Can i get a little Tony love?

[housecall]

Yes, yes you can get a little Tony love. I have always been a big Tony Allen fan. He plays with more balls, toughness and hustle than just about everyone on the team except Garnett.

Tony "always" works hard on D and takes it to the hole with a vengence that gets us alot of foul shot opps and the other team in foul trouble. He's like Leon in that sense and that is important, very important. Getting the other team in foul trouble.

he has a nose for the ball, is a tough rebounder, gives us some much, much needed speed, athleticsm and aggression from the wing spot off the bench with his young legs.

Finally, he always has and always will make some incredibly boneheaded plays. But do those incredibly bone headed plays bother me any more than the other following, incredibly bone headed plays?

1. Pierce dribbling through three guys and having it stripped or make a very ill advised pass into traffic.

2. Ray Allen trying to act like a point guard which generally always ends in disaster, an intercepted pass or dribbling it off his foot?

3. Rondo leaping in the air for the 1,000th time with no where to pass the ball?

4. Perkins setting his 10,000th illegal pick?

5. Big baby trying to take another charge that turns into a block? or getting stuffed again?

6. Shelden fumbling yet another interior pass?

7. Rasheed getting yet another technical or clanking another three?

Give Tony  break. He gives us something we desperately need. Agresssion and toughness. and he brings it in bunches.

I'll take the mistakes with it, because the former is greater than the latter.

And if he tends towards boneheaded mistakes, then take advantage of his "good qualities" and limit the impact of his "bad qualities" by playign him earlier in the games to rest some other guys rather than later in the game when it might really hurt us.

I'd rather see Tony for 15 minutes earlier than Ray for 40.

There's your Tony love. I like the guy, always have.  

difference is we haven't witness 5plus seasons of those players making those mistakes over and over, except maybe Perk.

[ScoobyDoo]

I can honestly say I have watched...

1. Pierce dribble into double and triple teams and get it stolen or make horriblbly forced passes for turnovers for 12+ seasons. He is finally, "finally" not doing it nearly as often.

2. I can honestly say I have cringed for three straight years whenever Ray starts trying to be a point guard. It makes nervous every time as he's funmbling around with the ball on the perimeter. It often times ends in it getting stolen or him making a horrible pass. I literally scream at the TV for him to just give the ball up and run off screens all night. Or for him to just pls give it to Rondo immediately.

3. I can honestly say I have watched an alleged elite point guard named Rondo go up in the air with nowhere to pass it to, over and over and over again, for three years.

Of course on Defense I have watched points of a much lesser talent level absolutely roast Rondo al night because of his matador defense, which completely screws the team and has cost us inumerable amounts of points in a single game. I mean absolutely horrible defensive effort, for three years. He is finally starting to curb that a bit.

4. I can honestly say I have watched Perkins get the ball stolen so many times I can't count on his dribble in the low post and nearly foul out of games for offensive picks for 5+ years. He is finally starting to stop these habits.

5. I can't really complain about Garnett much

My point, is these are all form our starters. Tony is a mid to late round pick and a bench guy for us. He's a bench guy for a reason....but I like his positives alot and I'll take the lumps. Just like I'll take the lumps watching Baby get stuffed more than our starters, or Rasheed's assinin and very harmful( to the entire team) Techs, or Perks Techs, Eddies turnovers on bad passes...along with all the other starters ridiculously bad plays they are guilty of.

I just don't see Tony's mistakes as that much worse than some of the mistakes our ahall of famers make. I think he gets an unfair shake on this board.

All that being said I can see where people would be uncomfortable with him down the stretch where it could hurt us more. But you knwo that's what the starters are for...

Play him early, take advantage of his strengths early in the game when his mistakes won't hurt you as much.       

[housecall]

I can honestly say I have watched...

1. Pierce dribble into double and triple teams and get it stolen or make horriblbly forced passes for turnovers for 12+ seasons. He is finally, "finally" not doing it nearly as often.

2. I can honestly say I have cringed for three straight years whenever Ray starts trying to be a point guard. It makes nervous every time as he's funmbling around with the ball on the perimeter. It often times ends in it getting stolen or him making a horrible pass. I literally scream at the TV for him to just give the ball up and run off screens all night. Or for him to just pls give it to Rondo immediately.

3. I can honestly say I have watched an alleged elite point guard named Rondo go up in the air with nowhere to pass it to, over and over and over again, for three years.

Of course on Defense I have watched points of a much lesser talent level absolutely roast Rondo al night because of his matador defense, which completely screws the team and has cost us inumerable amounts of points in a single game. I mean absolutely horrible defensive effort, for three years. He is finally starting to curb that a bit.

