The Debate - Ray Allen

Is Ray Allen “selling out” by signing with the Miami Heat instead of returning to the Boston Celtics?

Kevin Rossi - @kevin_rossi
I want to turn the question back on everyone else and ask when did every single free agent signing turn into selling out?  I seriously think that everyone let’s the media get into their heads in these situations.  Honestly, just look at the facts.  Ray Allen was not a life-long Celtic.  He wasn't engrained in the tradition of the Celtics. He didn't play his whole career on the ole parquet floor at the "Gahden". He was always the third player in the Celtics’ big 3, and when Rondo came on and made it the big 4, Allen was arguably demoted to the fourth spot.  His career is in decline.  He’s going to be 37 in less than a week.  Believe it or not, Ray Allen is not the first old vet to latch on with a team that has a legitimate shot at a title.  It happens all the time.  I mean come on.  The players that you should be attacking with your shots of morality are the players in their prime that jump ship.  These are guys that are ultimately admitting that they don’t have enough on their own to win titles and they need help.  That’s quite alright for a veteran player nearing the end of his career and much more arguable when you are talking about a player in his prime.  I can see why people would are that Ray Allen is selling out, but let’s be honest, he’s not the player that you should be attacking.  

Seth Breeden - @sethbreeden
I disagree with anyone calling Ray Allen a “sell out.” He went to a new team in free agency, for less money...at the end of his career...to chase another ring. He signed with Miami to finish out his career and give himself a great chance at winning another ring...who cares? He didn’t leave his former team behind try to reach the ultimate goal without his help...him and his teammates already won a ring in Boston. He wasn’t even the main guy in the Celtics “Big 4.” It’s not like he left the team with his whole career to play ahead of him. He put in his work, he played hard for the team, he gave everything he had...he didn’t just bail when they didn’t win one year (he isn’t even a Celtic first, he played elsewhere in his career...remember, he’s not a career Celtic). I consider Ray Allen a classy, well-seasoned veteran who felt like playing a little basketball in Miami with a fun, flourishing group of guys for the brief time remaining in his NBA career. Come on peeps, he handled his biz, he’s allowed to have some fun now. Leave that man alone! Do your thing RayRay!

Drew Rosen - @dmrosen7
While I do not agree with the term “sell out” when it comes to Ray Allen, I can question his competitive nature, and I will. I want to start off by stating my admiration for Ray Allen. Allen is someone who I always respected for the work he puts into his craft and his ability to show consistency throughout his career. Now that I am done being nice.... I HATE his decision to move to the Heat. If Ray Allen was an old veteran who was ringless I could better understand this decision, but that is not the case. Ray won his championship and I would like to think that he is at a point in his career that his competitive will would take over. Hitting a few wide open three point jumers every game and coasting on the backs of the big three is not what I was hoping for. The Celtics played a very competitive 7 game Eastern Conference Finals. Kevin Garnett decided to return and the Celtics are getting some young pieces back, I think this combination could put the Celtics in a similar position as last season. I would like to have seen Ray Allen stay with the Celtics and give the Heat a run next season.... doesn’t look like that will happen. So I have convinced myself that I was wrong.... Ray Allen is selling out by moving to “South Beach.”


Bryan Fyalkowski - @fyalkowski

It is not very often that I like a basketball player from the University of Connecticut. But for some reason, Ray Allen has always been one of my favorite NBA players. Maybe it was because of the flashy Seattle Supersonics uniforms, or maybe it was because he had a sweet jumper like I did as a fat eighth grader draining threes. Either way, over the years Allen has remained my favorite player and that has not changed, even with his recent move from the Boston Celtics to the Miami Heat. Allen is regarded as one of the most professional and respected players ever to play the game. With his age rising and talents deteriorating, he needed to find a niche for his current abilities. As a free agent this offseason, Allen saw an opportunity with the Heat where he could fill a specific role and help the best team in the NBA become even better. It clearly was not about the money because Boston offered him more to stay. Simply put, Allen thought that he had a better chance of winning a championship with the Heat.

