Player Comparison

Here's a basketball player comparison for you:

Player A - 323 G / 5812 Pts / 18.0 PPG / 8.4 RPG / 1.5 APG
Player B - 358 G / 5987 Pts / 16.7 PPG / 3.4 RPG / 2.7 APG

Pretty even but slight edge to Player A - agreed? What if I told you Player A helped his team win 2 NBA Championships while Player B helped his teams win 1? Advantage Player A hands down - right?

Well Player A is Bailey Howell who played for the Celtics for 4 seasons (1966 - 1970) while Player B is Ray Allen for was in Green for 5-seasons. Nobody has ever called for Bailey Howell's number to be hoisted to the rafters. So can we stop the nonsense of people saying Ray Allen's number should be retired by Boston?

Player Comparison

Just a quick player comparison I have been thinking about lately:

Player A - 10.4 PPG / 2.5 APG / 2.0 RPG
Player B - 10.8 PPG / 1.6 APG / 2.9 RPG

Player A is Jason Terry who has played 62 games averaging 27:37 minutes per game. Player B is Ray Allen - the player Terry basically replaced in Boston. Even though many have been down on Terry in Boston - his production has basically been equal to Allen's this season.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Happy National Nude Day! If you are arrested for public nudity today - Hallmark will pay your bail and your fines!... Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog to air on The CW. Funny - just watched this last night for the first time. For the record - I want a Captain Hammer t-shirt... The 2012 Olympic team vs the 92 Dream Team talk is as silly as Batman vs Superman debates. The 92 team and Superman would win every time... One of the things on my bucket list is to learn how to surf. This video is a painful reminder that I'm not close to checking it off the list... 31 Bizarre Foreign Titles for American Films... When you take taxes into account - the Celtics offer to Ray Allen was only $1.4 million better than what he got from the Heat(s)... Neil Gaiman announced a new Sandman series.My understanding it that it will be a sort of prequel telling the story of Morpheus the Lord of Dreams. I haven't read any of the Sandman books but this may just be the reason I was looking for... Tweet of the Day:

 Whitney Shazam™ ‏@Ms_Shazam

I'd rather cuddle then have sex.. If you're good at grammar, you'll get that.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Nobody nailed the story of Why Ray Allen left the Celtics for the Miami Heat like Adrian Wojnarowski who is by far the best NBA writer going... Just saying but Adrian Gonzalez has an OPS of .747 while Anthony Rizzo (one of the guys the Red Sox traded to get Gonzo) has an OPS of 1.150 with the Cubs. I know it is a small sample size for Rizzo and that Gonzo is bound to post better numbers but people are starting to wonder if the trade was worth it... Not the first person to make this observation but the Celtics going out and signing Jason Terry before making deal with Ray Allen feels like something the Patriots would do. In the end the Celtics got younger and saved salary for other things. Just like something the Patriots would do... If you like the movie Slap Shot - do yourself a favor and rent Goon. I give it two big thumbs up. Very fun movie for any hockey fan... Will Ray Allen be one of those rare Hall of Fame players whose number does not get retired by any teams? The Celtics are not going to do it now. The Sonics don't even exist any more and Ray has no history with OKC. Milwaukee may be his best shot... These are wicked awesome!

Ray Allen and Demi Moore

I have all the respect in the world for Ray Allen but I have a comparison in my head I just can't shake. Is Ray Allen just like Demi Moore?

Hear me out. The comparison works on several levels. What first got me thinking about the comparison is the movie A Few Good Men. Demi Moore got third billing in that movie behind Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson - just like Ray Allen always seemed to get third billing in the Big Three behind Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. But was that third billing justified? I mean was Demi Moore more important to that movie than Kevin Bacon or Kevin Pollack? Was Ray Allen more important to those Celtics NBA finals teams than Rajon Rondo or Kendrick Perkins? The somewhat bitchy big-boobed potential love interest is the easiest thing in Hollywood to replace. I can't see A Few Good Men being close to the same movie without Cruise or Nicholson but I honestly could see a few other actresses filling out Demi Moore's uniform in that movie. Linda Hamilton for example was considered for the part. Many people also say that shooting guard in the NBA is the easiest position to fill.

In real-life Demi Moore left veteran actor Bruce Willis for Ashton Kutcher who was the hottest thing in Hollywood at the time. Ray Allen is leaving the veteran Boston Celtics for the hotter than hot Miami Heat(s).

I can't get this comparison out of my head. Is Ray Allen the Demi Moore of the NBA?