4. I can honestly say I have watched Perkins get the ball stolen so many times I can't count on his dribble in the low post and nearly foul out of games for offensive picks for 5+ years. He is finally starting to stop these habits.

5. I can't really complain about Garnett much

My point, is these are all form our starters. Tony is a mid to late round pick and a bench guy for us. He's a bench guy for a reason....but I like his positives alot and I'll take the lumps. Just like I'll take the lumps watching Baby get stuffed more than our starters, or Rasheed's assinin and very harmful( to the entire team) Techs, or Perks Techs, Eddies turnovers on bad passes...along with all the other starters ridiculously bad plays they are guilty of.

I just don't see Tony's mistakes as that much worse than some of the mistakes our ahall of famers make. I think he gets an unfair shake on this board.

All that being said I can see where people would be uncomfortable with him down the stretch where it could hurt us more. But you knwo that's what the starters are for...

Play him early, take advantage of his strengths early in the game when his mistakes won't hurt you as much.       

Maybe because Ray and Paul's mistakes haven't been as costly in games as Tony's and as often.When we think of Ray,we do not think of boneheaded plays or mistakes being made.He's best known for his sharp shooting(3pt)and being an efficient foul shooter yr after yr.Matter of fact he ranks in the top 2-3 foul shooters in NBA history.Paul is best known for slasher,driver,pull up jumper,can create his own shot and take anyone off the dribble with success.These are some of their NBA legacies they have earned over a 10 plus yr career .When Tony's name is brought up what has he done on a consistent basis that people speak about...his 1 season he played well when Paul was hurt,his ability to defend one on one, but in his most recent yrs.of a 6yr career making at least 1-2 boneheaded mistakes a game.Each player earns/develops his own reputation.Maybe before his career is over he will erase the brain farts from his legacy.   

[GreenFaith1819]

Tony has been balling out since returning...After all the ridiculous abuse hes been receiving, I would like hear a little support on this guys behalf. 

Tonight he had a terrific game.  As well as all this year hes been fantastic.  Sure he has had a few bonehead plays but so hasnt everyone else.  Hes had many more good ones to make up for it.  Hes not the brightest player, but i think his mistakes are more exacerbated than any other persons around.  As a 2nd unit spark plug hes absolutely perfect.

He played role of PG tonight and did a great job.  He can handle a difficult defensive assignment.  He comes off the bench, he can start.  Hes a very versatile weapon this team has and we should be happy we have him.

One of the main problems this team has is bringing energy, and this is Tony's strength. Too many times, this team becomes complacent and stands back.  Tony forces the issue, for better or for worse, it gets things going...

All i want to hear is a little positive Tony talk after all the negative stuff we have been hearing for the last year and a half.  Tony's been terrific and deserves to be recognized for it.

Sure you can get some Tony Love..and a lot of respect and admiration for a man who is on a steady pace for a rare time in his career. He is managing to stay healthy which is Huge. He has kept fighting and is a a steady contributor while our starters get healthy.

I've alway cheered for the underdogs, and Tony has always seemed to have a bad streak of unfortunate stuff happen to him. I'm thankful that he is finally starting to showcase what many of us already knew he had.

[Rondo_is_better]

love love love

[Edgar]

We love you "turny" allen

trade mark of "turny" belongs to tripleOT as long as someone proves me wrong.

[Bahku]

Tony is in the best position of his life RIGHT NOW to save his career in the NBA and turn his future around ... I hope he makes the most of it, truly.

But not here in Boston, I might add ... while I wish him well and would love to see him turn his life around, he's far too much of a liability to want him in the Celtics' lineup beyond the present. I am one who tries to always give players the benefit of the doubt, but however good he's playing now, the fact remains that he's a time-bomb, both on and off the floor.

As I said earlier in this thread, now is the best opportunity for TA to revive his career, as he's healthy and contributing substantially. But it's also the best time for us to make the most of his trade value to other teams. Are we taking advantage of a good situation? Absolutely, but that's just part of what makes a franchise successful in the long run.

Unfortunately, as soon as the bomb goes off, (and I have to go with the odds and say that it most surely will go off), we'll be stuck with the on-and-off-court liability that he has created of himself, and a diminished value. I really do wish him well in making a success of his life, I just don't want him doing it while dressed in a green uniform ... I think we've long since paid our dues to that club.

[Change]

I'm LOVING Tony Allen. Very few player can play three different positions. Injuries almost destroyed his career. But I'm glad he is back to his 2007 form, and contributing again. No more injuries for Tony.

