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Ray Allen re-signs with the Celtics

Jul 7, 2010, 10:25 PM EDT

24 Comments

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Free agent guard Ray Allen has decided to sign an extension with the Boston Celtics. The deal will pay Allen $20 million over the next two seasons, and Allen has a player option for the second year of the deal. 
Allen taking a dramatic pay cut to play with a team like Cleveland or Chicago was an interesting pipe dream — with all the super-team talk going on this off-season, plenty of teams could have desperately used Allen’s shooting, defense, and ability to produce from the two-guard spot.
However, that was all really just mildly amusing bar/message-board talk. The truth of the matter is that Allen returning to the Celtics makes the most sense for all parties involved, at least for next season.
The Celtics get to keep their big three together, and take one more run at a title with Doc Rivers at the helm. Allen gets an eight-figure salary, the ability to leave after one year if things don’t work out, and the chance to make up for his iffy NBA Finals performance. 
Allen will almost certainly retire as the most prolific three-point shooter of all time, but the Celtics know he’s much more than just a catch-and-shoot player. He can run the offense coming off of screens, he’s deadly in transition, he can drive to the basket, and he’s become an extremely effective defensive player. As Zach Lowe of Celtics Hub noted, Allen’s obsessive dieting and fitness regimen have helped him stay effective late into his thirties. 
This was a great signing for the Celtics, who get Allen’s services for at least one more year without having to take a significant long-term risk. The Celtics are yet another year older, coming off a bitter finals defeat, and won’t have their starting center for at least the first half of the season. Even with all of that going against them, the Celtics are going to give this group at least one more shot at banner #18. There’s no telling how the final season of the “Big Three” era will go, but we do know these Celtics are going to go do down fighting. 
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  1. Whatevahfugitaboutit - Jul 7, 2010 at 10:48 PM

    Yawn !!! Nobody remembers who finished second, much less anything after his 8 3′s in the one game. Very forgettable after that…

  2. Ted - Jul 7, 2010 at 11:26 PM

    Learn how to shoot every game in the playoffs, Ray! Damn. One great shooting game out of seven in the Finals this year does not earn this kind of end-of-career salary. If Ray could have hit a few more shots in the Finals this year, the Celtics would have won. Step it up, Ray. Earn this last contract.

  3. Ted - Jul 7, 2010 at 11:27 PM

    Learn how to shoot every game in the playoffs, Ray! Damn. One great shooting game out of seven in the Finals this year does not earn this kind of end-of-career salary. If Ray could have hit a few more shots in the Finals this year, the Celtics would have won. Step it up, Ray. Earn this last contract.

  4. Al - Jul 8, 2010 at 12:13 AM

    Heard LeBron may join the BIG Three with the Celtic!!!
    A

  5. crashlandn - Jul 8, 2010 at 2:34 AM

    sigh of relief…
    Thank you God of basketball.
    2011 is going to be all Celtics all the time.
    LeBRON needs at least one year of adjustment.

  6. luffy - Jul 8, 2010 at 5:22 AM

    Yes, keep dreaming dude, nothing can stop the LA 3peat…
    LA-Boston finals, round three comin’ up next season! LA wins in 6 games instead of 5 if the Celts gets Jermaine O’neal…
    Sorry Wade, Bosh and KINGkong James, better luck in 2012…

  7. AlfredE - Jul 8, 2010 at 6:46 AM

    Luffy – I agree the lakers are likely to return to the finals next year. The Celtics, not so much. Their vaunted big 3 are just getting collectively old.
    Too bad.
    But with all the free agent activity, anything could happen next year.

  8. khn - Jul 8, 2010 at 8:20 AM

    Let’s face it, the Celtics are just getting set to rebuild after next year.

  9. Pete - Jul 8, 2010 at 9:30 AM

    Ray Allen is an inspiration on and off the court. He hustles all the time, giving everything on the court. He and his family are very visable in the community.
    He doesn’t sport all those garish tatooes and he’s not announcing his resigning on an espn special.
    He represents the best in sports and as a human being.

  10. wes unseld - Jul 8, 2010 at 10:26 AM

    the oldest team in basketball….they need to order two more wheel chairs now, Paula is not going to share his with Kevin (elbows) Garrnett and Ray (where is my shot?) Allen. Rondo will have to change the adult diapers for these 3 all season……if the 3 stoogers all go to the HEAT, it really does not matter what the old Celtic do or don’t now do does it????

