Don't care what anyone thinks. I want Ray to succeed wherever he is.

[rondohondo]

You're writing this from a fan of an individual perspective. I'm sorry , but if you don't know who to root for when the C's play Miami then you are clearly not a full blown c's fan, you just like certain players, and that's fine ( I guess?) , but it's not possible for you to understand how we feel if the C's aren't the only team you root for no matter what.

Ray is acting like a child. Rondo was in trade talks all year and is on a bargin basement type contract, PP was offered for New Jersey's lottery pick and KG was offered for Josh Smith . None of these guys go around Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.ing and crying that they were all put on the trade block when our team record was 15-17.

And yea I am sure Lebron and Wade are so much more mature than Rondo 

[Senninsage]

I just don't understand why he went to Miami, and that has nothing to do with my aversion to the Heat. 

If he had gone to the Clippers or even the Bulls (had they been healthy and gearing up for contending next year) I would've understood.  He would've been going into a situation where he would clearly be the starting SG and have a big role.

Now, I'm not so sure.  I don't see Miami being a great location for him.  He now clearly becomes a role player, quite likely won't start, and gets paid half of what Boston offered while having to disrupt his family. 

I just don't see the sense in the decision. 

It isn't hard to see why. They are the talk of the league, they are the champions, and Ray has a lot of pride as a competitor.
 
He wants to make a splash and believes he can still make a big splash in this league. He believes he's still a star in this league, as do I. While being as professional as he has always been, and while some of those other rosters, especially the Celtics roster if he joined, had potential for championship excellence, the Heat provided the biggest spotlight possible for his contributions that were getting drowned out and basically taken for granted while he played for the Celtics.

The Celtics seemed more like they were interested in keeping Ray away from the Heat, not so much keeping Ray because they believe they absolutely need Ray to win the big one. Ray has always done things for others. When he came to the Celtics, he sacrificed his game more than any other member of the big 3. He took the biggest cuts to his pay, even when it didn't seem deserved. He was being shopped around for little to nothing.

Ray is all about doing something for himself for a change. Ray isn't going to the Heat for an easy ring, because there is no easy ring in this league. Ray is going to the Heat to prove that he's still a top player in this league. Ray is going to the Heat to prove that he's a player in demand by the best of teams, and now the entire league has to take notice, one way or the other. You would think Ray Allen, of all people, wouldn't need to do anything to prove himself, but with some of the reaction Ray has been getting around here, and with the dismissive manner in which Celtics management has been handling Ray, Ray is in a mood to prove something. All competitors want to prove something. Ray is hungry to show that he's still a top player in this league, regardless of his age. He doesn't want to be buried on some bench where he isn't a major part of a team's future while the team bides their time to replace him with a young buck.

The Celtics for the better part of two seasons acted as if they didn't need nor appreciate Ray Allen, and now Ray is, in some ways justifiably, lashing out saying that there is a team that needs and appreciates who he is as a player, and that's the most recent NBA Champion Miami Heat, with the league and finals MVP leading it. I can't stomach Lebron, either. I don't like Dwayne Wade, but I've been a Ray Allen fan for so many years, and I'm not going to suddenly start hoping for the guy to fail. I understand the reasons for other fans for wanting him to fail, and that's respectable and your right as a fan, but I can't do it.

I also want the Celtics to prove to the Heat, and to the entire sports world that losing Ray will not keep them from winning a championship as well, so it goes both ways for me, but in the process of wishing the Celtics success to prove their doubters wrong, I wish the same for Ray Allen.

[cman88]

I just don't understand why he went to Miami, and that has nothing to do with my aversion to the Heat. 

If he had gone to the Clippers or even the Bulls (had they been healthy and gearing up for contending next year) I would've understood.  He would've been going into a situation where he would clearly be the starting SG and have a big role.

Now, I'm not so sure.  I don't see Miami being a great location for him.  He now clearly becomes a role player, quite likely won't start, and gets paid half of what Boston offered while having to disrupt his family. 

