Ray Allen to have surgery Wednesday

New England Baptist Hospital, 6 a.m.

Good luck, Ray.

I think he's gone. He doesn't want to come off the bench and he's having personality problems with the immature Rajon Rondo (Ray is, of course, the consummate professional and gentleman).

Never a great defender, at best good, he's going to have even more problems convincing coaches and GMs he can guard starting players one-on-one next season. Name a team, that has a chance to win a championship, that has such a glaring hole at 2 they'll give the starting job to a 37-year old coming off of ankle surgery. His trade value was way down 5 years ago, in 2007, after double ankle surgery. That's why we were able to get him for a #5, the young and unproven Delonte West and Wally Waste. We're now going into 2013.

I'm not down on Ray's performance these playoffs, he played hurt enough to require surgery, but he couldn't handle Wade nor Evan Turner nor Joe Johnson and, quite frankly, I don't think he could have done better if he had been healthy. At this point in his career, he's overmatched by their size and athleticism.

Ray's a great player and a proud man, but he has to come to grips with the reality that he's not 32, nor 34, nor even 36. He's in that rarified air where players still active earn their keep by filling roles and mentoring younger players. He doesn't want to fill a role, he wants to start and play big minutes too.

Good luck, Ray.

bob


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