused at first when the C’s failed to keep Tony Allen around. But after seeing their final offer to him, a lame two-year, $5.2 million offer that never had any chance of being signed, I am more convinced than ever that Danny Ainge has some sort of backup plan. 

The C’s wouldn’t have just let TA go, not when they’re only armed with minimum offers, unless Ainge is ready to get creative to bring in a backup small forward via a sign-and-trade or other such wizardry.

I guess creative is how the only way to describe having serious interest in Josh Howard, who would only be available through a sign-and-trade. (Yahoo!)

The Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls have shown “serious interest” in free-agent forward Josh Howard, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

While the Bulls could have the salary-cap space to sign Howard, depending on what happens with their offer sheet to J.J. Redick, the Celtics would need a sign-and-trade to make a deal because they have already used their midlevel exception on Jermaine O’Neal.

Howard used to be very good. Hell, he was an All-Star once upon a time. But that was then, this is now. Now there are all kinds of red flags waving around Howard. 1) Not only is he a pothead, but he’s also dumb enough to admit it. 2) He took a ginormous step backwards last season (or two steps, or maybe even three). 3) He tore his ACL in Ferbuary and it’s not even 100% that he’ll be ready by training camp.

As you can see, this would be a huge-risk, big-reward type of deal. Because yeah, Howard’s a washed-up pothead with a torn ACL who despises the national anthem, but perhaps there’s a chance that last year was a fluke and he didn’t really turn from All-Star to bum quicker than you could say “marijuana.” As recently as 2008-’09, Howard averaged 18 points and 5 boards while shooting 45% from the floor. So maybe there’s hope for him yet.

But is he worth all that risk?

Immaculate hair, picture-perfect jumper, outstanding work ethic: Is there anything else you'd want from J.J. Redick off the Celtics bench?

J.J. Redick’s game has really impressed the Celtics, according to HoopsHype’s Roland Lazenby. But there’s a drawback to the C’s interest: Stan Van Gundy wants Orlando ownership to do anything in its power to keep Redick a Magician.

David Lee: "Isiah, what do you think about yesterday's free agent spend-a-palooza?" Isiah: "Genius. Sheer genius."

So my brother’s birthday is on the worst possible day for an NBA blogger to celebrate his brother’s 21st: The first day of free agency. But it was his 21st, so I had to choose family over blogging (I know, I’ve got to get my priorities straight).

We went to the casino, where I was at once the designated driver for my brother and a couple of our friends and also prepared to lose every cent to my name. I came out on top, though, mostly because I’m the white Phil Ivey. (And partially because I flopped a flush against pocket kings with my 3-4 of hearts.)

But that’s a different story. The real story yesterday was that I kept getting tweets on my phone, telling me about the contracts being shelled out. Drew Gooden for $32 million. Joe Johnson for $119 million. Darko Milicic for $20 million. Rudy Gay for $81 million. Amir Johnson for $34 million.

I kept looking at my phone, cracking up, and then becoming furious that Scal hasn’t yet been offered $25 million over three years. (Don’t worry folks, Scal’s day is coming… On second thought, maybe not.) The players have clearly been drugging NBA GMs and forcing them to offer outrageous, potentially franchise-crippling contracts. How else could you explain second- and third-fiddles getting max contracts? How else could you explain the Bucks wasting $6 million per year for a solid seventh or eighth man? How else could you explain Darko still being in the league, never mind making $5 million a year? The NBA went buck wild yesterday, folks, and some very mediocre players celebrated its zaniness.

While many GMs around the league summonsed their inner Isiah Thomas, Danny Ainge and the Celtics stayed mostly quiet. They called Ray Allen at 12:01, worked on re-signing Paul Pierce, and spoke to a few free agents. They seem entirely content to bring the same crew back, add a few supporting players, and return next season with a revamped bench and revenge on their minds.

Since I missed out on blogging yesterday’s free agent bonanza, here are my thoughts on what went on with the Celtics:

Doc Rivers calls Ray at 12:01

Yes. Absolutely. Was there any other choice? It always seemed like a given that Pierce was going to come back, granted his history with the team and such. But Ray? He doesn’t have the same ties to Boston, and his shooting stroke makes him a perfect wing-man for any star in the league. Doc was smart to call him at 12:01, and — if he’s really intelligent — will hound Ray with phone calls until Ray gets to the point where he re-signs just so he doesn’t have to hear Doc’s voice so often.