Ray Allen and the Celtics

Ray Allen has decided to sign with the Miami Heat(s). I wish Ray nothing but the best.

Ray Allen agreeing to come to Boston made it possible for Kevin Garnett to want to come to Boston. The creation of the new Big Three allowed the Celtics to become relevant again and to win another World Championship. For all that I say thank you to Ray Allen.

During his time in Boston Ray Allen always handled himself with nothing but class and dignity. When Ray was injured or when he was the center of trade rumors - he never complained or made himself a distraction. Now he wants to play in Miami - how can any Celtics fan in good conscience begrudge him that?

Meanwhile, I can't help but think that the Boston Celtics are quietly assembling a very deep team. You already have Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Brandon Bass, Jason Terry, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Fab Melo, and Jared Sullinger. That's a nine-deep rotation. Jason Terry easily replaces Ray Allen's minutes and contributions and if he stays healthy then will most likely be an upgrade. Jeff Green will be a huge wild-card for next season. Green has the potential to be the best sixth-man in the NBA. If that's the case then the Celtics are serious contenders.

Doc Rivers generally doesn't play rookies but all he needs from Melo and Sullinger are a few minutes per game to learn the NBA and to give KG and Pierce a breather. Danny Ainge will probably bring back Greg Stiemsma as the back-up center but I'd love to see him sign Marcus Camby. That would be a huge upgrade and potentially a situation that would be attractive to Camby. The Celtics could use the mid-level exemption on him ($3 million), the Celtics would only need him to log 20 minutes per game and Camby would be coming back home (he's from Connecticut and went to UMass). That would just leave back-up PG which will probably be Keyon Dooling and if that's the case fine but I'd like an upgrade here as well.

The bottom line is the Celtics look poised for a very deep run next year. And that was going to be the case with or without Ray Allen.

Thank you Ray Allen for your time here in Boston. You were the consummate professional. May the road rise to meet you and may the wind always be at your back and may your ankles not be issue.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Today is National Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day - this flavor name is creative but if its literal then I'd say its disgusting... It still blows my mind that Ronald Reagan was the original choice to play Rick Blaine in the classic Casablanca... Ray Allen already has a championship ring. He's a smart guy - he's not going to Miami to be Dwayne Wade's back-up for half the money he could make from the Celtics...  Candidates for Congress should have to take and pass the test immigrants have to take to become Citizens. Candidates should have to pass this test before their name ever gets on a ballot... A surgeon cuts to the heart of why Obamacare is awful for healthcare in this country... In 1892 Benjamin Harrison became the first US President to attend a baseball game. Jack McKeon managed one of the teams... They say it takes 10,000 hours of doing something to become an expert. If that's the case then I'm an expert on watching the Boston Red Sox... Next season on Game of Thrones a great wizard and conjurer is introduced. Some call him Tim... There must be some higher purpose to the Tom / Katy divorce. Cthulhu doesn't play dice with the universe...  The Red Sox are now 0-5 in extra innings games this season. That's because the other teams have had better managers... Punch him again Pudge!!!

Ray Allen and the 3-Point Crown

Congrats to Ray Allen who became the NBA all-time leader in 3-pointers during Thursday's game against the Lakers. Celtics fans like me are very excited for Ray but yet during the game I kept having two thoughts.

First - Ray Allen's real first name is Walter. Ray is his middle name. Why doesn't he use Walter?

Secondly - I couldn't help but wonder what Pistol Pete Maravich's career would have been like if the 3-pointer existed from the day he joined the NBA. There's no doubt in my mind that if the 3-pointer existed for the NBA in 1970 and if Maravich had the benefit of modern medicine for his knees that he would have set a mark that would have been tough to touch. Consider that the 3-pointer didn't exist in the NBA until Pete Maravich's final season when he was at the end of the line and broken down. He hit 10-15 of his 3's that season for a .667 shooting percentage. For his career Ray Allen has hit .398 percent of his 3's. Think about that .667 shooting percentage for a minute. I know it's a small sample size but holy crap.

Also - Ray Allen was not the only player chasing a milestone Thursday. With his 15 points Paul Pierce passed Bob Pettit for 36th place on all-time NBA scoring list.

Ray Allen vs Alex English

Watching last night's game between the Suns and Celtics got me thinking about Ray Allen. I started wondering if he was the greatest player out of the State of South Carolina. If not Allen then it has to be Alex English. It is a very difficult choice between the two because they are so similar.

