Want to drink the Kool Aid, just can't get it down...

The more time that passes the more I try to convince myself that this was a "good trade". I agree that there are scoring droughts that can be brutal. I agree that we desperately needed a back up "big 3" that can play the 3 or 4. I agree that we may have lost Perk on the open market after this year and it was wise to hedge our bets. I agree it's also good practice to keep an eye on the future as we have seen what happens if neglected or ignored. The problem is that I cannot make myself believe it no matter how hard I try. I want to drink the kool aid, just can't force it down.

Everyone who has played or coached can identify "that player". That player who brings a variable which you cannot quantify or define. It's more of a feel, tone or vibe. That player for me is a young man I coached for four years. He was a marginal basketball player at best, great athlete but not the go to guy type. What he did bring was an attitude of hard work and accountability. He left  our little guys with the feeling that he was always over thier shoulder cracking his knuckles at anyone who looked at them funny. He took charges, banged shooters off there path, rebounded, didn't back down from confrontation, owned the paint and owned 50/50 balls, but most of all understood who he was and what he brought to us. He clearly understood his role and responsibilities to his teammates. He was never dirty just physical and unnapologetic about mixing it up. We had guys who could score but he was arguably the most important player on our team because he gave his teammates the confidence to be tough as individuals. The mentality was contageous.  This is the way I feel about Perk.

I have no dilusions, the energy of this team is clearly defined by KG...no question about it. If you add in Perks unwillingness to give an inch, physically and mentally those two forces combine to create an aura of toughness unmatched in today's NBA. KG is tough on his own for sure but way more imposing with Perk on the floor. Will KG miss Perk looking over his shoulder cracking his knuckles during the playoffs? I get that we have played great without Perk but Im talking playoffs and playoff bigs. I'm talking game seven in LA getting killed on the interior. When KG lost his legs in the last few minutes of that game Perks help D was not there and it won't be again this year.  Jeff Green is a good player and in many ways what we need right now but there are a ton of serviceable back up threes that we could have rented for a year. There are only a handful of strong defensive minded true five men left in the game and we had one of them if only for the rest of the season. Not to mention a true five that was commited to our defense first philosiphy and team first mentality. The window on the big three is closing and Danny just pushed it down a little further, and it may now close without a second championship.  I can't listen to one more person give the "We got the best player in the trade" justification rant. The best player for US was Perk. Billy Bean, Sabermetrics and every other formula be damned, sometimes you just need "that guy" because players know and so do coaches that "that guy" can be arguably your most important player, especially in the play-offs.