[ScoobyDoo]

Yeah, I get that Pierce and Ray have shined mightily with other signature qualities of their hall of fame careers.

But I can also say they have infuriated me with their own bone headed plays, especially Pierce up until the last 1 1/2 maybe. He would just relentlessly drive into double and triple teams and lose the ball or make a horrible pass and do it when it really hurt us as well and when he could just have easily have passed it off.

Ray to this day, still horrifies me when he starts pounding the ball out aroudn the perimeter and often times makes horrible passess.

I watehced Perkins, dribble before shooting and get the ball stolen in the paint for 6 years!! He's STILL setting moronic picks and getting fouls called on him and he whines and moans all the time and gets techs that hurt the team.

Rondo with the jump in the air and throw the ball away, or can't shott a free throw or shoot period. how much does that hurt us from the point position?

Tony is a bench player, he's going to have more warts. But it's really relative to me. I just don't see Tony's mistakes as that much more horrible than everyone else's. Maybe it's the way he gets them. because he looks sloppy when he throws the ball away or dribbles it or gets it stolen. But a turnover is a turnover and Eddie's ridiculous passess or Ray's count the same way as Tony's turnovers, even if they might not look as bad.

On the other side, no one, and I mean no one besides maybe Perk & KG play defense with as much heart as Tony ( Pierce and Rondo, sometimes, when they feel like it). No one gets to the line as much as Tony ( maybe Pierce).

He scores some, adds athleticism and speed we desperately need.


aAnd if his mistakes seem to come at bad times down the stretch when it hurts the most ( a time when Pierce also makes a lot of turnovers, historically...) then simply play Tony early, get your worth out of him in the first three quarters, when, if he does make a mistake, it's not going to kill you like it would if there were 2 minutes on the clock.

I mean, if people are worried about his turns down the stretch, use him early.

At least then we wouldn't see Ray for 40 night and he'd be fresh for the fourth...

I just think the kid brings a lot of positives and he gets an unfair shake on the board. To me his turnovers are no more significant than all the other boneheaded plays I see everyone else making. Tony just takes a bigger beating for them for some reason.

it's problem because his turnovers look worse. That's the only reaosn I can think of. 

   

 

[Bahku]

I just think the kid brings a lot of positives and he gets an unfair shake on the board. To me his turnovers are no more significant than all the other boneheaded plays I see everyone else making. Tony just takes a bigger beating for them for some reason.

it's problem because his turnovers look worse. That's the only reaosn I can think of.  
 

In all fairness to his detractors, it goes way beyond turnovers ... Tony has done some VERY un-sportsmanlike things in the past ... both on the court and off, and has made some very poor alliances with bad people. Let's hope he's put an end to it ... though I have some doubts.

[nickagneta]

My hatred for Tony is derived in his type of game. To be successful, and lately he has been(that's as little a bit of love as I can give him right now), he needs to play almost exclusively with high quality players and/or he had to dominate the ball. Well, for Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, and Michael Jordan type quality players, that's okay by me. For Tony Allen, it's not.

What's worse is that, if the above players absolutely had to fit into a lesser role, the have the capacity to do it. They do it all the time when they can't score by becoming a facilitator or rebounder or defensive ace. Tony can't do that and still be successful. Without an opportunity to play big minutes with better players, Tony has proven he can't play a high quality, consistent, lesser role year after year.

But being a Tony Love Thread, I will say he's playing well....now, even if he is still turning the ball over at a tremendously ridiculous rate for a guard. A rate that is currently 4th worse in the league amongst all guards and 292nd amongst 319 statistically qualified players in the league.

[ScoobyDoo]

I din't know his turnover rate was "that high". I now hate the guy, trade him. Seriously, that turnover rate is obviously terrible.

But I still like the positives he brings. As I mentioned before, as he's that turnover prone, I'd simply use him earlier in the games to see if he's having a good night or bad, turnover wise and not use him as much down the stretch.

I'm a believer in using what you have. And if you have Tony, I'll trade the extra few turnovers early in the game for a rested Ray allen late in the game and late in the season and playoffs.

That being said, I am on board with a trade that would get us an upgrade if it meant using Tony in that trade.

Re bad decision though. Tony did make some bad decisions early in his life, I agree. He also came from a really bad background, and it's often times tough to leave your past behind.

But I've always felt everyone makes mistakes and you learn more about who the person is based on how they change after those mistakes. Do they keep doing the same things or do they cahnge. Tony, as far as I've heard, has kept his nose incredibly clean since that incident in Chicago. That's to his credit in my book. He's trying to do the right thing, rather than competing the same mistakes.