First let's take a look at the stats:

Allen 1068 G/ 21752 P/ 20.4 PPG/ 4.3 RPG/ 3.6 APG
English 1193 G/ 25613 P/ 21.5 PPG/ 5.5 RPG/ 3.6 APG

Very similar. English gets the edge in rebounds per game but that is more a function of Englsih playing forward, while Allen is a guard, and the fact that teams used to shoot more in the 80's and thus there were more rebound opportunities. English may have also scored slightly more points per game because he played for the shoot em up Doug Moe Nuggets of the 80's. To be fair Ray Allen was normally the number 1 offensive option for his teams before he came to Boston so I'm guessing the offensive opportunities were probably pretty equal. Most of his time in Denver the smooth shooting English was teamed with a gritty veteran center in Dan Issel and a high scoring forward in Kiki Vandeweghe. That should sound familiar to current Celtics fans.

Ray Allen is a 9-time All-Star who has both an NBA Championship and an Olympic Gold Medal to his name. Alex English was an 8-time All-Star who didn't win a championship but has been named to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Gonna give the edge to Allen here since Ray will soon be enshrined in Springfield as well.

Both players were also involved in what turned out to be one-sided trades. English was dealt in the 1979-80 season from Indiana to Denver for aging star George McGinnis who was out of the NBA after 1982. Ray Allen and Glen Davis, the 35th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, were traded to the Celtics in exchange for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the fifth overall pick, Jeff Green. I have to wonder if just Glen Davis for Jeff Green would be a fair trade today.

Both players have also had the chance to display their acting chops. English was featured in the 1987 no-nukes Amazing Grace and Chuck, playing a fictitious Boston Celtics star (while Ray Allen is a real-life Celtics star). Ray Allen was Jesus Shuttlesworth in the 1998 Spike Lee film He Got Game. Ray Allen held his own with Denzel Washington. Big edge to Ray Allen here.

The original question was who was the best player out of South Carolina and I know that technically Allen was born in California but he went to high school in South Carolina - leading Hillcrest High School to a state championship in basketball. These two players are so even that I can't pick between them. It was good to think about Alex English for a while though - he has to be one of the most under-rated players in NBA history (Ray Allen may be on that list too).

Top 5 - Celtics Starting 5 and their Celtics Past Counterparts

The other day Chad Finn of the Boston Globe mentioned how Kendrick Perkins reminded him of former Celtics great Paul Silas. Not only do I agree with that comparison - it got me thinking of what past Celtic great matches up with each of the current starting 5.

1. Rajon Rondo - this to me is the easiest of the bunch. Rondo has always reminded me of Tiny Archibald.

2. Ray Allen - I'm going with Dennis Johnson for this comparison. Both players were not only traded to the Celtics but also both players made their NBA names playing for Seattle. Both players brought a veteran presence and acted as examples for the younger players to emulate. Similarities in their jump shots? Not so much.

3. Paul Pierce - this may be a bit of a stretch but when I think of who Paul Pierce most reminds me of it's John Havlicek. Both were top picks of the Celtics, never played for any other team, about the same height and weight and both never really received the recognition for their scoring ability. Havlicek averaged 20.8 points per game in his career while Pierce is currently at 22.5 points per game. Is it really a stretch to think Pierce may wind up his career at 20.8?

4. Kevin Garnett - KG reminds me of a cross between Dave Cowens and Bill Russell. He has the athletic ability and nimbleness of Russell and the intensity of Cowens. That's high praise for Mr. Garnett.

5. Kendrick Perkins - Paul Silas.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics won their 17th championship on Tuesday night and I was a little melancholy about it. Don't get me wrong - I was ecstatic that the Celtics beat the Lakers like a drum. Ecstatic!

It's just that I had to watch the game from my hotel room in Pennsylvania. Alone.

I received text messages from friends out at bars going nuts. I was alone in my hotel room just a little ticked off each time my phone beeped with a new message. I didn't even get to watch the victory parade due to work. Let's just say that I feel more than a little disconnected from the victory.

I guess that makes me a little sad if truth be told.

So where does this Celtics team stand in the pantheon of past Celtics Champions? Bob Ryan had a great piece examining just that question. Far be it for me to argue with Bob Ryan but I admit that I was surprised that he ranked this year's team as the second best Celtics team ever.

I think this team reminds me more of the 1983 Celtics than the 1986 team that is often called the best team in basketball history.

