Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“We recruited,” he said. “We couldn’t fly him to Miami because he was in Boston, but other than that we recruited him just as hard.”
Looking back, Rivers believes the Celtics had their priorities exactly right, moving from an agreement with Kevin Garnett to calling Allen at midnight on July 1 — the first day under the collective-bargaining agreement that teams were allowed to talk to free agents.
Garnett was the exception because he was eligible for an extension. Contact with any of the Celtics’ other free agents, such as Allen and Brandon Bass, was held off until July 1.
“I thought we (courted Allen). Danny (Ainge)in particular did exactly what he should have done,” said Rivers. “Kevin Garnett was our focal point, and he should have been. If that got anyone ruffled, then that’s probably too bad. We did everything we were supposed to do. At the end of the day you just follow the money trail, and in this case, for whatever reason, it didn’t work. He had his reasons. He probably got bent sideways a bit by us courting Kevin. I really don’t know, honestly.
“But at the end of the day he was great for us here, and that’s all you can say,” he said. “Clearly we would have liked him to stay with us, but I respect Ray, and that will never go away.”
Herald – Doc Rivers listens, then turns the page
Just like Ray Allen, I can hold a grudge. And the more I learn about Ray Allen’s reasoning for leaving Boston, the more I dislike him.
Kevin Garnett was priority #1. He’s the heart and soul grit and balls of this team. A 20 and 10 machine in the playoffs. The Celtics were 100% correct in making him the priority. Without KG, none of the other pieces (including Ray) mattered.
Despite 17 years in the league, Allen is acting like a child. He’ll fit in well with LeWhine and the boys in Miami.
One other note, Jeff Green’s contract is a 4 year, $36 million deal. I’m still searching for reports of any other team interested in paying Green close to $9 million per season.
The rest of the links:
Globe – Doc Rivers disappointed in Allen’s decision | Herald – Shooters in scarce supply | Ray Allen’s decision leaves hole in community | CSNNE – Doc didn’t agree with Allen’s reasoning | Pietrus: My heart is still for Boston |
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
