Celtics fans have thrown a lot of blame around for why Ray Allen took his talents to South Beach. For a lot less money than Boston was offering ($6 million over two years less).
Sometimes the talk is about Avery Bradley taking Allen’s starting job. Usually, the blame comes back to Rajon Rondo and his strained relationship with Allen. Rondo had the ball and decided who got it when, and Allen wanted it more.
But Doc Rivers says it is more complex than that. And if you want to blame someone, you should blame him. That’s what he told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.“People can use all the Rondo stuff – and it was there, no doubt about that – but it was me more than Rondo,” said Rivers, who is working as an NBC analyst during the Olympics. “I’m the guy who gave Rondo the ball. I’m the guy who decided that Rondo needed to be more of the leader of the team. That doesn’t mean guys liked that – and Ray did not love that – because Rondo now had the ball all the time.
“Think about everything [Allen] said when he left, ‘I want to be more of a part of the offense.’ Everything was back at Rondo. And I look at that, and say, ‘That’s not Rondo’s fault.’ That’s what I wanted Rondo to do, and that’s what Rondo should’ve done. Because that’s Rondo’s ability. He’s the best passer in the league. He has the best feel in the league. He’s not a great shooter, so he needs the ball in his hands to be effective. And that bothered Ray.”
Rivers made the right call for the Celtics in every case. It wasn’t what Allen wanted. Allen decided not to just stay in a place he wasn’t happy just to make more money. He went where he felt wanted — and it happens to be a place he has a good shot at another ring.
Nobody really should be blamed here. But if you still feel the need, Rivers will take it on.