I just don't see the sense in the decision. 

It isn't hard to see why. They are the talk of the league, they are the champions, and Ray has a lot of pride as a competitor.
 

stop RIGHT There.....how does joining the "champion" to be a mere role-player really give you any indication that Ray is a competitor?

a real competitor would rather BEAT that team than join them for an easier ride.

[Senninsage]

You're writing this from a fan of an individual perspective. I'm sorry , but if you don't know who to root for when the C's play Miami then you are clearly not a full blown c's fan, you just like certain players, and that's fine ( I guess?) , but it's not possible for you to understand how we feel if the C's aren't the only team you root for no matter what.

Ray is acting like a child. Rondo was in trade talks all year and is on a bargin basement type contract, PP was offered for New Jersey's lottery pick and KG was offered for Josh Smith . None of these guys go around ****ing and crying that they were all put on the trade block when our team record was 15-17.

And yea I am sure Lebron and Wade are so much more mature than Rondo 

I despise Lebron and Wade. This is about Ray Allen. I still want the Celtics to win a championship in spite of all of this. I will never stop supporting the Celtics, because there is a reason to still want the Celtics to win. I'm a fan of the Celtics and will remain so. It was easier to not stay a fan of the bucks and supersonics, because those teams didn't have the character of this Celtics squad. No, Lebron and Wade aren't more mature.

The point is that I want Ray to succeed and prove his worth on the biggest stage possible if that's what he desires to do. The Celtics as an organization treated Ray like dirt. He gave them his all on the court. He owes them nothing, because they treated Ray as if they owed him nothing for the past 2 seasons. No matter how good someone played while Pierce was out, no way in hell they think about benching pierce. No matter how weel someone played in KG's place while hurt, no way in hell someone else takes KG's starting spot. We actually played better in stretches without rondo, too, did rondo lose his starting spot?  

Don't get me wrong, i thought ray off the bench was the right decision, too, but it goes deeper than that. The Celtics tried to get rid of ray for o.j. mayo and a pick...

[ManUp]

To quote Chuck of RedsArmy, "Thanks for the memories, Ray. May you never hit another 3-point shot again."

[GreenFaith1819]

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.

TP, for the most part.

I won't be a neutral fan, though, when we play MIA. I'll be routing for Ray to go 0-7. Too bad that on most nights that will be the most shot attempts he gets - if that.

Sadly, I expect MIA's luster to wear off for Ray sooner than later.

I wish him success vs everyone but BOS.

[InfiniteMH]

I would love to see Ray keep playing well and lose to the Celtics.

[BudweiserCeltic]

You're writing this from a fan of an individual perspective. I'm sorry , but if you don't know who to root for when the C's play Miami then you are clearly not a full blown c's fan, you just like certain players, and that's fine ( I guess?) , but it's not possible for you to understand how we feel if the C's aren't the only team you root for no matter what.

Ray is acting like a child. Rondo was in trade talks all year and is on a bargin basement type contract, PP was offered for New Jersey's lottery pick and KG was offered for Josh Smith . None of these guys go around ****ing and crying that they were all put on the trade block when our team record was 15-17.

And yea I am sure Lebron and Wade are so much more mature than Rondo 

I despise Lebron and Wade. This is about Ray Allen. I still want the Celtics to win a championship in spite of all of this. I will never stop supporting the Celtics, because there is a reason to still want the Celtics to win. I'm a fan of the Celtics and will remain so. It was easier to not stay a fan of the bucks and supersonics, because those teams didn't have the character of this Celtics squad. No, Lebron and Wade aren't more mature.

The point is that I want Ray to succeed and prove his worth on the biggest stage possible if that's what he desires to do. The Celtics as an organization treated Ray like dirt. He gave them his all on the court. He owes them nothing, because they treated Ray as if they owed him nothing for the past 2 seasons. No matter how good someone played while Pierce was out, no way in hell they think about benching pierce. No matter how weel someone played in KG's place while hurt, no way in hell someone else takes KG's starting spot. We actually played better in stretches without rondo, too, did rondo lose his starting spot? 

