Tag Archives: Ray Allen

July 9, 2012 · 5:46 AM

Judas

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Friday morning the reports started surfacing that Ray Allen spent the night in Miami. Since the Clippers signed Crawford and Billups it wasn’t a huge shock. Why rush back to Boston.

Then in the afternoon the reports were Ray Allen had left Miami without signing or making a final decision.

Sports talk radio, ESPN.com and others started speculating. Most people were saying the Heat but fans thought not signing or making the decision while he was down there meant he was coming back to Boston.

Then as I’m sitting at the bar Friday night watching the Sox blow the first of what would be three out of four to the Yankees, reports started coming in.

Ray Allen chose the Heat.

I saw the Jesus is now Judas Facebook quotes (thus your headline), Shuttlesworth is Judas not Jesus, traitor, and on and on it went.

So joking I ask the question, “Do we get to keep Ray’s Mom in the trade?”

At the end of the day, joking aside, you didn’t want Ray back. You just didn’t want him going to Miami. A two year deal for a 37 year old guard coming off ankle surgery seems absurd. So Miami giving him three years is downright dumb.

Reports now are that the C’s are players for Courtney Lee from Houston. He’s no Ray Allen but Danny has to move on and keep trying to build us a winner.

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July 5, 2012 · 6:04 AM

Staying Old

With the Celtics on the verge of losing Ray Allen and being forced to get younger at the position, they did what any team looking to stay old would do; they signed Jason Terry.

Who?

Jason Terry is a 34 year old guard who will turn 35 right before the season starts. Sure he was the 6th Man of the Year in 2009 and helped the Mavs to their title run in 2011 but that really was in his prime and the end if it. A 30-something year old guard coming off the bench really seems like a role I’d want Ray Allen in. Sure beats him coming off the bench for the Heat and raining threes on you.

Danny Ainge has not ruled out bringing back Ray Allen. In fact he’s stressed that he doesn’t want the veterans on the team playing too many minutes. With Allen and Terry both coming off the bench behind Bradley and Rondo who are both very young, their minutes would surely by limited.

This signing all but assures that the team will not get an OJ Mayo. Their only hope now is that another team can work a sign and trade with the C’s should Brandon Bass decide to leave.

I know some people are excited about Jason Terry, I’m just not one of them. I would have much preferred OJ Mayo. I think the younger player makes more sense and having a coach like Doc to teach him would help him realize his potential.

Stay tuned for more signings, let’s just hope they get some guys in their 20′s opposed to staying old.

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July 2, 2012 · 6:20 AM

KG In The Mix, Who Else?

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I know you all thought I’d have a Spain winning the Eurocup column this morning, sorry to disappoint.

I had a show Saturday night and I’d been on the boat all day. Needless to say I didn’t hear any sports radio or watched any TV. So when my cousin and his wife showed up and told me about KG signing a three year deal, it was the first I’d heard of it.

The deal is a three year deal worth $31 million. It’s not final but all reports are that KG will be back and Garnett is in the fold.

Great.

With the drafting of Melo last week KG in theory can return to his natural position as the four. Word out there is KG wanted to be back as a PF despite his career resurgence this past season at center.

So who’s next?

Rumor is a two year $12 million dollar deal is out there for Ray Allen if he wants it. The issue would be if he’s willing to come off the bench. Miami and Phoenix are very interested but Miami can only offer $3 million. One rumor has Phoenix at two years $5 million per.

Other names linked to the C’s are now free agent Jamal Crawford who I told you last week the C’s were looking to trade for when he was still with Portland. The other name is OJ Mayo.

If I’m Danny, I’m sending everything Mayo’s way. He’s only 24 where as Crawford is 32. Ray will be 38 this summer. For this team to be great for years to come going with the younger guy makes sense.

We’ll see how it all shakes out but without a lockout the team will need young legs to help ease the burden on the older guys. They’ll need to be able to run with the young teams like Philly, Chicago, and Atlanta.

After the draft it’s clear Danny has a plan. It will be interesting to see it all shake out.

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June 21, 2012 · 6:02 AM

KG Coming Back?

Is Kevin Garnett coming back to the Celtics? Is he going to retire?

Well that’s what we’d really like to know. I think Danny Ainge would as well. Ainge was interviewed yesterday and spoke about KG. He indicated that Garnett retiring was certainly on the table.

This is what I think is going on.

Garnett certainly feels that he can play another season and possibly more. But I don’t think that he wants to come back to a shitty team. I think he wants to see what kind of team is going to be built around him before he makes that decision.

We know that Ray Allen is as good as gone. It’s been reported all season that he would leave after this year. The emergence of Avery Bradley last year makes Allen more than expendable.

Is not having Ray there going to influence Garnett’s decision? Possibly. I think the bigger player influencing his decision would be Brandon Bass. Like I told you last week, Bass has opted out of his contract and is testing the free agent waters. With no Bass does that mean Garnett moves back to the four? His career resurgence this past season was because he moved to the five. Would the C’s target a center in free agency if they’re not able to bring Bass back and then move Garnett back to the four? Would he want that?

The one player not going anywhere, I think, would be Paul Pierce. He has the nostalgia factor. He was drafted by the team, and is the captain. I don’t think that he would want to move him. But would you? Personally if I’m getting younger at the same position by a decade, I’m pulling the trigger. Thanks for the memories but I want a winning team.

So it will be interesting to see if the Celtics can bring KG back and like I said, if he wants to. They’re going to hopefully have more draft night magic like they did the night they brought in Ray Allen from the Sonics. That was the first domino in getting KG to Boston. I’m hoping Danny has more magic on deck.

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June 15, 2012 · 5:48 AM

The End

I figured I’d save my eulogy for a few weeks but a slow news day has me speeding it up.

The eulogy of course is for the Celtics and the Big Three era. There’s no way that the team in its current incarnation returns. The bench guys have been a rotating cast but now it looks like there will be turnover in the starters.

We’ll start with Ray Allen. Gone. Ray was hobbled the entire season and ended up giving way to Avery Bradley. The C’s would probably like him back in a reduced role for little money, Ray’s ego won’t have it. He’ll likely be in Miami next year.

Then there’s KG. He found a career resurgence by moving to the five this season. That was helped by having a solid four in Brandon Bass. Bass opted out yesterday insuring he’ll be a here agent so that leaves the Celtics with holes at the four and five.

Like Allen, I’m sure the C’s would want him back. But after playing on a max contract for most of his career would his ego allow him to sign a lesser deal? And if he’s going to take less money, why not sign with the Lakers or Spurs who are built better to win a title?

Pierce is going to be here. Yeah… He’s a solid contributor but he’s certainly not the 29 year old scorer he was. The time won’t trade him out of nostalgia.

So the are is over, does that mean the C’s are? I say unfortunately no.

See they still play in the Eastern Conference. With Rondo, Pierce, and Bradley they’re still a seven or eight seed. They need a rash of injuries to land a lottery pick to have a young player to build around.

Not gonna happen.

So we’re left hoping Danny can swing some trade magic again or it’s going to be another decade of mediocrity.

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