OT - Lebron sticking up for Ray

[CL82]

I don't think that Ray Allen is a jerk for "leaving Boston"... I think he's a jerk because he already had a ring, and he left Boston for Miami. Its a low move, the same way Lebrons move of teaming up with Wade/Bosh was low. All the old guard said the same thing, if you are the best, you want to beat the best, not team up with the best so you don't have to face them anymore.

Seriously, did Ray nail your GF back in the day or something? Your obsession with him boarders on creepy.

 

[dogfan96]

We dont have to keep going down this road but Ray did what was best for him and thats all that matters. Of course Lebron will stick up for Ray without Ray Lebron would be this generation of Wilt Chamberlain.

And without LeBron, Ray would still have the 1 ring. It's a team sport. Ray was playing pretty horribly in the previous 2 rounds of the playoffs and finally came around and started playing well in the Finals. Without LeBron carrying them to the Finals (with both Wade and Bosh not playing particularly well either), they don't even make it there and that shot in Game 6 never happens.

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Didn't think starting this thread would turn into such a disaster. Ray is probably the best player to ever wear a UCONN jersey and he's getting absolutely trashed by some people on this thread.

I'm a fan of the NBA but Don't have a favorite team, because I like watching uconn alums. Makes rooting for the local bobcats fun, but I can't claim to be as avid a fan as some of the Celtics fans on here who feel like Ray somehow personally wronged them.

As uconn fans I was hoping everyone would just appreciate the respect being given to Ray by someone who will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game (sorry if that statement opens another can of worms)

 

[James]

Can't believe people are angry about ray allen wanting to play with the greatest player and possibly teammate ever, and he might even ef around and win a few more rings. He basically struck gold by being a prized vet @ the right time

 

[Scoe]

And without LeBron, Ray would still have the 1 ring. It's a team sport. Ray was playing pretty horribly in the previous 2 rounds of the playoffs and finally came around and started playing well in the Finals. Without LeBron carrying them to the Finals (with both Wade and Bosh not playing particularly well either), they don't even make it there and that shot in Game 6 never happens.

Well that goes without saying, Lebron has always had a ton of respect for Ray, he showed he wanted Ray as a teammate more then the Celtics did during Ray's FA period.

 

[Scoe]

Can't believe people are angry about ray allen wanting to play with the greatest player and possibly teammate ever, and he might even ef around and win a few more rings. He basically struck gold by being a prized vet @ the right time

yep he was a FREE Agent

 

[ctchamps]

Didn't think starting this thread would turn into such a disaster. Ray is probably the best player to ever wear a UCONN jersey and he's getting absolutely trashed by some people on this thread.

I'm a fan of the NBA but Don't have a favorite team, because I like watching uconn alums. Makes rooting for the local bobcats fun, but I can't claim to be as avid a fan as some of the Celtics fans on here who feel like Ray somehow personally wronged them.

As uconn fans I was hoping everyone would just appreciate the respect being given to Ray by someone who will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game (sorry if that statement opens another can of worms)

Just think of human behavior as a system of sets. For you the set that is strongest is UConn alums. For another the set of the Celtics is stronger than UConn alums. For still others the set of the Miami Heat's is the strongest negative set. For some the strongest negative set is Lebron. Then there is the set of franchises with some supporting the bigger franchises and some supporting the "little" guys. And it gets a little more complicated because most of us have multiple sets we prefer, but then value each set in a different sequence. Reaction is always dependent on which is the strongest identifier set(s) for each and every one of us. This will be a great lesson for you going forward: emotional preferences vary and dictate how we react.

You don't need to apologize to this crew! We feast on worms, both those found in cans and in the wild.

 

[ctchamps]

yep he was a FREE Agent

As was Andrew Bynum and I bet there are several posters who support your viewpoint about Ray Allen and have dumped on Bynum for not coming to Storrs. And they will rationalize Bynum's decision to go pro vs. college as being different than Ray's decision because it is more face saving to deflect that our opinions are often not noble. In other words, most fans are just a bunch of whiny biatches that are very needy. Of course I'm above all of this!

 

[TheRealKBuks]

Yo! Miami wanted him. The defending champs. He wasn't gonna play behind Mike Miller. Are you serious?

Sorry, but MM can knock down shots. Ray's one of the greatest shooters of all time, and is deadly clutch. See the difference?

Have to disagree with you, ray is not one of the greatest shooters of all time, he's THE greatest shooter all time ;-)

 

[Scoe]

Have to disagree with you, ray is not one of the greatest shooters of all time, he's THE greatest shooter all time ;-)

Peter North is up there

 

[Kembacity]

Teams play with more than one three-point shooter on the floor, you know. "Three-point shooter" isn't a position. Miller is much too old and creaky to play the 2 - which is Ray's primary position. Miller plays the 3 and sometimes acts as a stretch 4 when the Heat go really small (as does Battier). Terry was direct competition for minutes backing up a Rondo-Bradley backcourt.

