Yep. I said it would sound crazy. Ray could have put himself in a position to really take a couple shots at a title with this contract, but he was only interested in the cash, as far as I can tell. Clips were just a team I thought he'd fit really well with. Point being, no one in their right mind expects to see the Sonics so much as repeat last year's success. Why not go and play with LeBron? Set up a S&T to a near contender like the Pacers? And yeah, 5 years were what they were talking about since last year, when the max was 7. Sonics were clear that they weren't going beyond that, and even wanted the last year to be a team option or have a buy-out. Evan
Seattle did make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs, and they took the Spurs to 6 games at that. They put up a much better fight than the Suns and let's not even talk about the Cavs. They just need to break .500 first. Allen decided to stay with a 50 plus win team. He gets his money and he gets to stay with a team that I guess you could argue is a serious contender. Can't fault him on that!
The biggest jerk I know is a nicer version of Vernon Maxwell, so that's not saying much! It goes without saying that 2005-06 is the make or break year for Ray. He got his contract, a solid team all to himself, and the expectations are high. He's also in the prime of his career. This is the season that will define his legacy.
i wish he would have took a massive paycut and win it all with us, but knew it wouldnt happen,thank god he didnt go to sa or another division rival
Ray Allen may wind up being worth every penny, but it's hard to rationalize dropping $80 million for what's likely to be his decline phase. I'm a huge Ray Allen fan and I think he's one of the most fun players in the NBA to watch (on offense). But no team built around a 30-something Ray Allen is going to win an NBA title.
he stayed in Seattle. That team isn't very deep talent wise. He could have 'Karl Maloned' to another team.
Seattle was an underdog. Without so many injury issues, Sonics would pass through Spurs. Seattle is far better than expected.
Why is it hard for some to understand Ray Allen's choice? He likes Seattle. His team would have beaten the Spurs if injuries had not derailed them. He gets to remain the #1 guy on his team. There is a comfort level he did not want to risk by going to a new team. Of course, the Sonics offered him more money than anyone else. They didn't come to an agreement sooner because Allen's asking price was too high and he insisted on testing the market before he would take anything less. The Sonics did draw a firm line on not giving him a 6th year. I never thought there was any real chance of him leaving unless he just wanted to spite the Sonics. The pressure is on him more than ever but $80-85MM and his great basketball talent will help him deal with it. I truly believe Michael Redd might leave the Bucks for Cleveland, but even that is very doubtful. $20MM more guaranteed, plus he remains the top dog on his team, will be too much for him to pass up, IMO. The only player I can see leaving after being offered a max contract by his current team is LeBron in a couple of years. He is the one player who could make the money up in endorsments. I believe one of his contracts will pay him a lot more if he plays for one of five particular NBA franchises. Amare, Yao, Wade and others who get offered the max will all stay.