That 1983 team had some older guys. Robert Parish was 30, Dennis Johnson was 29 and Cedric Maxwell was 28. Of course Larry Bird and Kevin McHale we just entering their primes at 27 and 26-years old respectively. That team, however, had role players who were tough and reliable coming off the bench. Players like Quinn Buckner, ML Carr and Gerald Henderson. That team also beat the Lakers in the Finals with the signature play of the series being Kevin McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis. (Those two have not spoken since that play - that's old school). The Celtics were tougher and had more heart than their Lakers' counterparts and they have rings to prove it.

Likewise this year's Celtics team won because they had more toughness and heart than the Lakers. The team may be slightly older than the 1983 vintage (with Allen 32, Garnett 31, and Pierce 30) but they also had those role players coming off the bench like Leon Powe, Eddie House and James Posey.

I just hope I can get to enjoy the next championship a little more.

Boston Celtics - I'm a Believer

The Boston Celtics are on the brink of their 17th Championship and the bandwagon is getting full. I'm a believer and have been a believer for a long time.

Going into the series with the Lakers - I believed the Celtics were the better team and I think I have been proved correct. When everyone was talking about how this series was going to validate Kobe Bryant as a super star - I was talking about how a championship would be the coup de grace to getting Paul Pierce's ticket punched into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

During the hard fought series with Atlanta - when everyone was talking about the Celtics not being a championship caliber team because they couldn't win on the road in the playoffs - I was talking about every championship team having to overcome a major unexpected bump in the road and that the Hawks would prove to be the Celtics close call.

During the season - when everyone was talking about how great the Western Conference was - I was saying watch out for the Celtics. When people were talking about how the Western Conference Championship would be the real NBA Finals - I was talking about how the Celtics didn't have the best record by accident and that their steamrolling of their Western Conference opponents boded well their chances in the playoffs.

Everyone was happy when the Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett but what about when they traded for Ray Allen? I was in the minority in saying trading the 5th pick was a great move by the Celtics. I had belief that the trade for Allen was a good move and my belief is being rewarded.

When everyone seemed down on Doc Rivers as a coach - I was in the minority saying Doc Rivers was the right man for the job. I believed in Doc's ability to teach young players and motivate veterans. It was Doc's coaching that allowed Al Jefferson to develop into a player equal to being traded for Kevin Garnett. It was Doc's mentoring that has allowed Rajon Rondo to emerge as a budding Tiny Archibald. It was Doc's backbone that allowed him to help make Paul Pierce as much a force on the defensive end of the court as on the offensive end. Doc Rivers is validating my belief. Not only are the Celtics outplaying the Lakers - they are out coaching the Lakers.

My belief in the current Celtics started with the man who seems missing at this point - Danny Ainge.

When Jim O'Brien turned petulant bitch because Ainge wanted him to change his defensive coaching philosophy - I defended Ainge at a time when almost all the Boston writers were polishing Jim O'Brien's halo. Ainge wanted an up-tempo offense and strong defense. O'Brien wanted a half-court offense and a fronting style defense. Ainge's style worked for Red Auerbach and Tommy Heinsohn and that style is about to lead the Celtics to their 17th banner to hang in the Boston Garden. Jim O'Brien's style has led him to failure in Philadelphia and in Indiana.

It's easy to believe in the Celtics at this point. I believed in Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers when supporters were few and far between. My faith is being rewarded. In a big way.

Ray Allen Professional Basketball Player

Excellent article on Ray Allen and how he prepares to play basketball.

You have to love articles like this that give insight into how a team actually jells and what preparation is needed to be a pro basketball player.

Jackie MacMullan will be missed at the Globe.

More Celtics Thoughts

When the trade of Ray Allen on NBA Draft Day was announced to the Seattle fans - they booed the move because they didn't want to lose Ray Allen. When it announced in Boston that the Celtics had swapped the 5th pick for Allen - most of the "experts" panned the move because they thought the Celtics should have held on to the 5th pick.

I immediately liked the move and still do. The critics panned the trade for a number of reasons - seeing as I have nothing better to do at the moment - I'll go through the criticisms one by one and show how they are wrong.

Some people complained that either Ray Allen was too old or that adding him to the starting rotation made the Celtics too old. Yes Allen will shortly be 32-years old and that is old in shooting guard years but Allen has always kept himself in excellent shape and is coming off his highest scoring season of his career. The Celtics just need him near the top of his game (20+ points per game) for 3 more years. Assuming that Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins are the starting five for Boston next season then that means that the average age of the Celtics starters would be 26-years old. It seems to me to be a good balance of youth and experience.

