Ray Allen and Gollum

[D.o.s.]

Right now Ray Allen is a free agent who wants to sign with a playoff contender. This is not unusual. The number of veteran players, even veteran players with hall of fame resumes, who have hit free agency and expressed that they would be interested in signing with another team -- at the beginning of the season, in the middle of the season, or near the end of the season -- is massive, and it happens across all sports.

Until he actually signs with a team, he's no different from any other player who wasn't ready to hang up his shoes yet but didn't get asked back into the NBA. That's the story of every single player who doesn't formally (or informally) announce their retirement before the season starts.

If and when he signs with a team, he'll become an arguable anomaly. Not before.

[celticsclay]

Charles Barkley,  Clyde drexler, Karl malone

None of these guys signed with a team mid season. All of them had not won a ring at the time they were traded/signed. Drexler played 3.5 seasons with the Rockets after being traded from the Blazers and seems to have nothing in common with Ray. Barkley was traded from the Suns and played for 3 seasons in Houston where his career also basically ended because of injuries. Karl Malone played one season for the Lakers after signing as a free agent and retired because of knee injuries. Not sure if you were just naming random NBA stars or I missed something

sorry..I was naming hall of fame players who ended up ring chasing...whether or not they already had a ring...franchise players.   I am not ure what you want...does the player also have to have the same initials?  I get it...you have judged Ray Allen lacking in loyalty and you do not like him.  If that is not your point, then what is?

I think it was pretty clear, if not from my post, but the rest of the thread, that we were talking about a player with a hall of fame career sitting out 2/3s of the season and suiting up for the final third to try and win a ring. It is a pretty unique move for a former superstar. Whether I think it is fine, bad, good or lame is a subject of debate. The fact that it is really unusual is not.

Especially when it happens on an odd year. Any other arbitrary specifics to add?

Just another example of having an axe to grind and dressing it up in random information to make it seem like there is something of substance to discuss.

I will repeat again it is pretty rare for a hall of fame player to sit out two thirds of the season and try to sign on with a team to win a championship. Nobody on this thread has been able to come up with a similar example (the closest being McGrady's bizarre stint with the Spurs, or Roger Clemens in a different sport). I really don't understand why it is so hard to acknowledge this is unusual.

Whether we think less, more or neutral about Ray for doing this is a different conversation. Either come up with a bunch of examples of this happening to support it is common or you are just making noise.

[celticsclay]

Right now Ray Allen is a free agent who wants to sign with a playoff contender. This is not unusual. The number of veteran players, even veteran players with hall of fame resumes, who have hit free agency and expressed that they would be interested in signing with another team -- at the beginning of the season, in the middle of the season, or near the end of the season -- is massive, and it happens across all sports.

Until he actually signs with a team, he's no different from any other player who wasn't ready to hang up his shoes yet but didn't get asked back into the NBA. That's the story of every single player who doesn't formally (or informally) announce their retirement before the season starts.

If and when he signs with a team, he'll become an arguable anomaly. Not before.

That is a fair point DOS

[Boris Badenov]

Right now Ray Allen is a free agent who wants to sign with a playoff contender. This is not unusual. The number of veteran players, even veteran players with hall of fame resumes, who have hit free agency and expressed that they would be interested in signing with another team -- at the beginning of the season, in the middle of the season, or near the end of the season -- is massive, and it happens across all sports.

Until he actually signs with a team, he's no different from any other player who wasn't ready to hang up his shoes yet but didn't get asked back into the NBA. That's the story of every single player who doesn't formally (or informally) announce their retirement before the season starts.

If and when he signs with a team, he'll become an arguable anomaly. Not before.

Somewhere Jermaine O'Neal is nodding sagely.

[celticsclay]

Right now Ray Allen is a free agent who wants to sign with a playoff contender. This is not unusual. The number of veteran players, even veteran players with hall of fame resumes, who have hit free agency and expressed that they would be interested in signing with another team -- at the beginning of the season, in the middle of the season, or near the end of the season -- is massive, and it happens across all sports.

Until he actually signs with a team, he's no different from any other player who wasn't ready to hang up his shoes yet but didn't get asked back into the NBA. That's the story of every single player who doesn't formally (or informally) announce their retirement before the season starts.

If and when he signs with a team, he'll become an arguable anomaly. Not before.

Somewhere Jermaine O'Neal is nodding sagely.

Are you implying Jermaine O'Neal is a future hall of famer? Now he is actually a guy I have an ax to grind with for his effort with the Celtics.

[fairweatherfan]

Right now Ray Allen is a free agent who wants to sign with a playoff contender. This is not unusual. The number of veteran players, even veteran players with hall of fame resumes, who have hit free agency and expressed that they would be interested in signing with another team -- at the beginning of the season, in the middle of the season, or near the end of the season -- is massive, and it happens across all sports.

Until he actually signs with a team, he's no different from any other player who wasn't ready to hang up his shoes yet but didn't get asked back into the NBA. That's the story of every single player who doesn't formally (or informally) announce their retirement before the season starts.

If and when he signs with a team, he'll become an arguable anomaly. Not before.

Somewhere Jermaine O'Neal is nodding sagely.

Yeah what happened to JO?  I thought it was a given that he was going to sign with the Mavs.  Was that just a rumor his agent put out or something?