Is Tony Allen an asset now?

[KJ33]

Tony is the best open court player the Celtics have not named Rondo, and it showed against Orlando when points were at a premium and the C's were missing one of their best half court scorers.  On one break, he waved off outletting to Rondo and kept the dribble alive, under control.  Even when Ray and Paul don't outlet to Rondo I get mad as better things happen when they do and they just can't get all the way to the rim on a 3/4 court rush like they used to.  Tony can. 

He calmly took the ball one step toward the middle, making Redick react ever so slightly, then crossed back toward the baseline and got all the way to the hole for 2.  I am so used to Paul and Ray not looking so good when they keep it and don't give it to Rondo, I was expecting bad things to happen.  Tony has always had this ability, we just haven't seen it for awhile.  He knew he could beat Redick, and was confident in his skills, far more than I was watching.  There could be many other such games where points are at a premium, and having a guy who can score in transition like that, in addition to Rondo, could be very valuable.  So yes, he is an asset.

[kozlodoev]

Ultimately, Tony Allen is more valuable to the Celtics than he is to any other team in the league. For what it's worth.

[Tai]

I didn't think it was safe to say this yet without being called an "apologist", or a "disciple" just to be nice.  

But yes...I've always liked TA's game, especially for a bench player. He can slash to the lane, he can run in transition, and like everyone already knows, he plays great defense.

Also....while I never had a problem with people who hated on TA when he clearly wasn't doing too hot for whatever reason, be it thinking too hard (as opposed to not thinking at all) or just being "inconsistent", I hate when people then went on to say "if Doc's willing to play TA, why won't he play Hudson/Walker/Giddens/Pruitt? I guess he just doesn't play rookies!" People last season (and just last off-season) would say they want to see TA benched forever or traded, and to give a Walker or Giddens a try, even though TA's clearly much better than both of them, possibly put together.

TA deserves much more credit than that, and I'm glad for the time being he's doing what he can to earn it.

[P2]

There's no way we keep this roster for the playoffs. With TA's recent showings, his trade value has increased. And it's too obvious that we will have a trade some time until the deadline (maybe right at the deadline), because we have too many expirings and there are plenty of other teams that used to be halfway decent and are struggling now.

With that said, I don't think we will trade House (maybe if we get back something really worth giving House away). Scal and TA are the most likely to be traded, and now that TA's value has increased, it seems almost certain to me. We need something better than TA and Scal for s strong run, and teams that try to save money could use them; they're not too shabby, anyway.

And with Omri Casspi rising to starter material, Nocioni being used less frequently and TA's value increasing, I think a TA + Scal for Nocioni trade is very likely to happen.

[Brickowski]

And with Omri Casspi rising to starter material, Nocioni being used less frequently and TA's value increasing, I think a TA + Scal for Nocioni trade is very likely to happen.

No way.  Why trade two expiring deals for a bad player with a terrible deal?

To get rid of Nocioni, the Kings will have to throw in a good young player, just as the Jazz were forced to do in order to get someone to take Harpring.

[ssspence]

And with Omri Casspi rising to starter material, Nocioni being used less frequently and TA's value increasing, I think a TA + Scal for Nocioni trade is very likely to happen.

No way.  Why trade two expiring deals for a bad player with a terrible deal?

To get rid of Nocioni, the Kings will have to throw in a good young player, just as the Jazz were forced to do in order to get someone to take Harpring.

Exactly right. There's a myth on this site that the Cs are interested in Nocioni. They're not.

