There’s a chance Ray Allen will have plenty of time to pursue a sequel to He Got Game.
The Miami Heat shooting guard, NBA champion and inevitable Hall of Famer has yet to make a decision on his future. Will he retire? Will he come back. WE NEED TO KNOW. This is killing us. We cannot wait any longer.
Well, maybe a little longer, which is good, because according to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst, Allen won’t be deciding just yet:
Ray Allen told Sina in China he planned to return Thurs. & get MRIs on his legs before making future decision. Numerous teams interested.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 23, 2014
Getting an MRI is good. See how much damage you’ve done to your legs over the last 18 years and then make a potentially life-altering decision. Good call.
Personally, I’ve gone back and forth on this. I’m not ready to see Allen retire. He’s the second-best shooter to ever play in the NBA—Stephen Curry is the best; get over it archaic basketball purists who prefer to yell at clouds and wax nostalgia about yesteryear rather than submit to the obvious—and watching him remains a treat to this day. Seeing him leave would be all too real and just straight up depressing. He can’t really walk away before Kevin Garnett, who has aged so much more rapidly over the last two years, right?
RIGHT?
YOU GUYS?
In the spirit of playing devil’s advocate, let’s not pretend his retirement cannot be looked at as a good thing. LeBron James and Mike Miller are already recruiting him to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Do we really want to see him play there? When LeBron already poached Miller and James Jones?
Most of me would rather see Allen take a dump on LeBron’s lawn before sticking with the Heat in an unexpectedly powerful display of camaraderie and loyalty. All of me knows that’s not going to happen; Allen isn’t returning to Miami.
In fact, if he doesn’t retire, there’s little chance he plays anywhere other than Cleveland. Northeast Ohio doesn’t promise the same warm, sunny weather Miami does, but a certain hairline-challenged stud who has already helped Allen win a championship ring does.
Other than Cleveland, it’s difficult to pinpoint where Allen could go. The Dallas Mavericks would naturally be interested, but they’re not relevant enough just yet for Allen to forego retirement. The Los Angeles Clippers would seem like a good fit if I wasn’t totally, yet unofficially, sure Allen and Doc Rivers aren’t the best of friends.
And then yeah…that’s about it. Perhaps the Golden State Warriors? They have no money, but that would, sure as hell, convince them to give up Klay Thompson in any Kevin Love trade. And how fun would that be to watch? Curry, Allen and Love on the same team? Yes, please.
Drawing a blank elsewhere. There just aren’t a lot of teams that rival Miami’s weather and offer Allen the chance to contend. The Oklahoma City Thunder would seem like a good fit if market wasn’t an issue. The Chicago Bulls would be fun if they’re going to trade Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and/or Doug McDermott for Love. There are so many possibilities. Really, there are—each one, though, is as unlikely as the next.
All told, this likely ends with Allen on the Cavs or retiring—lest he decide to throw us all for a whirl by reuniting with the Milwaukee Bucks to pursue a one-year endeavor with Jabari Parker and Jason Kidd that is both devoid of meaning and any logic whatsoever.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
