With Ray Allen retiring last week, many have wondered and weighed in on whether Allen’s No. 20 should be retired by the Celtics. Color Brian Scalabrine skeptical.
Scalabrine, a teammate of Allen’s on the Celtics’ championship-winning 2007-08 team, said on Toucher and Rich Monday that Allen’s number going to the rafters is far from a sure thing. He noted that while Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are likely locks to have their numbers retired, Allen isn't in the same category.
“I don’t know,” Scalabrine said. “I’m really confused about this one because clearly Garnett and Pierce are going down. If you look at what Ray did, he was just as instrumental in this championship. What do they decide what is worthy of a number being retired? I’m not sure about all that, but ultimately, with all those numbers up there, why not?”
In determining one’s candidacy for such a distinction, Scalabrine said not to take any accolades given to Garnett as an indication that Allen is due the same treatment.
“I mean, he’s not equal to Kevin Garnett,” Scalabrine said. “Listen, when Kevin Garnett walks into a room, the whole room changes. When Ray Allen walks in a room, it doesn’t change, but Ray Allen was instrumental in winning games. If you want to just separate it out and say ‘Without Ray Allen we wouldn’t have won a championship, we wouldn’t have went back in 2010,’ you’re absolutely right, but I would say the same thing about Rajon Rondo. Is his No. 9 going up there?”
Added Scalabrine: “This is why it’s hard for me to make this decision. Rondo and Ray had the same impact, maybe not in 2008 but over the course of the Big 3 era. No one thinks out there that Rondo’s number’s going up there. Ray is like a questionable. It’s no question about Paul and KG. I think that’s where it stands right now.”