Who will be better (2012-2013 season) : Ray or Lee?

[OmarSekou]

Only time will tell but I predict Ray taking on more of a Mike Miller role in Miami so I think it's a moot point. They are going to be asked to do completely different things and stat lines won't represent their contributions to their teams.

Ray will be asked to shoot which he is better at.

Lee will be asked to defend, be aggressive, and unselfishly find his openings which I think he is better at.

Whose a better fit for our team? I'm not sure. But we have Lee and don't have Ray so that's our answer.

[boscel33]

I think the poll should have been; Who's better at this point of their career?

I think Ray is the better player, but right now Lee is.  Who knows what Lee will be at the end of his career? 

I wouldn't mind seeing a comparison of the players when Ray was at this same stage as Courtney in his career. 

Be interesting....

[Bankshot]

Ray WAS the better player and had the better career, but I think Courtney might be better now - only because Ray is old though.

[jaketwice]

I mean - this question is kind of unfair. Ray Allen is a hall of fame player with an impressive body of work. He has been featured in several cities as the "star" player.

Courtney Lee is a fifth year player who has never been featured as the star of an offense.

That said - Lee, in 2012, was statistically speaking, a better player. He shot better from the floor, from three, and from the field, he had more steals and blocks (and he was a better defender). He's also younger.

But Lee isn't going to teach Jared Sullinger to shoot. And he isn't going to show Fab Melo what it means to be a professional.

A better question is whether I'd rather have Ray at $6M/season, for the next three seasons (until he is 41!!!) or have Lee, for the next four seasons until he is 31. I am as sentimental as the next guy but COME ON. It's a no brainer, Lee is a thousand times better as an option.

I wish Ray the best - except when we play the Heat. But way to go Danny!

[BballTim]

Ray WAS the better player and had the better career, but I think Courtney might be better now - only because Ray is old though.

  I doubt anyone thinks Lee will ever be as good as Ray in his prime.

[Roy H.]

That said - Lee, in 2012, was statistically speaking, a better player. He shot better from the floor, from three, and from the field...

I think you may have misread the stats.

Ray '12: 45.8% FG%; 45.3% 3PT%; .607 TS%; .566 eFG%

Lee '12: 43.3% FG%; 40.1% 3PT%; .534 TS%; .508 eFG%

Steals, blocks, and rebounds were virtually identical; Ray had the edge in assists.

[droopdog7]

Ray WAS the better player and had the better career, but I think Courtney might be better now - only because Ray is old though.

  I doubt anyone thinks Lee will ever be as good as Ray in his prime.

Yeah, why anyone is even typing the idea that Ray was better in his prime is beyond me.  Ther is NO question that Ray was better than Lee will ever be.  Not even worth typing.

It was earlier stated that Ray's stats were skewed by his hot start.  Well, one could equally argue that his late season stats were skewed by the fact that he was injured.

[Celtics18]

I think Courtney Lee will be better for the 2012-13 season and for all subsequent seasons.  Last season, Ray Allen was slightly better than Courtney Lee, statistically speaking.  That doesn't take defense into account, a facet of the game where I'm expecting Lee to be a significant upgrade. 

It seems like we've been referring to Lee as a decent long range shooter.  I don't think decent does him justice.  He's an excellent 3 pt. shooter.  If you take away his season in New Jersey where he didn't shoot very well, he's shot over 40% from behind the arc in each other of his other 3 NBA seasons. 

If we were drawing a graph of Ray Allen's and Courtney Lee's respective careers, Lee's line would still be arcing upwards while Allen's is clearly on its way down.

I'm looking forward to seeing his contributions to this Celtics squad, and I don't miss Ray Allen one bit.

 

[Lightskinsmurf]

I can tell you one thing. I no longer care even a little that ray left now that we have terry and lee. Ray will NOT be missed. I will certainly not miss him getting lit up on the defensive end i can tell you that much.

[Fafnir]

Ray is a better player, though he carries a greater risk of decline/injury.

[action781]

I'm not sure, it's fairly close when considering Lee's defense.

Something worth considering is:  why did Miami immediately push for Ray and not even make any attempts at Courtney Lee when both were FA's? 

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I'm not sure, it's fairly close when considering Lee's defense.

Something worth considering is:  why did Miami immediately push for Ray and not even make any attempts at Courtney Lee when both were FA's? 

They had 3 mil to offer... nothing to consider.

[slamtheking]

Going with Lee.

much better defender and respectable shot.  Not as good as Ray when he's on but saw a lot of games where Ray wasn't on.  Also, after seeing Ray have a less than stellar season in 07-08 when he was still recovering from his last ankle surgery, I'm anticipating he won't be at the top of his game this year.

One other item that goes in Lee's favor, when dribbling on a fast break, he's less likely to be an automatic turnover when dribbling down the court.

[Kane3387]

I'm not sure, it's fairly close when considering Lee's defense.

Something worth considering is:  why did Miami immediately push for Ray and not even make any attempts at Courtney Lee when both were FA's? 

Ray is a better fit for them. Lee for us. Based on team makeup and each players skill set. Both teams are improved.

[Roy H.]

Courtney Lee's defense is probably a bit overrated. 

For comparison, Ray allowed 0.75 points per possession, 48th in the league.  Lee?  0.88 PPP, good for 280th.  It's not a perfect method to evaluate defense, but 280th in the NBA is not the sign of a lockdown defender.