Ray shows up like 3-4 hours before every game, is always working hard on his game, always keeping himself in shape, always being a professional for his team, always conducting himself with class, always giving it 100% out on the court even while hurt, and everybody on this forum knows full well that the Celtics haven't been treating Ray very well for the past 2 seasons or so.
Ray did not deserve the bad treatment he got from the Celtics. There's such a thing as principle and pride, and every single player on the Boston Celtics has that pride. If KG was being treated that badly, don't expect to see KG stick around. If Pierce was being treated like that, don't expect him to stick around, either. This isn't a simple matter of being in trade talks, because rondo and pierce have certainly been in trade talks, but they were never in trade talks while simultaneously being heavily undervalued on their current team at the same time.
Ray was more or less traded at the trade deadline for O.J. Mayo from the Grizzlies. The Celtics pulled the trade trigger. They didn't just talk about it, they did it. We all know this.
Celtics weren't fighting to keep Ray Allen when they had him. I'm just as p---ed off as anybody, because I consider myself a true fan of Ray Allen. I was a bucks fan because of Ray. I was a Supersonics fan because of Ray. I became a Celtic fan because of Ray. Only other player I've been such a huge fan of was Michael Jordan.
People think Ray is leaving because he wants an easy ring? Far from it. Ray is leaving because of his pride. He believes he still has a lot of game left in him, and he believes he gave the Boston Celtics everything he had and never cheated the game of basketball, as Garnett is known for saying. Ray Allen is leaving the Celtics because he believes, deep down, that the Celtics no longer believes in him, or even wants to, and slowly, but surely his relevance on the team is falling. Many people on this very forum have been saying this same thing for months.
Ray Allen was one of the Celtic's best players easily at the early part of the season, arguably #1 with the way he was performing. KG wasn't himself, Pierce came back a bit out of shape, and was out of rhythm as a result of his injury.
Ray, the numbers prove, was a major part of our post all-star game push. He hurt his ankle in that huge game against the Clippers that we won, and he continued to play like 4 games afterwards. Bradley blossomed this season, but we were winning again with Ray getting the start. He hit big shot after big shot for us this season. I agreed with Ray going to the bench, because I thought it was actually helping the team. It's all in how you handle things, though, and the Celtics never made it clear enough that they wanted Ray back. Considering what Ray has been through, perhaps a no trade clause and $12 million wasn't good enough.
Maybe he wanted to see a strong enough sign that they really believed in him in Boston, and was serious about him having a major role on the team going forward. Ray, for better or worse, as much as people hate the Heat, the Heat seem to be more eager and more hungry for Ray's services, and are more prepared to make him a big part of their team than the Celtics are. Ray was convinced that this is a team that values his contributions. It wasn't about money, it was about respect and having a sense that the team you're playing for REALLY values your services. The management had burned too many bridges with Ray.
I still want to see the Celtics win a championship. I still want them to succeed. I will not cheer against the Celtics, but I will also not cheer against Ray on the Heat. I, too, want to see him prove his worth and value, no matter where he goes, even if it's the Heat. A big part of me wants him to prove that the Celtics should have appreciated what they had when they had it, and not when they were about to lose it. I want Ray Allen to succeed wherever he goes, and I would love to see him win another championship. If the Celtics and Heat play, I will be torn. I will just watch as a neutral fan that respects both teams.
I don't hate everybody on the Heat. I've always, for example, respected Bosh, and now I have someone else on the team that I really respect, Ray Allen. I'm angry with Ray for leaving, but I understand and don't blame him for making a decision that he feels is best for him as a competitor.
Topic: Don't care what anyone thinks. I want Ray to succeed wherever he is. (Read 14755 times)