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Three keys for Ray Allen for the 2009-2010 season
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AP Photo/Frank Franklin II: Ray's jumper is still key.
The approach of a new basketball season is like watching a sunrise – it’s painstakingly slow, you sit and await with intense anticipation, and it’s emergence brings hope and happiness. However, there will always be a sunset, and depending on the talent of your team, that sun can easily find itself hidden by some water-logger clouds of doom. Each member of the Celtics’ starting five has an individual set of issues that must be addressed properly in order for the Celtics’ season forecast to include nothing but bright sunshine.
Ray Allen
1) His acceptance of change. It’s clear that ray was running on fumes during the Orlando series last year, as the regular season and epic Bulls series took a lot out of him. Understandable. This year should be different, but he should also be willing to let Doc give him some more rest now that Marquis is on board, thus opening up sub possibilities that formerly didn’t exist. Ray is a season vet who is used to his own routine, and the first video below will illustrate that, but he needs to understand that this is a contract year, and he’s an aging vet. His minutes may need to be adjusted, and if he’s playing for another big contract, he’s fooling himself. He needs to adjust to a slightly scaled-back role and the next deal (which will be another acceptance of change) will work itself out later.
2) Getting to the line more. Riding shotgun to the #1, Ray needs to start conserving his energy and working less for his points. Thus, Ray can’t afford to spend all night, every night, running around the floor like he’s Rip Hamilton. He has a diverse game, and he needs to use those additional dimensions. Use more pump fakes. Pot up. Use pick and rolls and penetrate the lane. Ray Allen from the line is a guarantee. It’s time to see more of it.
3) His D. This was Rondo’s third scarlet letter as well, although for different reasons. Ray is an average defender playing in a great system on a great team. The unit is only as strong as its weakest link, and that’s Allen. Rondo, on the other hand, is trying to take his game to another level, which includes building upon his strengths, like his defense.
Bottom line, if the Cs want to win a title this year, they need to do it through that defense (as Doc told us after the Toronto game in Hartford). For the team to excel on D, Ray needs to at least play as well as he did in 2008, if not better.
Chances of accomplishing the tasks above: OK at best. I think Ray will come into the season with the mentality that he’s going to play himself into one last big contract. That means no acceptance of reduced minutes, doing what he does best to fill up the box score (like running off screens continuously) and playing only acceptable D. This may be a harsh assessment, and this description isn’t a negative one, but it’s not what the Celtics need this year. He’s the old man who would rather take the stairs than the escalator. He’s stubborn and less efficient than he can be, but he still gets the job done in the end, even if he’s tired as hell.
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