Ray Allen’s departure from Boston and landing in Miami continues to be sore subject for Ray and his former teammates. Rajon Rondo–one of the keys to Allen deciding to bolt as a free agent – claims that their acrimonious relationship was overblown. And according to Allen, the whole things started three years ago. Ray also talks in detail about why he no longer felt like he fit in with the Celtics’ plans.
Per the Miami Herald:
“I was very loyal to the city and I love the city, but when it came time to keep me in a uniform [the Celtics] did everything they could to seem like … to not want me to come back,’ Allen said.
Yes, the Celtics offered Allen plenty of money to stay, but Allen viewed it as a hollow gesture. Boston signed Jason Terry in early July, ensuring that Allen would receive fewer minutes. He already had been benched for Avery Bradley. For Allen, who had helped restore Boston as an Eastern Conference power, it was too much. Allen is adamant that coming off bench for the Celtics ultimately had nothing to do with his decision to leave. After all, he’s currently coming off the bench for Heat, too. It was more about respect. In the end, Allen didn’t feel appreciated in Boston. In his final two seasons there, he was made to feel old.
‘In Boston, they were telling me they were going to bring me off the bench — ‘We’re going to play you less minutes’ — and all I asked was, ‘How are you going to use me because the last two years you’ve been using me as decoys,’ Allen said. ‘You’re running all these plays for me just to pass it to somewhere else and you’re not putting me into any scoring opportunities and I’m just standing over in the corner the majority of games.’ […]
He said the friction with Rondo began in 2009 when Rivers and Celtics president Danny Ainge proposed a trade that would have sent Allen and Rondo to Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa and the 14th overall pick in the 2010 draft. Allen said that, at the time, Ainge and Rivers ‘didn’t get along’ with Rondo. ‘So, I called him and I told him, ‘Hey they’re supposedly trading us to Phoenix because you and Danny and Doc don’t get along,’ Allen said. ‘So, whatever you can do.’ … ‘So, for some reason, I guess he thought that I was … that I had something against him, or there were some issues. And I had no issues with him. I won with him.’ Now, Allen says if Rondo ‘had issue with me, that’s on him … ‘I have a way of going about doing my job that, I want everyone to come and play their hardest and come in and do their job and I can’t, I don’t worry myself with things I can’t control,’ Allen said.”
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