But they'll be man tears, goddammit. This morning a report appeared on Hoops World that suggested the Celtics are actively shopping Ray Allen and his expiring contract to try and get younger. To make things worse, the report goes on to suggest that the Celtics could include Rajon Rondo to get a deal done. The same Rondo who looked like the best point guard in the league during the first round series with the Bulls this year (and in the interest of fairness, the not so amazing Rondo from the Orlando series). The thing I hate the most about this rumor is the supposed return the Celtics would get: Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa. While Barbosa is a great shooting guard with a contract so reasonable he's practically being scammed, but it's not exactly like the Celtics are in need of a younger KG who doesn't rebound or play defense or wear googles when a doctor tells him to. The good news through all this is that I've looked into it, and this particular rumor was started by a radio talk show host in Phoenix. I've been assured that he's stupid.
Ray Allen rumors are nothing new to Celtics fans. The only difference now is that the rumors are supposedly coming from the big man Danny Ainge himself. It only took days before "Should we trade Ray Allen while his value is high?" threads started popping up on message boards all across the internet. His entire tenure has been marred by internet fans suggesting that we trade Ray or that he come off the bench in favor of a guy who once blew out his knee during a dead ball. Fact is, there are plenty of perfectly good reasons why we should hang onto Ray.
- He's one of the best three point shooters in the league. Just his presence on the floor spaces out opposing defenses allowing guys like Pierce and Rondo to drive.
- I think he's supposed to be a pretty snappy dresser.
When I first saw the Ray trade rumor this morning, I absolutely hated the idea of moving Ray. Now that I've had about half an hour to reflect on it, I don't know exactly where I stand. On one hand Ray Allen is one of my favorite players, I think he's a player we can win another championship if he's in the lineup, and I'm not really sure how we could improve the team by trading him, especially if you assume that the idea of trading Rondo is silly and won't happen.
Let's entertain the idea that Ray's actually on the block and Rondo may or may not be as well. If someone in Phoenix can make up trade scenarios, then a jerk with a computer like me can do it too.
Internet Jerk Scenario #1: The Celtics trade Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo to the Clippers for Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, and Marcus Camby.
Why the Celtics do it: They're able to replace some of the production lost at the guard positions with a promising young shooting guard and another All-Star caliber player manning the point. We also get our annual old backup big man without having to worry all year that it's going to be Mikki Moore or Drew Gooden.
Why they don't do it: Baron's large contract runs through 2013, when he'll be 34, Pierce will be 36, and KG will be 37, assuming they're both around by then. The Celtics also lose a major three point shooting threat and don't really replace it, especially since Baron is such a poor shooter from beyond the arc, where he averaged about five attempts per game last year. Gordon is more than respectable from back there, but he's not Ray Allen either.
Why the Clippers do it: They lose Camby's expiring contract, but it gets replaced with a much bigger one that wipes away Baron's admittedly bad contract. It helps clear up their logjam of big men and, best of all, they get a young potential future All-Star to pair up with Blake Griffin.
Why they don't do it: They'd much rather get rid of Zach Randolph and his contract than Camby and his expiring. It also wouldn't be surprising if the Clippers coveted Eric Gordon more than Rondo, especially since Rondo would be a poor fit for Mike Dunleavy's controlling half court offense.
Internet Jerk Scenario #2: The Celtics trade Ray Allen to the Rockets for Ron Artest, Luis Scola, and Kyle Lowry.
Why the Celtics do it: The Celtics get a great defensive presence on the perimeter in Ron Artest, who was a model citizen in Houston last year, and probably the Celtics best bet for stopping Lebron in the playoffs next year. They'd also get a better backup point guard than Marbury in Lowry and a quality big man in Scola.
Why they don't do it: It's still possible that Ron Artest could explode in a manner of craziness previously unseen. He may be one of the best defensive stoppers in the league, but it comes with the unfortunate side effect having to humor him while he tries to take over a game on offense. Have you ever seen Ron Artest starting jacking up threes in the fourth quarter? It's pretty ugly. I also couldn't think of a single reason the Rockets wouldn't do this deal, which probably doesn't bode well for the Celtics side of things.
Why the Rockets do it: Frankly, it's a better deal for the Rockets. Assuming they're going to give McGrady one more chance, him and Ray could form a lethal combo on offense. On defense, well, they'd still have Shane Battier so it's okay. They'd also have about forty-five million dollars in expiring contracts between Allen and McGrady alone, if you're big on the 2010 free agent class thing.
Bottom Line: While Ray is a fantastic player and was an integral part to our championship run last year, he's getting on in years and you can't deny how much a value his large expiring contract has. The Celtics might be better off in the short term keeping Ray, but we also saw what happened when the Celtics held onto Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish too long. If the right deal comes along, it won't be the end of the world to see Ray go. If and when that day comes, I'll still shed a single manly tear for him.
-Sam
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