  11. maryellen - Jul 8, 2010 at 11:12 AM

    Can someone help me with a question I have? I’m sure other more knowledegable fans know the answer to this. Why is it none of the top tier players( James, Wade, Bosh, Staudemeier etc.) met with any of the west conference teams(except clippers)? Is it just the east teams who had the salary cap space?….did the west teams feel they had all the pieces in place and didn’t need to go after a big name? Is it the big market cities in the east? I’m curious . By the way I have never seen such a “self-serving” circus as the one Lebron has just put everyone through!!!

  12. wes unseld - Jul 8, 2010 at 11:28 AM

    Yo! Mary Ellen,
    I’m pretty sure the Lakers are maxed out money wise not sure why the other west teams are not out shopping…..and you are right about LeBonehead…..for a guy who can’t get to the Finals I’m not sure why he demands the money or attention that he does…

  13. Anonymous - Jul 8, 2010 at 11:52 AM

    I didn’t expect LA to go for any “superstars” since their need seems to be a point guard which should be a better market come next year’s free agency. However it seemed like the Suns or Spurs should have been “players” and maybe the Jazz and Nuggets??
    Anyway I guess if you’re Lebron (I’m king of the world)James you keep your boat out of Kobe’s waters…or he just might sink you

  14. wes unseld - Jul 8, 2010 at 12:21 PM

    Agreed!

  15. Kim - Jul 8, 2010 at 1:07 PM

    Your comments are ignorant. No matter which team Ray would go to, you all would have something to say, except if he went to your team. Yes he had an iffy finals, but you need to make up your mind. Do you want him to play defense or score. Did you notice that Kobe wasn’t chasing Ray around on screens? Duh! Watch the whole game before you make stupid comments.

  16. Celticsfan112 - Jul 8, 2010 at 1:16 PM

    pshh! so freakn qladd ray allen has resigned ii mean ii believe that the celtics is goin all the way this year iii mean becux the lakers aint jack wiffout kobe hunney and he gettin ld anyway lol buht ii mean the celtics only lost becus they gave up..yu knw nd if they would ov kept playinq hard in the last quarter they would ov hadd the broke dwn lakers but shoot ii knw lebron isx goin tew join the heat becux he wants a title and he wants his own leqend and he cant qet that in clevland so see next year wiff the heat lebron

  17. Bob - Jul 8, 2010 at 2:04 PM

    Idiot.

  18. SHENANIGANIZER - Jul 8, 2010 at 2:33 PM

    THIS GUY IS USELESS WHEN IT COMES TO SHOOTING CONSISTENTLY…Just because he has one great game out of ten doesn’t make him great. Bad move by the Celtics!!!

  19. wes unseld - Jul 8, 2010 at 2:45 PM

    kim,
    they don’t want is old ass in LA i know that………

  20. SHENANIGANIZER - Jul 8, 2010 at 2:47 PM

    So are you saying that if you are playing defense that you can’t score too??? What a dumbars comment!!!

  21. Lee - Jul 8, 2010 at 2:50 PM

    Kim, you are absolutely correct! How could anyone expect Ray Ray to play on both ends of the court? If he didn’t have to play defense, his prolific finals scoring would have been through the roof! Oh, wait! What about Ron Artest? He managed to take Paula’s lunch money from here and still threw down 25 points in game 7.

  22. SHENANIGANIZER - Jul 8, 2010 at 2:58 PM

    You might have watched the game but your comment says that you know nothing about the game…please take your posts back to the Teen Vogue website.

  23. Boston Blackie - Jul 8, 2010 at 3:12 PM

    Take it to the BANK, Wowwow is as dumb as a STUMP! Disregard his insane rantings. His IQ is lower than the arches on my feet!

  24. Laker Bill - Jul 8, 2010 at 4:21 PM

    I am a die hard Laker fan with a lot of respect for Ray Allen and the Celtics. They may be older, but they can play together and that is all that matters. Anyone who counts them out may be fooled next year. Ray Allen is still an amazing player, despite his below average finals performance this year. LeBron and Dwight Howard showed me no heart during the playoffs. Two hyped up guys that have done NOTHING!!! How about that game 5 vs. Boston at home LeBron??!! No heart, no drive…. he’s a wussy!! Andrew Bynum showed more heart that LeBron will ever have!!! Lakers 3-peat is looking very possible, but do NOT sleep on the Celtics!

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