Ray Allen will be better next year, stop wanting to trade him.

[goCeltics]

I really think ray allen will have a better year next year, The reason why is rajon rondo. I really felt as rajon was getting more experience he was making quicker decisions and getting the ball to ray in better spots, i.e game 6 of the finals series. Posting this cos there seems to be alot of trade ray allen threads appearing. I realize ray isn't getting younger put I don't feel that this game is built on athletism anyways.

[2short]

I completely agree but think we might be the only two fans thinking this way.  The minutes he played last year were not the time an old guy would put in, ray had a great season being the THIRD option with a shooting slump in the playoffs that he overcame. This is a guy I'd love to have around to teach the young guys, he is so smart. Of course lots of people were calling for PP to be traded.

[BudweiserCeltic]

The thing you have to be impressed with is that he played most of the year with a bad shooting form (for his standards), and he still put the numbers that he did. A lot of it had to do because of rushing to the court without proper rehab after the surgeries. This offseason should do wonders for him and his shot. A better understanding of his role in this offense won't hurt either.

[kw10]

Well you two aren't alone....or maybe us three are alone haha. But I pretty much agree with all you are saying, it kind of interest me also the fact that Ray Allen played the most minutes (along with PP at 35.9 mpg)-but obviously PP's younger, and Ray should've been playing low 30s like KG, if not less since he is a guard and big man generally have longer careers.

[cordialb]

I'm with you guys.  Keep Ray Allen throughout his contract, and even if we do trade his expiring contract, put a bug in his ear about returning for less money the following year.  I really do think people underestimate how well a true shooter can play late in his career. 

[TrueGreen]

Add me to the I LUV Ray list. For such a quality player, his importance is so misunderstood. One post mentioned Rajon Rondo getting the ball to Ray withing the rhythm of the game. Let's also not forget that Ray has helped Rajon with his shooting and Ray is the best on the team at getting the ball to Rajon in his spot. As to his age, he's probably in the best shape of anyone on the team and shape-wise might be considered several years younger. But people get caught up in the age thing. Hopefully Ray will retire as a Celtic.

[zerophase]

people need to remember that in seattle, he shot a lot of 2 pointers in the midrange area and in boston, he shot all 3's mostly. its takes some adjusting to shoot only three's, basically like eddie house.

[wdleehi]

Don't know if he will be better, but I think there is almost zero chance he gets traded this season.




The following season, completely different story.

[Jon]

I think it partially depends on how we interpret his troubles.  Were they partially based on an adjustment period where he was getting used to being the third option and going for long spells where he was merely a spot-up perimeter jump shooter?  Or were they because bigger, more athletic players were man-handling him defensively?  I tend to think it was more the first option, though we can't entirely dismiss the second, as his best series came against the soft Lakers defense. 

Still, I think there is definitely the possibility he becomes more effective next year as he becomes more and more comfortable with his role.  Better yet, if he continues to accept that Pierce and Garnett will get more touches than him, it will make things easier as he gets older. 

All that said, I completely agree about this trade nonsense.  Ainge may have said he would've traded Bird, but he didn't say that coming off winning a championship: he was referring to his decline right around the turn of the decade.  If Allen goes through a similar decline, Ainge probably will trade him or let him go.  However, until that happens, no trades should occur. 

[houlana]

i agree with u guys, i luv ray. even when he was in a slump, other teams never dared to leave him open.
he had a legendary performance shooting threes in the finals. but his drive by sasha will be forever rememverd in celtics history.

i would like to keep ray till his contract ends.

i feel when he hits his shots, they are like daggers in the heart of the opponent, they have no shot of winning the game added with the usual PP and KG points put up. when ray is on, the game us usually a blowout.

[hwangjini_1]

i agree with u guys, i luv ray. even when he was in a slump, other teams never dared to leave him open.
he had a legendary performance shooting threes in the finals. but his drive by sasha will be forever rememverd in celtics history.

i would like to keep ray till his contract ends.

i feel when he hits his shots, they are like daggers in the heart of the opponent, they have no shot of winning the game added with the usual PP and KG points put up. when ray is on, the game us usually a blowout.

yes, allen's drive past sasha was maybe my favorite moment of the playoffs. and sasha's reaction later on the bench was great to watch too.

allen's real value to the celtics is being a world-class, down right deadly long distance shooter. when his shot is falling, which it SHOULD do almost every single night, then the celtics are literally a league above any other team in the nba.

as long as allen can shoot like his all star days, the celtics benefit by keeping him.

[Moranis]

Ray Allen will not be better next year unless he figured out a way to reverse the aging process.

[fairweatherfan]

Add me to the list of Ray supporters - I never paid too much attention to the "trade Ray" threads since I know it won't happen this year - but Ray is a huge asset to this team.  Not only can he hit from distance, he has an underrated ability to get to the rim and finish even against great defenders, he provides a nearly automatic free throw shooter for technical fouls and late game situations, and his defense was outstanding for much of the year.

Just watch the Game 4 comeback again - everybody makes big plays, but Ray is the best player on the court on both ends for the last half of the 4th quarter.  Tremendous team defense, tremendous clutch scoring.  I've got no interest in giving that up anytime soon.

[ACF]

Ray Allen will not be better next year unless he figured out a way to reverse the aging process.

And?
He's the deadliest shooter
in the entire league.
When it comes down to the wire
Ray Allen is the Silent Assassin.
I'll take seven 3's any day.
Period.

[moskqq]

While Ray Allen's disappointing shooting slump was a cause for concern, Doc and Danny attributed his troubles more to a change in the style of Celtic's play.  Reading between the lines of previous posts, the Celtics didn't quite know the best way to utilize Ray's talents.  Once they opened the court and gave him room to operate, Ray started to settle in.

I tend to wonder too if it took time for the lingering effects of his surgery to heal.  The rehab may have been progressing during his early PT on the court and may have contributed to delaying his shooting touch and rhythm.  Others have suggested this too.

Everyone was concerned how long it would take for team chemistry to develop and perhaps, in the case of Ray Allen, it took longer.  However, with such a star-studded lineup we may have overlooked areas of rusty chemistry.  The coming season may prove to be the one that we were all waiting for in the beginning providing key players are still part of the mix.