As a fan of Ray Allen, with no emotional ties to any particular NBA team, I believe this move was the right one because he DOES have a greater chance of winning a championship with the Heat. Championships are hard to come by for any professional athlete. He already won one with the Celtics, which validates his career. Winning another would put him in a different class. As the NBA’s all-time three-point leader, a true professional and one of the most consistent scorers in NBA history, he has nothing left to prove. I am truly surprised that Boston fans are so sour towards a player who helped them revive their franchise. Be grateful for what he has done and let him chase his ring

Jack Eller - @theattack5
There has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about Ray Allen and his supposed “betrayal” of Boston by going to Miami and joining up with LeBron, Wade and Bosh in order to pursue a second championship ring.  To quote the great Jalen Rose: “An athlete is about two things – he’s about that bread, and he’s about a championship ring.” Allen is not some long tenured Celtic who is bathed in the tradition of the Garden and shamrocks. He was brought over in a trade in 2007 to be a part of this era’s original “Big Three.” He brought Boston a championship that season, then after an injury-plagued campaign this year he was relegated to the bench and was clearly not in the Celtics’ future, as they signed Jason Terry to three-year, $15 million contract.

Allen is a veteran who sees his time as a productive player waning and he wants to chase one more ring. I don’t see how you can fault him for that. Gary Payton and Karl Malone did it in Los Angeles in 2004 and now Steve Nash is doing the same. Fans like to complain about player “loyalty” and it is easy to do that while we sit on our couch and watch the games, but this is their life. Would you call a coworker disloyal if they left their job at your office for a new job that paid more or gave them a greater chance of advancement? Of course not.  Allen didn’t host a press conference where he ripped out his hometown’s heart. He didn’t get into a fight with a fan or have a disciplinary issue with the team. He is one of the consummate professionals in the NBA. Let him finish his career on a team where he can possibly get the one thing athletes covet more than anything – a championship.

Hayley Zedeck - @hzedeck

The era of the “Big Three” was all about winning. Three star NBA future Hall of Famers, came together in 2007 with one goal in mind: to win an NBA Championship. In their five years on the team, they all worked to leave strong legacies behind. Paul Pierce sustained himself as one of the all-time Celtics’ greats, Kevin Garnett inspired Boston fans of all ages and Ray Allen worked diligently to become to best three-point scorer in NBA history. All of that being considered, it was clear the era was coming to an end this season. I did not expect Ray Allen to continue playing in the NBA after he was reduced to a bench role due to young Avery Bradley’s potential.

His decision to not only leave the Celtics, but also choose an even more reduced role as a backup to Dwayne Wade on the Heat was shocking. It actually seems a bit embarrassing for him that he played a sub-par season, became a bench player, didn’t show up for the playoffs and then pulled a “Lebron James” by going to a powerhouse team. In reality, I feel bad for the guy. I think it was a horrible career move and he may regret it. All I can think about at this point is whose jersey he’ll wear at his Hall of Fame induction. He spent his first six seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, but only earned as much as a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals. Then he moved on to the Seattle Supersonics, where he at one point had his best point per game average of his career. Then the Celtics, where he spent five seasons, had five playoff appearances and earned one glorified NBA Championship ring, but whom he betrayed to become a member of their rivals. Or maybe it will be with the Heat, where he’ll most likely retire. It’s your call, because I’m honestly not sure.

Porter Forker - @phillyforker91

Ray Allen leaving the Boston Celtics to go to the Miami Heat can be viewed as selfish or smart. My instant reaction when I saw Allen next to Eric Spoelstra and Pat Riley at the press conference was that he just made the Miami Heat a favorite for the NBA Championship for the next two years. I have no problem with trophy hunting and I have no problem with Ray Allen leaving the Boston Celtics to contend. However, I do have a problem with Ray Allen trying to be the “nice guy” and not burn any bridges. He talked about how much he enjoyed Boston and how close their team was to winning. He never stated the truth: which is Miami with Allen has a better chance to contend for a title than Boston. That’s what irked me the most out of the whole press conference. 

I have begun to realize that Ray Allen is no longer the player he once was. He isn’t as quick and isn’t able to create his own shot any more (hence the Jason Terry signing by the Celtics, which didn’t help the cause). Therefore, he needs some help to get going and to help create space for him; Allen went to the right team to make that possible. Chances are the Heat will win a ton games this upcoming season, and Allen, if healthy, will rack up a staggering amount of three. I love Allen and think he has the purest jumper there ever was, but I won’t be able to look past the fact that he has just become another name on Lebron James’ list of great role players who flocked to him to get a ring.

Who do you agree with? Let us know in the comments section below.