The question was simple, and the reply was genuine.
“How excited are you for Jason [Terry], to have a real 6th man?
“Oh I love it.”
It was a quick, reply. He went on
“We really needed a guy… that could create his shot. It was one of our big needs. Again Jason was….. we solved that need.”
Here, take a listen for yourself before I go on
Here’s the thing about that answer….
It is bit of a diss on Ray Allen. It’s not an intentional slam. This is not Doc taking any intentional shots at Ray. I’m sure if I saw him tomorrow and followed up on this, he’d say I got it wrong.
Ok, fine.
But I didn’t. The Celtics needed a guy who could create his own shot. A guy who could dribble and shoot and score. A guy not named Paul Pierce who could do that. And let’s face it, Paul Pierce is the only guy who can create his own offense off the dribble.
I mean, Rajon Rondo certainly can… but that’s mostly if “off the dribble” includes “getting to the rim.” In this case, “off the dribble” means creating space with a dribble or two and not just getting to the hoop, but also allowing yourself to get a good jump shot off.
That’s just something Ray Allen couldn’t do. Not anymore. And the Celtics needed that off the bench. Now they have it. They don’t have to run plays that involve 5 picks to get this guy open. And the fact of the matter is that hurt Boston at time last year. And Doc knows that. That’s why he’s so relieved.
And isn’t that what his answer sounded like? Relief?
Doc didn’t take any direct shots at Ray Allen yesterday in Las Vegas. But it’s obvious that he knows he’s got something the team needs… and it’s something it didn’t have when Ray was around.
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