He also didn't go to the Heat the first chance he got. He came to the C's with a three-year deal and played five. First time his contract was up, he signed on for two more.

Nothing delicate about what Ray did. You're projecting your own feelings on to him.

I'm just saying leaving wasn't a petty move, leaving for the Heat was in a way. So I was just saying that if he made the decision to go to the team that his former fans would hate the most, then he made the right decision, but it was petty.

Bottom line is I'm not here to just whine about Ray leaving, the point is that Lebron is a genius... Ray going from BOS to MIA was absolutely nothing like Pierce and KG going from BOS to BKN, and any adult who thinks theyre similar, let alone an NBA allstar, is seriously deluded to think so.

 

[Kembacity]

Seriously, did Ray nail your GF back in the day or something? Your obsession with him boarders on creepy.

Far more obsessed with the God that is Kemba Walker, if Kemba impregnated my girlfriend, I would shout it from the rooftops and feel blessed whenever I entered her

I hated Ray simply because he did what aging NBA players WITHOUT A RING do... I'm fine with going to the best possible place to end up with a ring but only if you don't already have one... No one wants to retire without a ring, so when guys like Payton/Malone went to LA, I understood it fully. But I think there's a point where you play the game because you love the game and its paying you millions a year, you don't simply exist to run to whatever team is the hot place to be favored to win the championship

It sends a stupid message out to the young guys coming up right now. It basically says, why bother going to a mid-major or a less than elite team if you can go to Kentucky? If all guys simply went to the 'best' place they could, the NCAA and NBA would be a lot more awful

 

[Pudge]

I think God works in mysterious ways.

If you are hung up on Ray Allen leaving the Celtics ... get over yourself. OBVIOUSLY ... his tenure at that Green team was over. They were using him less; dismissing his value; and constantly looking to use him as a trading piece. Money money money ... but ultimately Ray Allen saw his way to a better circumstance for his family and his career. Fan boys for the Celtics be damned. You just sound stupid on a UConn website opining this.

In the arc of time, I think Ray hitting one of the most famous shots in the history of the league validates all that happened. It was fate. KG is a baby. PP has had a good Green career. But, this move by Ray Allen was perfect. He did nothing but what a alert professional athlete should do.

 

[Kembacity]

Have to disagree with you, ray is not one of the greatest shooters of all time, he's THE greatest shooter all time ;-)

So then why exactly was Ray so terrified when the Celts signed Jason Terry? Everyone who defends every step Mr Allen has ever taken all point to the Celtics other signings as the reason he had to leave. My only point was, he wasn't going to the team that would most benefit from him being there, they already had multiple 3-point threats (although there are none like Allen in the league right now)

 

[CL82]

Far more obsessed with the God that is Kemba Walker, if Kemba impregnated my girlfriend, I would shout it from the rooftops and feel blessed whenever I entered her

I hated Ray simply because he did what aging NBA players WITHOUT A RING do... I'm fine with going to the best possible place to end up with a ring but only if you don't already have one... No one wants to retire without a ring, so when guys like Payton/Malone went to LA, I understood it fully. But I think there's a point where you play the game because you love the game and its paying you millions a year, you don't simply exist to run to whatever team is the hot place to be favored to win the championship

It sends a stupid message out to the young guys coming up right now. It basically says, why bother going to a mid-major or a less than elite team if you can go to Kentucky? If all guys simply went to the 'best' place they could, the NCAA and NBA would be a lot more awful

Yeah, that definitely was not less creepy. Especially the first paragraph.

 

[Gurleyman]

So then why exactly was Ray so terrified when the Celts signed Jason Terry? Everyone who defends every step Mr Allen has ever taken all point to the Celtics other signings as the reason he had to leave. My only point was, he wasn't going to the team that would most benefit from him being there, they already had multiple 3-point threats (although there are none like Allen in the league right now)

You're fabricating arguments now. There is nothing from Ray's mouth about being terrified of Terry. Or even that Terry was a factor (other than perhaps saying "they went their way, I went mine.").

In his last playoff run with Boston, he wasn't getting open. Pierce and KG weren't drawing double teams to cause defenses to collapse. Rondo could break down the defense, but Ray's man never left him to help. If he came off a Brandon Bass screen off the ball, Brandon Bass would be left wide open as two guys went to make sure Ray couldn't catch and shoot.

In Miami, he got better looks playing off James/Wade, and spacing the floor for them. He's not as explosive coming around screens any more, so he's more valuable playing off others. He needed a Clippers/Heat type of lineup around him, and the Celtics needed someone else who could create their own shot, rather than an aging guy running off screens who defenders never left open. Swapping Terry for Allen in the free agent market made sense for Boston (or the Mayo trade, if that happened). Going to Miami made sense for Ray.

 

[dogfan96]

I'm just saying leaving wasn't a petty move, leaving for the Heat was in a way. So I was just saying that if he made the decision to go to the team that his former fans would hate the most, then he made the right decision, but it was petty.