Interest in David Lee?

So the Celtics, armed with only the mid-level exception, think they might be able to sign an All-Star? In a league where Drew Gooden fetches $32 million over five years, call me a non-believer. There are two ways the C’s sign Lee: 1) He decides not to get the first giant contract of his career, choosing to win for the first time instead. Or 2) The Knicks agree to a sign-and-trade for Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace’s retiring contract, in which case Lee might STILL be underpaid in a Celtics uniform. In the end, it’s more likely Darko Milicic will be paid $5 million per year through 2014 than it is David Lee will play for the Celtics next year. Wait, somebody’s actually paying Darko that much, for that long? In the NBA, never say never.

J.J. Redick a possibility

I love J.J.’s game. He’s a great shooter, wildly underrated defender, and  better playmaker than anyone would expect. He’d make perfect sense in a Celtics jersey. I just don’t see how the Celtics can afford him. He’s a restricted free agent, and the C’s only have the mid-level to offer. Don’t the Magic have to match a mid-level offer for Redick? Especially if he’d be going to the C’s otherwise? I just don’t see any scenario where the Magic let Redick leave for only the mid-level.

Miller Time

Between Lee, Redick and the Millers, the Celtics sure are targeting a lot of white guys. I like Brad Miller, but I’d prefer not to waste the entire mid-level on a 6’11,” over-the-hill ogre, no matter how good a shooter and passer he is. And Mike? Sources say he might be due for a huge payday, more than the mid-level. Isn’t money worth anything to these overspending fools who call themselves GMs?

Anthony Morrow an option

The Celtics are one of the teams interested in acquiring Morrow’s services. Yes, please. Let’s look at a list we’d want in a backup wing man: Great shooter? Check. Young? Check. Cheap? Check. Top-notch defense? Umm… he’s been playing for Don Nelson, so I can’t even tell if it’s Morrow’s fault that he’s swiss cheese. Weak defense aside, Morrow would be a deadeye shooter off the bench for a team that needs just that. Would I rather have Redick or Morrow? Probably Redick. But Morrow’s younger and less expensive. Not a bad choice, not at all.

Is there anything that happened yesterday that I forgot to mention? Probably. But I was too busy stealing from fishes and check-raising unsuspecting tourists to pay perfect attention to everything that happened in the Celtics world.

Don’t worry, I’m back today, in full force. But I got to experience the life of a blogger yesterday – I made more money in a day off than I do in a full day’s work. I’m not worried about it, though: One of these days, David Kahn is going to come banging on my door with a $15 million deal in hand. No doubt about it.

If J.J. Redick signed with the C's, it wouldn't exactly be a shocker. Get it?

The Celtics are looking into acquiring J.J. Redick with their mid-level exception, and will be dangling Rasheed Wallace’s contract in hopes of luring an impact big man. (Yahoo!)

Wallace has yet to file retirement papers, so the $6.32 million owed him next season and $6.79 million in 2011-12 would come off a team’s books after Wallace is traded to them. They could do a deal and not take on his money. Ainge is trying to use the Wallace contract to bring back a power forward or center to replace Wallace and the injured Kendrick Perkins.

The Celtics could then use their midlevel exception for a different player. Several sources believe that Ainge’s target is Orlando’s J.J. Redick, who is a restricted free agent.

Boston has strong interest in Brad Miller in free agency and could try to acquire Dallas center Erick Dampier.

The problem with going after Redick is that he’s a restricted free agent. Armed with only the mid-level exception, I don’t know if Boston will be able to draw him away from Orlando. The Magic will have the option to match any offer Redick receives.

If Dampier and Miller don’t work out, Rasheed’s contract and Glen Davis could be packaged together to bring Eddy Curry to the Celtics. Curry would add a proven big man scorer to start while Perkins is injured and then be a reliable reserve once Perk comes back.

By the way, just kidding on the Curry idea. Sorry if you just smashed your head through your computer screen in disgust. Did you really think the Celtics and I were that fucking stupid? Did you?

In a moment of all seriousness, the Celtics HAVE to be targeting Kyle Korver and Rasual Butler, right? Two veteran’s minimum possibilities who would both help. Sounds good to me, and should sound good to Danny. Of the two, Butler’s my pick — he’s not allergic to defense. But Korver’s shooting makes you overlook his inability to guard people, even if that inability is painfully obvious at all times he’s on the court. If it doesn’t exactly seem like I’m giving Korver a ringing endorsement, I’m not. But if you can pick up a deadeye shooter for the veteran’s minimum (and one who isn’t a walking cadaver — *coughcough* Michael Finley *coughcough*), then you’ve GOT to do it.

