Getty Images Ray Allen isn’t done talking about the Celtics and Rajon Rondo just yet. He should be, he should just stop answering questions about his time in Boston and let his play do the talking, but he’s not.
So in a series of interviews last week, Allen talked more about how he came to leave Boston and his rift with Rondo. Which was overblown but did impact the team to a degree.
Speaking the Miami Herald, he gave some backstory — at least from his perspective — on the well-publicized feud with Rondo. Consider this his version of how everything started to go wrong for him in Boston.
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.”
For Allen, that may have been the foundation of everything. However, the real turning point with Allen’s relationship with the Celtics organization is when a trade with Memphis got so far down the road Doc Rivers told Allen he was being traded, only to have that fall apart.
The Rondo/Allen rift, however deep it was, had Boston considering its options with Allen. Rondo is the future of the Celtics. Then Miami comes in with a real courtship of Allen, telling him how they wanted to use him, how their stars needed him. No shock it worked, we all want to be wanted. The key was not the money — Boston offered double — it was about feeling needed and appreciated.
I’d like to think this will fade away, but with the Heat playing the Celtics on opening night, I’m not optimistic.
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Manu Ginobili starts hot, Danny Green knocks down threes, and every time the Heat make a run the Spurs are there with an answer. All series long the Spurs have had answers — they are the best counter-punchers in the league, the best team at forcing you into tough decisions then exploiting your mistakes. And…
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Reuters
The Clippers and Celtics keep inching toward a deal. A much-discussed one that would send Kevin Garnett and the rights to sign coach Doc Rivers to Los Angeles. The Celtics would get DeAndre Jordan and a pick or two. The sides are close but there is no deal yet so they will talk again Tuesday,…
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The next time the Bulls play a game Derrick Rose will be suited up and playing. Hopefully by a couple games into next season we can all move past the “why didn’t he play last season?” crap. But for now the issue keeps coming up in Chicago. It came up again recently when Bulls legend Scottie…
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Metta World Peace says Howard isn’t going anywhere because he has a hold on his… um… those
Jun 17, 2013, 8:54 PM EDT
AP
Metta World Peace was in rare form today. He was on Sportsradio 610 in Houston — and let me say as a guy who has done a fair amount of radio spots with some quality hosts there, the buzz is all about Dwight Howard coming to the Rockets. If they are talking hoops, they are…
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Getty Images
The Celtics and Clippers are still discussing the trade that would send Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers to Los Angeles, but the whole deal is predicated on Rivers wanting to coach the Clippers. So, even if the Celtics and Clippers agree how to handle Eric Bledsoe, Jason Terry and Courtney Lee, Rivers still must give…
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Victor Oladipo has worked out for the Phoenix Suns. In Phoenix, he said he already worked out for the Orlando Magic and planned to work out for the Cleveland Cavaliers, though it’s not clear where those sessions occurred. Oladipo is preparing for the NBA Draft in Bowie, Md., which is about 20 minutes outside Washington,…
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The time Phil Jackson asked then GM Jerry West to leave the Lakers locker room
Jun 17, 2013, 5:26 PM EDT
Reuters
Phil Jackson is unquestionably one of the greatest coaches of all time, but he didn’t get there by placating people or considering the feelings of others — especially those with seniority or who were holding down a higher-level position within the organization. Speaking at an event last week where Jackson was plugging his latest book,…
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Report: Allen Iverson’s wife claims he abducted their children, has them in Georgia hotel
Jun 17, 2013, 5:12 PM EDT
AP
Allen Iverson’s post-NBA life has been – sad to say, predictably – rough. He’s reportedly losing a lot of money and suffering from alcoholism, and those closest to him are especially worried. Unfortunately, it can get worse, and it might have already. TMZ: Tawanna Iverson just filed legal docs, claiming Allen recently asked for permission…
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Mark Cuban plans to lure top free agents by giving them roster input
Jun 17, 2013, 4:36 PM EDT
AP
The Mavericks enter the off-season as one of the major players in free agency. Not only do they have money to spend, but they also have a history of championship level contention, a still very good Dirk Nowitzki, and Mark Cuban to close the deal when it’s time to make the pitch on why the…
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This is the time of year when teams and agents create smokescreens so thick, firefighters can’t get through them. So, approach any report like this with a healthy dose of skepticism. But also consider that a beat writer for a major newspaper was confident enough to report it. There’s a fine line, and from the…
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Jazz unveil plans for new HD scoreboard at EnergySolutions Arena
Jun 17, 2013, 4:20 PM EDT
The Utah Jazz are updating their scoreboard that will sit high above center court at EnergySolutions Arena, and as you might imagine, the team is pretty excited about it. From the official release: “Miller Sports Properties today announced plans for a new center court high definition video display system that is seven times larger than its predecessor,…
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Dirk Nowitzki says NBA will never be able to get rid of flopping
Jun 17, 2013, 3:22 PM EDT
AP
The subject of players selling contact to officials, or even downright faking it in hopes of duping a referee into blowing a favorable whistle has become a hotter topic than ever this season, thanks to a new anti-flopping policy enacted which was designed to clean this mess up. It hasn’t had the desired effect, however,…
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AP
When I went to San Antonio to write this piece on Gregg Popovich (and, later, this piece on Tim Duncan) I was told, time and again, that the most popular San Antonio Spur in town, by far, is Manu Ginobili. At first, I found it a bit curious. I mean, Ginobili has been a terrific…
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AP
There is once again momentum to the idea that Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett (then later likely Paul Pierce) are headed to the Clippers. It may or may not happen, but a smart GM like Danny Ainge has to start planning for any eventuality. So, if Doc Rivers is gone from the bench in Boston,…
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AP
This was expected to happen, but now it’s become official. Monta Ellis is going to opt out of the $11 million he is owed next season to become an unrestricted free agent, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN and other sources. Ellis is seeking 19.2 points and 6 assists for the Bucks last year. He is…
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Heat must accomplish something they haven’t been able to in a month if they want to repeat as champions
Jun 17, 2013, 12:45 PM EDT
SAN ANTONIO — After falling to the Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, the Miami Heat find themselves in a most uncomfortable position. In order to win the championship that they were heavily favored to at the outset of the postseason, they’ll need to accomplish something that they haven’t been able…
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Where does Celtics’ Rivers, Garnett trade to Clippers stand? They’re talking.
Jun 17, 2013, 12:08 PM EDT
Reuters
UPDATE 5:45 pm : This is getting close. The Celtics have agreed no Eric Bledsoe but they want the Clippers to take on one of their bad contracts, either Jason Terry or Courtney Lee. How that shakes out is really all that’s left, according to multiple reports. 12:08 pm: If you’re a Clippers fan who…
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Danny Green’s shot chart from three-point distance in the Finals is as ridiculous as you’d expect
Jun 17, 2013, 12:07 PM EDT
Getty Images
SAN ANTONIO — Danny Green has been on a record-breaking tear with his three-point shooting through the first five games of the Finals, and he’s been a key reason the Spurs are taking a three games to two series lead back to Miami with two chances to close the Heat out. It isn’t just the…
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Tim Connelly has been a rising star in the front office world. He was with the Wizards and was hired away by the then Hornets (now Pelicans) to be an assistant general manager there behind Del Demps. Now he’s made the leap to the big chair. Connelly is going to be the new GM of…
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Reuters
SAN ANTONIO — The MVPs for the Spurs Game 5 win you know — Manu Ginobili came back like the prodigal son to have a huge game, Danny Green knocked down any shot given inside the San Antonio city limits, and Tony Parker continues to be the guy who should get the Finals MVP award…