Don't get me wrong, i thought ray off the bench was the right decision, too, but it goes deeper than that. The Celtics tried to get rid of ray for o.j. mayo and a pick...

I'm with you that Ray Allen should have been treated better by the Celtics organization, though on the other hand Ray Allen played a ton of poor minutes for the Celtics, and Doc kept playing him constantly through his struggles. Not everyone does that, so Ray has to be grateful to that to.

Also, thinking solely of the Celtics as an organization is very shortsighted from Ray's part. Celtics is a team, family and community. We're all Celtics, and him going to Miami is pretty much a slap in the face to us just as much as it is to the organization.

I'm fine with him leaving, if you've seen my posts previous to his decision I was quite understanding of Ray wanting to move on, that if he was unhappy here he, he has his right to move on to another team. And I very much respect that. But I can't respect someone for leaving in this manner, it really tarnishes many fond memories I've had of him through the years. I've been a big fan of his throughout his career, though I'm a Celtics fan first. When he arrived he became my favorite Celtic instantly.

All of that has turned to crap now. It was betrayal. It's one thing to fall out of love, it's another to go screw with the enemy.

[Kuberski1]

When Posey, Powe, TA moved on, I remained a fan, and still do.

Not so with Ray....this is not about money, or a better opportunity, but simply a chance to ride on LBJ and Wade's coat-tails.  I do not wish him well, would be very happy if he failed miserably, however remote the possibility.

[ShermansShoes]

At this point in his career, and I stress at this point, Walter can be replaced by any number of lower priced, obviously less thin skinned NBA spot up shooters.  Things you will not miss will be the borderline horrible defense, the " where was that pass going" question you ask every game from him, and the obligatory drive to the hoop that ends in a miss or blocked reverse lay up attempt.  I will not thank him for the memories or his long hours of practice and prep for which he was handsomly rewared.   I will not wish him luck, nor will I dwell on what might have been.  He owes me nothing just as I owe him nothing. So take your talent ( singular) to South Beach and enjoy sitting at the kiddie table.  Alpha Michael Foxtrot.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

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.

TP, for the most part.

I won't be a neutral fan, though, when we play MIA. I'll be routing for Ray to go 0-7. Too bad that on most nights that will be the most shot attempts he gets - if that.

Sadly, I expect MIA's luster to wear off for Ray sooner than later.

I wish him success vs everyone but BOS.

You're being to nice GreenFaith.

I wish him nothing but success outside of basketball. He is with the enemy, i would be more than happy to see him and that team be crushed not only by us, but by anyone (not that it's gonna happen). I wish nothing more than LBJ and Wade and co. realize that he's nothing more than a mere role player in this team who won't even elevate them to better status, and drag them down more with his gimpy ankles and poor defense.

Going to the enemy is one thing. B******g around when he was put in the trade block because of his poor performance, oh by the way, everyone on the team was in the block as well not just him, Rondo even more, all while complaining as how he worked hard to get around screens and Rondo doesnt get him the ball (even though he does, this is a JA Adande report by the way) is an added fuel to the fire.

Screw Ray Allen, the basketball player.

[scaryjerry]

I absolutely knew this would be you before I even clicked on it, and surely it was!
Good for you man! I wont be wishing for him succeed even one bit

[Prof. Clutch]

I don't harbor any ill will towards Ray, it just sucks that he left.  I want Ray to succeed, just not when the Heat are ever playing the Celtics.

[Lord of Mikawa]

I hope Ray likes hurricanes.

[KG_ended_Bias]

Ray has no competitive fire anymore! He left us ultimately because he didn't think we could beat the Heat which contributed to. Nash & Ray did stuff you never should do. Go to your hated rival! But I can understand Nash more being they never won a title before or had a umbutu type band of brothers. Ray showed selfishness I never fathomed he had & I lost alot of respect for him as a player & person for how he treated a Celtic organization that showed him love from management down to the coach.