I don't want to make it sound like Allen is in the same league as Finley or Houston, because he is clearly better than both of them, however, does anyone else think that offering this guy a max contract for 6 years is going to kill a franchise. He is a 2guard at 30-years-old. He will only regress, and by 36, I can't see him having any impact on games whatsoever. If I were Cleveland and not trying to make LeBron bolt in a few years, I'd go after Redd. If that didn't work out, I'd target Larry Hughes or Bobby Simmons. Both play very good D, and have very well-rounded games. Both are also younger and would (probably) cost less. What are your thoughts? Do you target a guy in FA at or over 30 YO and offer him a long deal?
it depends on you teams situation. should the cavs, hawks, clippers, hornets, bucks offer him a max contract? hell no. should a team like the pistons, spurs, pacers, mavs, kings, nuggets try to work out a S&T for a max deal? of course!
I agree. If Allen doesnt have to carry the team then its well worth it. But teams lead by Mitch Richmond, Reggie Miller, Glen Rice, Allan Houston, etc... Have never won championships.
I dunno. If the Sonics didn't suffer as many injuries as they did in the playoffs, I think they had a great shot at getting into the WCF.
i say allen does fit into the same category as finley, and houston, and mitch richmond, because hes another great shooting guard that has fit into the same category as them, as far as having lackluster teams on his side. the bucks, and sonic were only good teams; not great teams. just like finley ,and mitch richmond played for good, not great teams).
A good legitimate argument. I was reading on realgm that the Cavs sent tapes to both Redd and Allen w/ Lebron lobbying them to join the team. It also said that Allen wasn't on the top of the list and that they want Redd more. I'd go w/ Redd over Allen as well. Redd is a lot younger and Allen giving a 30-year old a max deal that will pay him 14-16M until he is 35-26 isn't the best idea.
Ray Allen has become over rated this season. Plus I hate kobe as much as anyone but Allen of all people cant be the one to call him out. You need skills to back it up and not get the **** stuffed out of them in a game by the person they call out.
Between Redd and Allen, Allen is the better player, but I agree that Redd being closer in age to James, he's the better choice. Allen will be an albatross by the end of his contract. Redd will probably be simply overpaid.
Allan Houston has been one of the most overrated shooting guards of the best decade. Only two seasons out of 12 where he's reached 20 ppg, career 17-3-2 guy. Sharp-shoooting is the only thing he's really offered, and even that hasn't been remotely HOF worthy. Finley's a 19-5-4 guy that can actually play fair defense and contribute without the ball in his hands. Allen's easily the most versatile of the 3, though IMO, the least team-centric. When he wants to (usually someone has to insult him or stick him in trade rumors) he can be a triple-double threat and take over games (neither of the other two can). He's also at another level as far as creating for himself and others. Evan
I wasn't necessarily talking about overall skills, I was saying are their situations comparable in that a team is offering a shooting guard with limited skills a long term contract, even when the player is already 30 years old. In the past, it's proven that this is a very, very poor investment. I'd say in 2 years, when Ray Allen is making something like $15 million a year, he will not even be one of the five best 2's in the L.
Ray Allen > Allan Houston Ray Allen took a scrub team like Seattle far into the playoffs. they were predicted NOT to make the playoffs. Also, Ray Allen actually plays. Allan Houston =Michael Dickerson plus 100 million dollars
I see what you're saying. I'll look at it from that angle: When Finley signed his 7 yr deal in the summer of 2001, he was 28 years old and coming off a 22-5-5 season. When Houston signed, it took all of five minutes before the head-slapping started. His contract was a joke even when the ink was wet. Coincidently, he also signed in the summer of 2001. He was coming off what had been his best two-season run of his career: 19-3-3. Worse numbers, well-established as one-dimensional, and 2 years older than Finley. Allen is 30, but I would say he's the most skilled offensive player of the 3 guys we're comparing. Offers less on the defensive end than Finley, but far more than Houston. The other thing is that he's signing a 5 year deal as opposed to a 7 year one. Personally, I'm with those that doubt he'll be putting up 20 ppg by year 4 of the deal, but it beats the pants off of Jason Kidd's contract. Ditto with Webber's. And if Shaq signs even a 3-year extension, you know that'll take the cake. Evan
ray allen is WORTH the MONEY. he's better than both those players x's 20. and i like finley A LOT. allen is a proven 25,5,5 guy over his career. he's been one of the league's top 10-15 players over the last 6 years, but because he doesn't have a ton of endorsements or open his mouth and say stupid **** like shaq or other guys he doesn't get the credit he deserves. ray deserves the money and seattle won't be dissapointed for spending it either.
Just to reiterate what I said earlier, Allen almost carried his team past the Spurs in their series against them. They only lost due to injuries from Radmanovic and I forget who else.
I think Ray Allen will age more like Reggie Miller and less like Allen Houston and Michael Finley. Allen, like Miller, is terrific shooter with great range. He's also just a much better player than Houston and Finley. Allen has consistently produced big time in the playoffs, from his first playoffs with the Bucks against Indiana in 2000 when he went buck wild with some huge games. Also, when he led the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001 with Cassell and Big Dog. He was the one who went toe to toe with McGrady in the first round when McGrady was suffocating Robinson. And who can forget that classic exchange at the end of game 3 or 4 when McGrady hit the go ahead bucket with less than 10 seconds left. Then Allen iso'd McGrady at the top of the key. He drove hard to the right for a major dunk to send it to overtime over McGrady. And let's not forget his postseason this year. He absolutely destroyed the Kings in the 1st round, topping out with a 40 plus point game. And absolutely gave Bruce "The Stopper/Dirty Ole b*stard" Bowen and the Spurs all they could handle in the 2nd round. Took them to 6 games before Timmy's last second bucket in game 6. That's a hell of a lot more than the faux MVP Steve Nash did in the Conference Finals. So to recap. Allen is a better player to Houston and Finley in their primes. Very good ballhandler, very good penetrator, a little lazy on defense, and a superior shooter from long range and mid range. Allen is historically a top playoff performer. Houston chokes. Finley is okay. And if we want to throw Mitch Richmond in the conversation, he really started getting lazy with his conditioning starting in 1996. So by the time he got traded to the Wizards in 1999, he lost his game very quickly. Allen is a consummate professional who is always in top notch condition.