[Reyquila]

Ive never been against trading ANY of our players for an even better player. I havent heard that the Celtics are contemplating ANY trade any time soon so I wont be one of the 200 speculators we have in this site.
Someone already noted that TA and Rondo are the only regular slashers on this team. 100% correct. Glad someone esle also sees this.
Tony is not a perimeter shooter. He is very inconsistent with his jumper; but he can take it to the basket almost at will. He is not in great shape now and I dont know if he will get there before he hurst himself again, but he can take it to the basket and we definitely need this part of his game to compliment our other shlasher, Rondo.
PP used to be a slasher; now he picks his moves; which is fine with me. Slashers tend to get hurt more than perimeter players. We need PP healthy.
TA was always a good foul shooter, which helped his shlashing moves. Now I see him missing a lot of fouls. He needs to improve on that. He just needs the playing time.
Someone also pointed out that TA has no more TO's than PP. Good observation. Guess some bloggers just love to hate TA just like some of us love to hate Scal. lolol.
But Tony is fine. Just give him time and dont let him guard their best jumpshooter in crunch time because he will foul that shooter; beleive me. lol

[Bankshot]

I get that Tony has increased his value, but that value is better served helping the Celtics.  I definitely want to keep Tony.  Oh, and he really has a devastating crossover move.

[Surferdad]

I disagree that Tony has increased his trade value.  His expiring contract is what makes him valuable.  Teams that want him might not even care if he can play.  If he's traded, he will only be on that other team's roster for a few months.

That said, Tony has increased his value to the Celtics, and it comes at a pefect time with Daniels out.

[fanofgreen]

We need A wait and see approach with Tony. If he can stay healthy TA can help this team in the long run. Maybe he finally turned the corner? All i know is Pierce & Doc seem to like TA. Just have to wait.

I think there's already been a wait and see approach with TA...a 6 year wait and see approach. and I think we know what we've seen. not much improvement skill wise, inconsistency, and a sad pattern of injuries.

[Reggie's Ghost]

Man this blog is like Leonard from "Memento," nothing remotely new here.  TA can't play well when inserted for short stints, but if you give him some steady minutes he seems to loosen up on the court and play better.  Time and time again this is what we've seen, and since he's not going to be getting regular 15+ min games for this team when the Captain or Quise come back, he'll return to form as a totally unusable option for >5 min per.

TA has much higher value to a mediocre team that can offer him a big role with big mins than he ever will to us, and I hope that that coupled with his valuable expiring contract will be enough to buy us something of real value at the trade deadline...

[MVP]

Yes TA is an asset - as a player on the Celtics. He is providing us with athleticism, defense, rebounding and energy. All things we really need. Plus while he has shot some terrible shots, he is shooting 40% on jumpers which is a huge improvement from past seasons and if that continues he might move ahead of Daniels in the depth chart. Added to that his athleticism is now close to pre-injury level and as a result his confidence is fairly high.

There's no reason to trade him. If Daniels comes back healthy and both play good then we will have really good depth and good competition between the two. I also agree with Surferdad - TA's value to most other teams is his expiring contract, it doesn't really matter how well he plays.

[wdleehi]

Man this blog is like Leonard from "Memento," nothing remotely new here.  TA can't play well when inserted for short stints, but if you give him some steady minutes he seems to loosen up on the court and play better.  Time and time again this is what we've seen, and since he's not going to be getting regular 15+ min games for this team when the Captain or Quise come back, he'll return to form as a totally unusable option for >5 min per.

TA has much higher value to a mediocre team that can offer him a big role with big mins than he ever will to us, and I hope that that coupled with his valuable expiring contract will be enough to buy us something of real value at the trade deadline...

That's why I want to see him play well until Pierce returns.  A team trading for him can sell it as more then a cap dump to the fans. 

When Pierce and Daniels return, he will go back to his previous rotation spot. 

Daniels is still to important in taking the ball out of Houses hands, allowing him to be just a spot up shooter. 

[Brickowski]

I think TA would be more vaulable on an up tempo team (Knicks, Suns, Warriors) than he is on the Celtics.  He's not a good fit for Rivers' offense.

Frankly, TA shines because of Rondo.  TA has become a running mate, and when one of them gets a steal or deflection, they both take off down the floor.

[wdleehi]

I think TA would be more vaulable on an up tempo team (Knicks, Suns, Warriors) than he is on the Celtics.  He's not a good fit for Rivers' offense.

Frankly, TA shines because of Rondo.  TA has become a running mate, and when one of them gets a steal or deflection, they both take off down the floor.

Which works fine in the regular season.  Come playoff time when there is better defense, the lack of shooting between those two becomes a big liability.