As much as I love (and respect) what Ray has done here over the last 5 years, I have to agree that this really is a bit of ****e move.
Also the more I think about it, the more I think we may be better off.
Why?
1. Deal
First of all, Allen asking for 9M/Year is ludicrous. He clearly is not worth anywhere near that money at his age, at this point in his career, and coming off an injury.
Unless you are a talented big man, to get that type of money you need to be a versatile enough to play multiple positions and / or produce in multiple areas. As a pure shooting guard who only real skill is shooting, Ray offers neither of the above.
Either he dramatically overestimates his own balue, or he he threw this figure out intentionally knowing that Boston would never match it, purely to waste their time. Then he threw in the no-trade demand just to add insult to injury.
The latter was all but confirmed by the fact that he signed for Miami for 1/3 of that yearly salary...without a trade clause.
2. Fit in Boston
I was daydreaming the other day about the possibility of a Terry/Allen/Green second unit, with each of those guys having the potential to score 20 points on any given night. For a Boston team that has never had depth, the possibility was very intriguing!
Then I started to think about it...who on that second unit will actually play defense?
Terry is hardly a lock down defender, and he's undersized at 6'2". At this point in his career, Allen is really a bit of a defensive liability. Green will have his hands full with bigger SF's like Carmello and Lebron.
Larger and more dominant backcourt scorers guys like Wade, Kobe, Mayo and J Johnson will score at will if they come up against this lineup.
The Celtics are actually probably more ballanced with Terry/Pietrus/Green out there on the perimeter. Each of those three guys can knock down the outside shot (making up somewhat for the loss of Allen), but Pietrus has the strength and agility to defend any SG/SF in the league...and that allows Terry and Green to focus primarilly on offense.
This also ensures that Terry and Green will get enough minutes (probably close to 30 a game) to be really effective. Bringing Allen back would have probably forced them to play him some time either at PG or at SF just to get him the minutes he needs to be content, and that would have taken minutes away from Terry and Green. Pietrus will be much more willing to accept reduced minutes for the better of the team.
Also we don't want a Celtic who doesn't WANT to be a Celtic. Terry, Pietrus and Green are all very passionate about playing on Boston, and a passionate employee almost always amounts to a more productive employee.
3. Impact in Miami
I actually think Ray Allen's potential impact in Miami is grossly overrated.
Yes Ray Allen is one year older, and yes he's just coming off a surgery to remove bone spurs in his ankle...but that's not my reason. People seem to forget that the main reason Ray has managed to maintain his efficiency is because Boston surrounds him with the perfect system.
Having multiple staggered screens (starting with one of the best screen setters in KG) gets Ray the space he needs, and then he has arguably the best passer in the league (Rondo) delivering him the ball right where/when he wants it. So many of those shots he gets would have been a non-attempt it the pass was a split second later or off position.
Despite the above, Ray was a step slower and has struggled to get enough separation to get shots off lately. Maybe that's due to the bone spurs, but maybe he's just not as quick anymore. Now he's in Miami and doesn't have those resources, and it's most likely that his shooting efficiency will drop significantly.
4. Value
To me, the big way to decide a player's value is how replacable they are. This usually is determined by a combination of their versatility, versus how much they demand from the team.
Example 1 - Marquis Daniels:
* Can play and defend three positions (PG, SG and SF)
* Has a varied skillset (good passer, solid rebounder, rarely turns the ball over, can score when asked)
* Has good intangbles (experience, hustle, toughness, professionalism, loyalty and gets along with other players)
* Demands only a 'veteran min' contract and a roster spot. He considers any playing time a bonus.
That to me that is a very high value player - hard to replace because its very hard to find a guy who will offer that skill set in return for similar or fewer demands.
Example 2 - Ray Allen:
* Can play one position (SG)
* Has one key skill (Shooting)
* Has some intangibles (experience, professionalism, clutch scoring)
* Demands a large salary an a starting role or starter-like minutes
This makes Ray Allen (in my eyes) a very low value player - very easilly replaced because there are many players out there who could offer this skill set in return for similar or fewer demands.
So honestly, the more I think about it the more I like this..as long as Pietrus comes back. They dont need him to be a scorng machine, they just ned consitently good defense and the ability to hit the odd big shot (he can do both).
Topic: Ray is gone (wanted 3 year 27 million) (Read 94037 times)