I also think we should treat Ray Allen with some respect. He came here and gave his all, and now because he's "a trading chip" we should just ship him off for jack in return? We're the Celtics, not the Lakers. We don't use people.
(The same could be said for Moore and Marbury, but whatever, they proved little to nothing in Boston, which is very different to what Ray Allen helped achieve)
Ainge has said the Celtics should have traded Bird and Mchale.
Ray was great, but if the team can make a trade that helps them next year and into the future, they would be stupid not to pull the trigger.
That's my only concern. If the C's could actually find a trade that would improve the team next year by trading Ray, I'd be all for it. I'm just afraid that Ainge is going to delude himself into thinking that he can seamlessly keep up our current success by trading Ray. And I don't see that happening. No matter how well Ainge plays it, there will likely be a period of decline in a few years. How long that decline lasts will depend on how Ainge plays his cards.
As for a trade that helps for next year, I just don't see how it happens. Part of the reason this group has worked together so well isn't just because they've all sacrificed for the greater good, but also because their games mesh so well. If the third superstar on this team was a slasher or post player, I don't think things work out so well. Ray has been able to maintain his near-20 point per game scoring average with far fewer plays run for him than any time in his career because he's such a great shooter. So he's able to score points even when a play is run for Pierce, KG, or Rondo. You put a guy like Scottie Pippen or Allen Iverson on this team who can't shoot like Ray, and several things happen. First, their lack of perimeter shooting makes it easier for teams to double PP or KG. And second, in order to make a guy like Pippen or Iverson an 18 ppg scorer, Doc would have to run more plays for that player, which would disrupt the offense and make it mechanical.
And of course, all of this isn't even taking into account that if we traded for a younger player, the younger player may not be willing to make the sacrifices in his game that Ray made. Remember, all members of the Big Three essentially had all their big pay days before they came here. They didn't feel like they needed to put up 25 ppg to earn that next big pay day. We can't guarantee that another guy would do that. One guy whose name has been batted around is Shawn Marion, and Marion was a guy who wanted out of Phoenix because he didn't feel he was getting enough touches.
Overall, it's really not worth trading for Ray. Too many variables could go wrong that would waste Paul and KG's last dominant years. And if they're wasted, it doesn't matter how good Ray's replacement is in 2-3 years.