I wonder if the Celtics will also look to acquire Brendan Haywood with Sheed’s contract. The Mavs are reportedly open to a sign-and-trade including Haywood.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Doc's got a point.

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “But it seems Perkins realized that the playoffs provided a clean slate, and he has reverted to his old complaining ways. He will never get the advantages of his Orlando counterpart and he has to accept that. Perkins has 22 fouls in the series. Howard has 16. ‘You know, Kendrick has to be allowed to play, and he has to be allowed to be physical,’ Rivers said. ‘It’s amazing how this has gone so far. Kendrick’s in foul trouble, and he’s not the most physical player on the floor. Dwight Howard is clearly the most physical player on the floor. You know, we keep telling Perkins he has to be physical as hell, and he says, ‘Yeah, but I end up in foul trouble.’ We are really concerned about that. And I’m just going to try to get Perk to be Perk and play and not be concerned with techs, not be concerned with fouls, and just go out and play. But that’s very difficult to do.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Rivers doesn’t like the idea that Perkins now must put a stopper on his emotions to avoid No. 7. ‘He does realize that, and he created the problem with his emotional overloads,’ Rivers said. ‘But if you’re a physical player, you’re going to be the guy who gets the call in most of those situations. He has to clean up his emotions. He’s an emotional kid and a physical kid. It’s just amazing now with all of these double techs that are getting called.’”

Steve Ashburner, NBA.com – “The Boston Celtics had the ball, the crowd, the court, 16 seconds left in a tie Game 4, a timeout if they wanted it, flow and spontaneity if they didn’t and a commanding 3-0 lead over the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference championship series.Look at them now. The court Friday night will be theirs, the crowd too. But the mood at TD Garden for Game 5 will be heavier, dread lurking in the Celtics fans’ side mirrors. The opportunity to sweep in Boston will be replaced by the pressure not to go back to Orlando. It’s not 16 seconds anymore but four quarters, and then maybe four quarters after that, against a younger and healthier team that has the flow and the momentum on its side now. The Celtics can no longer impress in this series, they can only survive, because they’re still stuck on 3, the Magic suddenly have 2 and everything — Game 7, The Finals, a trophy presentation — is on the verge of shifting down to Florida. It really is a wonder that the Larry O’Brien Trophy isn’t made of papier-mache and championship rings aren’t the kind slipped around cigars, because this business of chasing titles so often is a fragile proposition. A team’s best-laid plan turns out to be written on tissue, all that it knows to be true suddenly pivots on a dime. A few days ago, the Celtics were about to do to the Magic what the Magic had done to the Bobcats and the Hawks. Now it’s the Magic doing the doing and the Celtics getting done to, only more so — because no NBA team ever has come back to win a best-of-seven series after dropping the first three. Yet people are starting to believe.”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Five games into this series, and the difference-makers remain the men at the point. When Boston stormed out to a 3-zip lead, Rondo was clearly the better player. And now that the Magic have staved off playoff elimination to win the last two games, Nelson’s play has outshined that of Rondo. So for all the story lines and subplots this series has already provided, all indications are that this pivotal Game Six matchup will be decided by which point guard has the better game. For both Rondo and Nelson, stellar play isn’t limited to points and assists. More than anything else, each has to establish the tempo that their respective team can thrive in.”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “‘Clearly the 3-point shot, we need to take away,’ he said. ‘What we showed them today (on film), some of the ones they got out of their offense, off the pick-n-roll stuff . . . they’ll get a couple of those. But the ones they got off of offensive rebounds, and loose balls and effort plays, 50/50 plays, those have to be taken away. I thought Orlando played harder last night, I thought they were the aggressor last night and I thought they attacked us the entire game. That is something that we can do. That is not a game plan. When we win, we do that, and we didn’t do that as well as Orlando last night. Especially on the glass. They mauled us on the glass last night.’ The leader of Orlando’s three-point attack, along with Nelson, has been Redick. Rivers said they expected Redick to be a factor in the series, but didn’t expect him to be as great as he has been. Through five games in the Eastern Conference Finals, Redick is averaging 12 points, and three three-pointers a game. ‘We didn’t know he was going to be Pistol Pete [Maravich] . . . but we did expect him to be a great player, Rivers said. “JJ Redick has hurt us all year in the regular season. That was one of things we talked about heading into the series, that JJ Redick has been very, very important. Everyone’s talking about Dwight Howard and Jameer but I think Redick has been their most consistent player in this series.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘It was a very emotional locker room,’ Rivers said. ‘Guys were upset at a lot of stuff. Guys are worried about each other. Guys are injured and sitting in there looking like a M*A*S*H unit at one point. You saw all the trainers and the doctors, and I’m trying to talk, and everybody’s got ice.’ The Celtics were able to re cover yesterday. They caught a break, learning that they will have Perkins available tonight, as one of his two Game 5 technical fouls was rescinded by the league. Still, the technicals were a disappointment to Rivers, who thought neither justified and who knows that with Perkins sitting on six postseason technicals (one shy of a suspension), he’ll be walking on eggshells. ‘Obviously, I’m happy about it,’ Rivers said. ‘I’m a little disappointed that both technicals weren’t rescinded. I thought they both should have been and I’m very surprised that they were not. But I’ll take the one and hopefully we can keep working on it. Unfortunately, we can’t get those calls back. It clearly affected us in Game 5 not having Perk out on the floor.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “Rush ejected Kendrick Perkins from the game just before halftime with his second technical foul and was part of a crew (with Tom Washington and Joe Crawford) that got Heinsohn’s blood boiling. ‘The officiating in that game was incompetent,’ he said. ‘Somebody as incompetent as Eddie F. Rush should not be officiating in these games. Pick the eight best guys and have the same crew on every game in a series. That way they’ll get used to what’s going on. Ed F. Rush is incompetent, and so is Tom Washington. What were these guys doing refereeing a game as important as this?’”

Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe – “Enough about the zebras. Let’s go back to the numbers. There have been zero 3-0 comebacks in NBA history. Zero. And that covers 93 series since 1947. The Celtics have never come close. They have gone ahead, 3-0, and swept. They have gone ahead, 3-0, lost Game 4, then won the series. But they have never been forced to play a Game 6 after taking a 3-0 lead. Which is another reason we are nervous. And we are already fast-forwarding with our panic. What if they lose tonight? Can they be expected to win a Game 7 on the road after losing three straight? Are the young legs of the Magic running ahead of the old bones of Boston now that the teams are playing games every other day? Are the Celtics healthy? Where’s KG? What happened to Rondo? Can they win without Big Baby? Can they win with Rasheed Wallace and his creaky back? Have they morphed into the team that went 27-27 over the last 54 games, losing all those double-digit leads? Worst of all . . . Are the Celtics (gulp) choking? No. Keep your heads. The Celtics failed to close this out in Game 4 at home. They were predictably beaten at Amway Arena in Game 5. But now they are home. And they are better. And they will end this tonight. Or they have a Sunday date with history and humiliation.”

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel – “Van Gundy isn’t so certain that momentum has shifted, but agrees that the pressure has returned to the Celtics’ side. ‘I don’t know if you can say have momentum when you’re down 3-2, going to their place,’ Van Gundy said. ‘I still look at it like we’re climbing a huge mountain. But we are playing better.….Yeah, now it’s a series. I think when you’re rolling and you’re just playing with no pressure and no worries, it’s certainly a different game.’ The Magic have a shot now at returning to give Amway Arena a proper send-off. In 1995, the Magic beat the Indiana Pacers in a Game 7 in Orlando and played host to the first two games of the NBA Finals. ‘It’s just all about believing and really realizing that we can do this one game at a time,’ point guard Jameer Nelson said.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “Marquis Daniels, who still looked shellshocked in the Boston locker room after Game 5, is behind Davis in his recovery. ‘Marquis is not doing as well as Baby, I can tell you that,’ said Rivers. ‘Right now, I’m not too sure if he’ll be ready. I would actually say he will not be ready, but that will be a game-time decision as well.’”
Perry A. Farrell, Detroit Free Press – “Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy paid former Piston Rasheed Wallace a compliment Wednesday night after the Magic rolled over the injury-depleted Boston Celtics [team stats], 113-92. ‘I’ll tell you what, Rasheed Wallace – I mean I’m trying to say this the right way – I hate the guy,’ Van Gundy was quoted as saying after Wallace scored 21 points in a losing cause. ‘It’s like he never has a bad game against a team I coach, you know. So incredible. He’s playing extremely well.’”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.