Touche, Doc.
Touche.
Right before the Clippers thrashed the Heat on national television, Doc Rivers was asked about Ray Allen, who still hasn’t decided whether he’ll return to NBA action and chase another title or retire a two-time champion. His answer was, predictably, awesome, balanced with the right amount of snark and innocent sense of humor.
Per the Los Angeles Times‘ Ben Bolch:
Does Doc Rivers think Ray Allen will play again? "I think he’ll play for us, for sure." Rivers was kidding.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) November 21, 2014
Ziiiiiing.
Turns out Doc makes sense even when he’s kidding. The Clippers aren’t a great three-point shooting team—they rank 11th in conversion rate—and J.J. Redick has been a wildcard when he’s not playing the Heat. Adding Allen wouldn’t help their struggling defense much, but he’s a lights out marksman who should, in theory, turn Chris Paul kick-outs into frequent treys.
Rivers was kidding, though. The Clippers don’t really have a need for Allen. Their rim protection is still wack, and their backup point guard situation is underwhelming. They need to address those issues before securing a long-range assassin.
Allen also left Boston—and therefore Rivers—in a haze of controversy. The Celtics nearly traded him during his final year there—a move that Rivers almost assuredly would have needed to approve. Rumors of discord between Allen and Rajon Rondo were frequent, too. They apparently weren’t milkshake-sharing buddies off the court.
Then, during free agency in 2013, the Celtics offered Allen more money than the Heat. But he still chose the Heat. Perhaps he and Rivers have squashed whatever beef they had. Their relationship has never been depicted as tenuous, like the ones between Allen and Rondo, and Allen and Kevin Garnett, after all. Heck, maybe they didn’t have any beef at all. They’re sharing a friendly hug in the above photo aren’t they?
Still, it’s difficult to see Rivers and Allen joining forces once again. If nothing else, the Clippers haven’t yet proved worthy of landing a would-be championship-seeker like Allen.
For what it’s worth, though, Rivers doesn’t think Allen’s career is over:
Doc Rivers thinks Ray Allen will play again and said he's making the right decision to wait to find a team that needs him.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) November 21, 2014
That’s been my gut feeling, too. Allen is too good to go out like this, his career in limbo. He deserves a proper sendoff. Contenders always need help as the season wears on. Once the NBA’s elite pecking order is established, perhaps he’ll start making serious moves.
If and when he does, don’t bet on it being to Los Angeles—unless Rivers’ Clippers find themselves short Redick or Jamal Crawford or both.
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.