Others contend that the Celtics now have three guys who need "their shots" and there is still only one ball. This viewpoint seems to be missing the point that under Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers the Celtics are an up-tempo team which should average over 100 points a night with this line-up. The three players also have different "games". Allen is an outside shooter who can drive, Pierce is a drive to the basket guy who can also shoot from outside, Jefferson is a down on the blocks guy. Their games don't interfere with each other. If anything - their games are complementary and make it much harder for teams to double on any one player. Getting Allen, Pierce or Jefferson "their shots" won't be a problem.

The last complaint is that the Celtics would have been better off keeping the pick. I disagree. After Oden, Durant and Mike Connelly - all the remaining players were a crap-shoot with none of them guaranteed to be any better then current Celtic Ryan Gomes. People forget that in his last season at Providence Gomes averaged 18.9 points and 9.4 boards per game while shooting better than 50 percent from the field. With the Celtics he has proven to be a solid 12 point, 6 rebound guy whose best days are still ahead of him. There is no guarantee that any of the forwards picked after Durant will turn out to be better than 12 point, 6 rebound per game professionals.

The people who say the Celtics should have kept the 5th pick also fail to mention that doing so would have meant also keeping Wally Szczerbiak and his albatross contract. The Celtics are a much better team with Ray Allen and Glenn "Big Baby" Davis than they would have been with Jeff Green (assuming he would have been the Celtics pick at 5), Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak.

Three teams in the Eastern Conference made the playoffs with a .500 or worse record and 47 wins were enough to win the Atlantic Division last year. I look for the Celtics to win about 45 games next year and make it to the second round of the playoffs. The trade for Ray Allen makes that possible.

Rick Robey

Have you been wondering what Rick Robey has been up to these days? Well - he's selling real estate in the Louisville area.

Robey was a star player at the University of Kentucky and the 3rd overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. In honor of him being the 3rd pick - here are three random thoughts.

1. I can't hear the name Rick Robey without hearing Bob Cousy say, "Wick Wobey with the webound" in my head.

2. The real estate prices in Louisville look very reasonable in comparison to the price you'd pay for a house in Eastern Massachusetts.

3. I was thinking about Rick Robey because he was involved in the last big trade the Celtics made that netted them a guard who made his name in the league playing for the Sonics. I doubt if Ray Allen will be as successful with the Celtics as Dennis Johnson was but I bet he provides the kind of behind the scenes leadership that DJ brought to the Celtics.

Celtics Trade

I love the trade that sent Ray Allen to the Celtics in exchange for the 5th pick (Jeff Green) plus Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. This will make a huge difference to the Celtics and I think it puts them in the running for the Eastern Conference Championship next year. The move gives the Celtics a mini-Big Three with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson. Those three will match up well with any three from any team in the East.

I know that Ray Allen is about to be 32 (July 20th) and that Paul Pierce is 30 but Al Jefferson is just 22 and is coming off a season where he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. If the Celtics can make it to the playoffs with those 3 players healthy - then anything can happen.

Besides the 22-year old Al Jefferson, the Celtics also have a core of young players like 21-year old Gerald Green, 21-year old Rajon Rondo, 23-year old Kendrick Perkins, 25-year old Tony Allen and 25-year old Ryan Gomes. With Ray Allen and Paul Pierce that's 8 players who can go uptempo and tire out some of the older teams in the East (Toronto being the team that most worries me).

Rounding out the bench would be USC guard Gabe Pruitt who was taken yesterday with their pick at No. 32, LSU's Glen 'Big Baby' Davis who was taken at No. 35 plus Theo Ratliff who not only has a big expiring contract but who also is still a big help on the defensive end when healthy.

Many people are looking for the Celtics to make another move to further upgrade their roster but I think the roster is fine as currently comprised. Sometimes too much tinkering is a bad thing. If the Celtics do make another move - I hope it is just to move the unwanted contracts of Brian Scalabrine (nothing personal Brian - you seem like a fine fellow but I would just as soon not see you in a Celtics uniform next year) and Sebastian Telfair (punk).

When you look at what the Celtics gave up to get Ray Allen - it makes you like the move even more. Jeff Green will be a good but not great player who would have competed for minutes with the Celtics with both Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes (Seattle hopes that Green will be as good as Al Jefferson but he may be closer to the under-rated Gomes). Wally Szczerbiak has a contract that is huge in comparison to what he brings to the court and lets not forget that he's starting to look a bit brittle. Delonte West played both the point and shooting guard but was not great at either position.

I like this trade a whole lot.