Chris
11-10-2016, 10:15 PM
Ray Allen did not want to retire after 2014 Finals
Despite the fact that he hasn't played in three seasons, it doesn't mean that Ray Allen wanted to be done playing.
According to Allen himself, who recently announced his retirement, the NBA's all-time leading three-point shooter did not expect his career to end after the 2014 Finals, via Jeff Zilgitt of USA Today:
“After the 2014 Finals, I didn’t really think I was done and I thought there would be an opportunity,” Allen said. “Then, I was thinking I didn’t necessarily need or want to go to training camp. So I was going to wait and see if there was a team that made sense for me.
The 41-year-old Allen averaged 9.6 points on 44.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc in his final season with the Miami Heat. Despite the fact he was 39 years of age entering the 2014-15 season, he still had plenty of interest from around the league, including from contenders such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. That interest continued more than two years later before Allen officially announced his retirement last month.
The two-time champion went into further detail about why he didn't end up playing the past two seasons:
"That first year went by, and it didn’t make sense. There was nowhere I thought I could fit in. Coming into last year, I said, ‘Well, let’s see how it goes again. I started thinking, ‘Do I really want to do it? Do I want to be with my children? Or do I want to be away from my children?’ Then again, there wasn’t a situation that was worth it. Two years went by so quickly.
“If a team made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, then I would’ve looked at it more seriously,” Allen said. “The way that year shaped up, nobody was knocking on my door saying, ‘We would love to have you.’ If I’m going to play, I’m going to have to move. I would have to leave my family or move my family. I didn’t feel I want to do that."
Allen goes on to say that had he never won a championship, he would have definitely played in 2014-15 and would have moved elsewhere to compete for a chance at winning a title.
All things considered, Allen could have physically played the past couple of years, but his mind and heart just wasn't into it. It's likely the reason why he kept going back-and-forth on whether or not he was going to return the past two seasons, despite the fact that numerous teams clearly showed an interest in signing him.
http://spurs.247sports.com/Bolt/Ray-Allen-did-not-want-to-retire-after-2014-Finals-48880422
Despite the fact that he hasn't played in three seasons, it doesn't mean that Ray Allen wanted to be done playing.
According to Allen himself, who recently announced his retirement, the NBA's all-time leading three-point shooter did not expect his career to end after the 2014 Finals, via Jeff Zilgitt of USA Today:
“After the 2014 Finals, I didn’t really think I was done and I thought there would be an opportunity,” Allen said. “Then, I was thinking I didn’t necessarily need or want to go to training camp. So I was going to wait and see if there was a team that made sense for me.
The 41-year-old Allen averaged 9.6 points on 44.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc in his final season with the Miami Heat. Despite the fact he was 39 years of age entering the 2014-15 season, he still had plenty of interest from around the league, including from contenders such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. That interest continued more than two years later before Allen officially announced his retirement last month.
The two-time champion went into further detail about why he didn't end up playing the past two seasons:
"That first year went by, and it didn’t make sense. There was nowhere I thought I could fit in. Coming into last year, I said, ‘Well, let’s see how it goes again. I started thinking, ‘Do I really want to do it? Do I want to be with my children? Or do I want to be away from my children?’ Then again, there wasn’t a situation that was worth it. Two years went by so quickly.
“If a team made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, then I would’ve looked at it more seriously,” Allen said. “The way that year shaped up, nobody was knocking on my door saying, ‘We would love to have you.’ If I’m going to play, I’m going to have to move. I would have to leave my family or move my family. I didn’t feel I want to do that."
Allen goes on to say that had he never won a championship, he would have definitely played in 2014-15 and would have moved elsewhere to compete for a chance at winning a title.
All things considered, Allen could have physically played the past couple of years, but his mind and heart just wasn't into it. It's likely the reason why he kept going back-and-forth on whether or not he was going to return the past two seasons, despite the fact that numerous teams clearly showed an interest in signing him.
http://spurs.247sports.com/Bolt/Ray-Allen-did-not-want-to-retire-after-2014-Finals-48880422