Much has already been made about Tony Allen going all George Foreman on OJ Mayo over a gambling debt. If you're like me, you might think, how come Tony Allen only went ballistic in Memphis? Is it because he hadn't yet had financial security until he got his money from the Grizzlies? (Well, probably.)
But more than money, there's another reason: According to Ray Allen, the Celtics have structure in place to make sure these sorts of things don't happen.
Via Ball Don't Lie:
Ray explained his team's approach to Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub yesterday, via Sports Radio Interviews:
"We just have a committee. We always talk about, you have this amount of time to pay your debt, whether it's the next trip or whatever. So if you're playing cards and you lose, everybody's like, ‘You owe this dude that much money, you've got to pay him by the next time we get on the plane.' It's kind of like out of shame that we get guys to pay each other back. I, personally, stopped gambling."
It makes sense with so many veterans, especially veterans who, if you watch them on defense, know how to fall in line and follow a strict system. Especially with respected enforcer types who are big, like KG and the Big Drill Sergeant, I can't see things ever spiraling out of control to that level here. I don't think there's anyone in Memphis who commands that kind of respect. You think Tony Allen's listening to Hasheem Thabeet and Mike Conley trying to tell him he owes somebody money?
Kelly Dwyer's kicker on this was perfect, too:
You don't have to believe that Ray crossed his legs and flicked a tiny piece of lint off of his three-piece suit as he said "I, personally, stopped gambling;" but it does help.
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