His agent asked when was the last time the Celtics had anyone quite like this. Who knows? Ricky Davis? (Actually, Raef LaFrentz is cut from the same cloth, but he's not in the same zip code as Allen.)
The Celtics can talk about Allen's scoring, and how now they feel they won't have any lulls on offense (they said the same things when they got Wally Szczerbiak, too), but from the standpoint of professionalism and mentoring, they appear to have gotten one of the best. And because he plays -- and plays well -- his is a voice that will demand to be heard and his is a path that will demand to be followed. Others on the team might have similar thoughts (like, say, Brian Scalabrine) but today's young players will follow the leader if the leader has any cachet. Allen does.
"It's invaluable," coach Doc Rivers said. "Our young guys didn't have enough to learn from in the locker room. It was Paul [Pierce] and Wally and that was about it. Ray is a consummate pro, and the things he brings to the game will resonate in our locker room. That is something I don't think the average fan gets. Players can teach other players about being a pro. Coaches can't do that. So that'll be great to have a guy like him around for that."
And there should be an eager group of guys wanting to soak in all that Allen has to offer. Think Gerald Green couldn't learn something just by watching Allen? Or Allen Ray? And do you think Pierce (who we're told loves the trade) will welcome a guy like Allen, who's a little older, a little wiser, and who also has been an multiyear All-Star to boot?
"I've been part of good teams and I've been part of bad teams," Allen said. "The question is, what lessons are we learning as we go along? I tell the young kids, you have eight or nine months of the year to play basketball and the rest of the year you can relax. So, you've got to be ready. It doesn't last forever."
He said when he was with the Bucks, he had to learn to step back and allow Sam Cassell to be Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson to be Glenn Robinson, and Tim Thomas to be Tim Thomas (come to think of it, that was a pretty darn good team). The same holds true here. When Pierce gets on one of his rolls, Allen said he's going to enjoy it just like everyone else.
