Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers confirms Ray Allen O.J. Mayo trade was on the cards – NBA Update
The Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers has revealed that Ray Allen was indeed part of trade discussions last month. The veteran guard could have been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade that involve O.J. Mayo moving in the other direction.
Rivers though maintained that he was never in favour of such a move and dubbed it a scary moment for the team.
"It was a scary moment, for all of us. If you lose Ray, that's a scary moment," Rivers said. "He's pretty good."
Memphis Grizzlies reserve O.J. Mayo has had a good season so far and is viewed favourably by a number of teams in the NBA. The trade being discussed could also have landed Boston a draft pick.
Despite this, Rivers didn’t want to lose Allen. He confirmed that Boston President Danny Ainge had taken Allen into confidence regarding the trade.
Allen and Kevin Garnett arrived at Boston back in 2007 after some bumper trade activity. The two super stars joined forces with Paul Pierce to form the Big Three of Boston and went onto win an NBA World Championship in their first year together.
They have set a benchmark for excellence in Boston ever since and are the heart and soul of a resilient team, which made another trip to the NBA Finals in2010. Rivers has a certain attachment with the trio, as do Celtics fans worldwide, which is why he doesn’t
want them to go anywhere else.
"I wouldn't want to see Ray, Paul [Pierce] or Kevin [Garnett] ever moved. That's just how you are. Even if you got the best deal in the world, you're still losing guys you have an attachment with. That would be scary for me, or any of us."
The rumours about the possible trade only surfaced recently, as the Celtics had succeeded in keeping things under wraps during the trade deadline day dealings. Doc thus finds it a little unnerving, saying that since the trade didn’t go through, there is
no need to bring it up now.
"I don't see what the big deal is; that was a month ago," Rivers said. "I'm serious, I don't get the big deal of it."
Allen has been an exemplary servant for the Celtics since arriving in Boston. He is a sure fire future Hall of Famer, and one of the best shooters the game has ever seen. The player is the leader in 3-point shots made in NBA history and a consummate professional.
He has recently moved to the Celtics bench keeping in view his advancing years. The move is also designed to boost bench production for the injury ravaged Boston team.
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