Ray Allen Update: February and Cavs Most Likely
Ray Allen still hasn’t made a decision on if he is going to play. If he plays he hasn’t made a decision about who he would play for. Today we get a little bit more information that Allen has been communicating with teams:
Hearing Ray Allen is telling teams "talk to me in January" will make a decision in February. Cavs still the favorite.
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) December 5, 2014
Both make sense for a ton of reasons. First let us start with the timeframe. Allen is a 39 year old veteran who was drafted in 1996. Some of you were still in grade school, some not even born yet. Kyrie Irving was 4 years old when Allen entered the league. His legs have a lot of wear and tear on them. Waiting till February will allow him to rest his legs but then get into game shape before the playoffs start.
Which leads to the second part of Russillo’s tweet, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still the favorites. Allen wants to win more championships and wants to play on a team that plays the right way. The Cavs are starting to show signs that they are that type of team and that they have a need at the shooting guard spot. By waiting Allen can get a good idea of how the Cavs, or other teams, are looking to make the best decision for him.
For the Cavs Allen could be a perfect addition near the NBA Trade Deadline, February 19th. The Cavs are likely to be active during that time and could open a roster spot via a 2 for 1 or 3 for 2 kind of deal. Adding Allen in at the same time as the trade acquisitions would create a lot of changes but also only one adjustment period.
For his career Allen has been an amazing shooter. His athletic skills, getting to the hole and playing defense, have dropped with age but he has never lost his ability to shoot. For his career he is a 40% 3 point shooter on an average of 5.7 threes per game. He also is a 45% overall shooter and a 89% free throw shooter. His lowest 3 point percentage in his carer was 35% in an injury shortened 2002-03 season in Seattle. He shot a career best 46% in his last season with the Celtics.
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Allen has reported interest in the San Antonio Spurs and the LA Clippers. Both of those teams make sense as well. The Spurs have been title contenders for years and can always use more shooting. The Clippers have a high octane team that could benefit from Allen’s spacing and he is very familiar with their coach Doc Rivers from their shared time in Boston.
For now we sit and wait. Allen’s impact on the Cavs could be negligible or great, it all depends on what shots he gets and whether the Cavs make their goal of the NBA Finals. At this point, while shooting guard is problematic, the Cavs may have bigger needs than the ones Allen can fix. Most notably a wing defender and a rim protector. Below you can click on an article, from last week, why I wouldn’t sign Ray Allen if I were David Griffin.
What do you think about this new report on Ray Allen?