Ainge works a quick deal for ‘Plan A’ Marcus

Jimmy Golen

Friday, June 27, 2003 | 9:24 a.m.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- The Boston Celtics got the point guard they needed, but they had to do some dealing to get him.

The Celtics ended up with UNLV point guard Marcus Banks and Texas high schooler Kendrick Perkins, who was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies and traded to Boston for its two first-round picks.

"This was Plan A," said Danny Ainge, the Celtics' head of basketball operations. "He was a guy we felt we were not going to get at 16."

Memphis got Boston College guard Troy Bell, whom the Celtics took with the 16th pick, and Dahntay Jones from Duke, the 20th overall pick.

The Celtics also had the 56th overall pick in the draft.

Banks, who was the 13th overall pick, won a national championship in junior college and then went to UNLV, where he averaged 16 and 20 points and 3.3 and 5.5 assists in two seasons. He was among the best defensive point guards in college, and he will take some of the ballhandling responsibilities away from Antoine Walker.

"His strength is speed. That's why we got him," Ainge said. "It would be silly not to have Marcus Banks running with the basketball in his hands. It allows Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce to play more of their natural positions."

Banks said he grew up watching the Celtics when they were winning championships with Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Ainge.

"All I can do is give it my all," he said, "because I know those guys did the same."

Perkins, the 27th pick, led Ozen High School to a 96-3 record in his time there.

"It's just a chance that you're taking," coach Jim O'Brien said. "You get a guy that can help you, and you're taking a chance."

Ainge said he had eight possible trades on the table coming into the draft. This one didn't fall into place until the player Memphis otherwise wanted was taken, apparently No. 12 pick Nick Collison of Kansas.

"This is the one that we wanted," Ainge said, adding that the Celtics thought after working Banks out that he was the best point guard in the draft. "We knew that if he went and worked out for every team in the NBA, there wasn't a chance that we would get him. Not a chance."

Ainge said he was in complete agreement on the pick with O'Brien -- and everyone else in the draft room, for that matter.

"Everybody on the basketball staff was celebrating," Ainge said.