I probably shouldn’t write about this right after hearing it, just like you shouldn’t go to the supermarket hungry. But I have to get this off my chest, Ray’s decision makes me angry. It wouldn’t have made me angry to find out that Ray left us to go to the Clippers, Grizzlies or Suns instead of the Celtics. It wouldn’t have even made me that angry if he had gone to the Heat because he wanted to win a championship. But after reading Adrian Wojnarowski’s article, I have made a 180 on my opinion of Ray Allen. Clearly Woj was writing that article as a mouth piece of Ray, as it seemed that the anonymous source was either Ray, or someone very close to him.
Instead of being a hearty defense of Ray’s decision, the article’s outlining of Ray’s reasons for leaving end up making Ray look petty and bitter. To sum up why Ray left:
1: He didn’t like how Rondo told him what to do
2: He didn’t like that he made less money than Rondo, KG and Pierce
3: He didn’t like that Bradley started over him
These are not reasons to diss a team, and by extension its loyal fans, and play for the team that just knocked us out of the playoffs for 2 seasons. These reasons sound childish and petty to say the least. Why would he have a problem with Rondo telling him where to go on the court. Rondo is the PG and by default the offensive leader. Just because Rondo is younger, does that mean he should never tell Ray Allen what to do? What planet is Ray from? This is not how a “consummate professional” acts.
And the fact that he lost his starting position to Bradley should upset him, but to make that into a complaint against the Celtics is ludicrous. The Celtics were a better team with Bradley starting, and if Ray took that personally, he needs to act like a professional.
Another thing that upsets me about this decision is that he did it to stick it to the Celtics. I just don’t understand how he could want to do this to a franchise whose fans have been extremely loyal to him. In 2008 during the first 3 playoff series, when Ray couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn, the team and fans stayed with him, never booing. The same happened this year in the Hawks and Sixers playoff series. Ray has always been a fan favorite. I hope he knows what he left on the table by going to the Heat. He didn’t just lose out on $3 million a year, he also lost out on being a Boston fan favorite for the rest of his life.
I don’t think I’m alone when I say I lost a lot of respect for Ray from this decision.
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