I was reading about Ray Allen in Espn and how he has still been in great shape, is still great defensively and offensively and hasn't really missed a beat. I remember that the the thunder(sonics at that time) trade Ray Allen and Glen Davis for Jeff Green, Delonte West, and Wally. Wally and west ultimately left and were not meant their for rebuilding but Jeff Green was. Now, Jeff Green is solid, but he is a 3 tweener who can't really play the 4 that well and he seems to be the one in OKC who won't stick around as they haven't given him an extension as well. I think of how much better their team would be with Westbrook at the 1. Ray Allen at 2. Kevin Durant at the 3. Glen Davis at the 4 and then well they still have the hole they do now at the 5, but glen and ray allen fit the mold way better, and one vet helps a young team like this.
It was a move to find a good counter punch to durant + free up cap space and bring in a youth movement. Made sense then and makes sense now.
ESPN is lying if they think Ray Allen hasn't slowed down. He still has his moments, but isnt the ray allen from the sonics. He was also getting paid a lot back then, even now he re-signed with Boston for 10 mill a year (2yrs), so how does OKC keep that on their payroll and still have this same team? Do they even get high picks with Ray allen on their team? Not much of a mistake when you take that into consideration.
by the way, i didnt realize Collison was making 13 mill this year...looks like they gave him some kind of signing bonus, but for the next 4 yrs he'll "only" make about 2-3 mill a year.
when was Ray Allen great defensively? I mean individual defense. The Celtics team defense can cover up for a lot.
yea, okc can definitely handle the contract. As far as youth movement, you are still getting glen davis, who he himself as a pure 4 is better fit than Jeff Green. Having one vet doesn't kill a youth movement, especially an exemplary disciplined vet like ray allen, whose game and specialty can compliment any team really, his defense is not the best, but he can hang defensively with people and hasn't gotten too much worse. He keeps his body in prime shape and is still an incredibly above average player, so fit wise, even money wise, and just giving a vet to this youth to help KD and westbrook etc. This might be one of Presti's rare mistakes. EVeryone makes them, but this has gone a bit overlooked as Green looks more and more out of place, and the fact you could've had allen with Glen Davis(who is young and a pretty solid 4, definsively, etc)
I wouldnt call Green a mistake. He's a very talented and frustrating player, but he has tremendous value. He's like Odom to me. Really, his best position is sf,but thats kd's spot. Problem with that team is that Ibaka should be starting and playing big minutes. Now Harden over Lopez was a mistake.
In Allen's last season with the Sonics/Thunder, they had one of the worst records in the league. Ray Allen was traded away for Jeff Green in the same draft that Durant was picked. They would have still had the #2 pick, Durant, whether or not the Ray Allen trade went through for #5 pick, Jeff Green.
OP, it's clear this season Jeff Green can't play PF very well and something must change. Scott Brooks said he won't tinker with the starting lineup because of chemistry but will instead adjust minutes based on how well guys are playing. Next summer, Green might re-sign with them for less than was expected and return as a reserve, which is where he belongs. If so, he could be a very important part of their long-term future. He gets along well with KD and Westbrook and is a personal favorite of Scott Brooks. Ray Allen and his huge salary would not have fit that franchise at all.
A3, I kinda agree with you in terms of how well he gets along with kd and westbrook. I also agree about the becnch part, but if you're a team wanting a 3/4 type, he fits the bill. I think he's more 3 than 4, but in certain situations, he can be a matchup nightmare. He wont be your bets player despite being one of your most talented players. There will be alot of teams willing to slighty overpay for his talent.
how do you know they could have handled his contract for so long and built the same team? why would they pay him so much when next to durant and Westbrook he'd hardly get any shots? He'd be a spot up shooter, which he'd do well, but for 10 million +? How do you know they would have still had the same draft position to draft westbrook? Ibaka? Green still has value, he's just playing out of position. Trading Landry and drafting harden would be bigger mistakes, but the moves seemed appropriate at the time. What they really need is a complete big man.
Wow, didn't realize that either. That puts them in good position to snag Perkins or Nene this off season, right? It's crazy how a team can be that good with that low of a salary cap figure (well, as low as it will be in the offseason)
They already had Durant, but the Westbrook part is true. People often ignore the butterfly effect when saying what if teams had done certain things. Who would you rather have Westbrook or Allen, it's a no contest
made sense at the time. then they got stuck with 2 small forwards because green was the best guy left in the draft. sure allen and davis would be better for them right now but hind sight is 20/20. they made the right moves at the time.
Who is Jeff Green a nightmare for besides the Thunder? Except for the rare offensive explosion, he just isn't good enough to be a starter on a contender. Until he develops a deadly jumper and improves his 3-point shooting, teams will continue giving him the Rafer treatment when they need to shut down the Thunder. And Green will continue firing up bricks. Eventually Ibaka will become consistent enough that Green will finish fewer and fewer games. You say Green is talented, but this season has displayed his shortcomings more than ever. Last season was a huge disappointment for him. Especially his terrible defense and playoff tank job. But I was willing to give him another chance because these things sometimes happen. This season was a chance to prove his career has had not flat-lined. So what happens? This year has been ANOTHER step backward. His shooting is horrific and his defense is worse than ever. Too many games this year he has killed them. Scott Brooks' answer to all of this is "we are still winning". But 42%/28% shooting + terrible defense = 6th or 7th man. At some point you have to change a flat tire. The team that overpays Jeff Green will have serious buyers remorse. The OKC fans cut him a lot of slack. If he goes to a different city, they won't be so kind.
By no means was it a terrible move. And for a while it seemed like a good one but.. Ray Allen may not be the beast he used to be but he still has game left. Him and Durant would have been sick.