Bottom line is I'm not here to just whine about Ray leaving, the point is that Lebron is a genius... Ray going from BOS to MIA was absolutely nothing like Pierce and KG going from BOS to BKN, and any adult who thinks theyre similar, let alone an NBA allstar, is seriously deluded to think so.

So it's only ok to switch teams if you don't have a ring? And if you have one, you should rot in whatever situation you're in, no matter how unhappy you are and how much they don't really want you (as evidenced by him being in pretty much every trade scenario Boston entertained over his last year and a half)? Gotcha. If anything, Ray leaving is MORE acceptable because he was a FREE AGENT. He had fulfilled his contract with the team and exercised his option to move on.

 

[Kembacity]

So it's only ok to switch teams if you don't have a ring? And if you have one, you should rot in whatever situation you're in, no matter how unhappy you are and how much they don't really want you (as evidenced by him being in pretty much every trade scenario Boston entertained over his last year and a half)? Gotcha. If anything, Ray leaving is MORE acceptable because he was a FREE AGENT. He had fulfilled his contract with the team and exercised his option to move on.

oh great analysis, because I said nothing of that sort. Can you actually read? If you want your point of view in my terms, what I was saying is that if you have a ring, you shouldn't become a journeyman going from top competitor to top competitor. There are about 25 teams he could have gone to that wouldn't get anyone upset at all, he went to the #1 team that was the "easy chance for a ring" situation

So ray leaving the team as a free agent is more acceptable to you than when the team deals a player in a trade, of which they don't really have a choice? that makes zero sense, and I know that KG had a no trade clause, but that was more to keep him from ending up stuck in Toronto for the end of his career if Danny Ainge found a good trade for him up there.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Peter North is up there

No question. Best shooter ever.

 

[UConn990411]

If anyone was criticizing Ray for his decision at the time (raises hand), those criticisms should've been put to bed a long time ago ... namely at the end of regulation in Game 6 of the NBA finals.

Ray made the right decision for him and LeBron is an idiot for opening his mouth. Not sure what we're still arguing about here.

 

[Penfield]

So ray leaving the team as a free agent is more acceptable to you than when the team deals a player in a trade, of which they don't really have a choice? that makes zero sense, and I know that KG had a no trade clause, but that was more to keep him from ending up stuck in Toronto for the end of his career if Danny Ainge found a good trade for him up there.

So it would be ok for KG to not want to play in Toronto for the rest of his career, but not ok for Ray to want to play for Miami. Makes total sense now.

 

[dogfan96]

oh great analysis, because I said nothing of that sort. Can you actually read? If you want your point of view in my terms, what I was saying is that if you have a ring, you shouldn't become a journeyman going from top competitor to top competitor. There are about 25 teams he could have gone to that wouldn't get anyone upset at all, he went to the #1 team that was the "easy chance for a ring" situation

So ray leaving the team as a free agent is more acceptable to you than when the team deals a player in a trade, of which they don't really have a choice? that makes zero sense, and I know that KG had a no trade clause, but that was more to keep him from ending up stuck in Toronto for the end of his career if Danny Ainge found a good trade for him up there.

Did you watch the playoffs at all? What part of winning the championship was "easy" for Miami? So what you're saying is that Ray should've signed with someone other than Miami, even though Miami was the perfect situation for his skillset.. just because YOU and people like you didn't like it? I'm glad I don't live my life trying to satisfy total strangers and I'm glad Ray doesn't either.
And to answer your question, YES it's more acceptable. You sign a contract, both parties fulfilled the contract (they payed him and he played basketball for them) and he decided to move on when the contract was over. Somehow to you, the organization trading you because they don't want YOU anymore (or allowing them to trade you bc you want out to a better situation) is somehow better? That makes no sense at all.

 

[Gurleyman]

At age 38, Ray doesn't have much value to a non-contender. What would the Raptors or Bobcats have done with him, besides lose and take minutes away from younger players? His skillset is valuable for exactly what Miami got him for. Clutch shooting, floor spacing, and a go-to foul shooter in end game situations.

Among contenders, the Heat, Celtics and Clips were the best options at the start of the free agent process (and the Celtics and Clips wells dried up more with the additions of Terry and Crawford). The Lakers were clearly a no with Kobe (and they used free agency to get Howard and Nash), the Spurs were set with Manu-Neal-Green at the 2, the Thunder had Thabo-KMartin (hence Lamb in the D-league). The Bulls had Rip as a backup 2 and Rose health questions. The Knicks might have worked, but LBJ and Wade are far more willing passers than Melo and JR Smith. In hindsight, Indiana would have been a great fit for one year, especially with Granger out, but they are trying to build a young nucleus and might not have been interested in a guy in his twilight.

All the above points are merely discussing fits - there's also the financial side. A team has to have cap space or an exemption. You can't just say "he could have gone to 25 other teams" because he can't go anywhere without an offer.