From the Boston Celtics:
BOSTON, MA - The Boston Celtics announced today that they have re-signed guard Ray Allen. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Re-signing Ray has been a priority of ours this offseason and this move will allow us to stay at a championship level," said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations.
..."I am ecstatic to be back in Boston," said Allen. "I cannot wait to get onto the court and get back to work with the rest of the team in pursuit of Banner 18."
Allen is currently ranked second all-time in three pointers made and attempted in NBA history. He also is currently ranked 28th in NBA history in total points scored with 20,965.
"Ray Allen represents class and excellence both on and off the court. We are thrilled he will help lead the team's quest for Banner 18," said Steve Pagiluca, Celtics Co-Owner.
The deal is reported to be for $20 million dollars over two years with the second year being a player option. You have to assume that Allen took a hometown discount to stay here, as there are definitely teams out there willing to give him a third year.
Allen has said throughout the course of his time as a member of the Celtics that he wanted to stay in Boston and retire here. His maturity and professionalism over his successful career is truly something that you really don't see a whole lot of in sports anymore. Not only is Allen still a great player in this league, he is a great role model for younger players who might take what they have for granted- and there are many out there.
You can't deny Allen's work ethic- the man shows up three hours before every game and takes his pregame shots from all over the court. His body, even at age 34 (35 on July 20th), is still in possibly the best shape of his life. He prides himself on being the best conditioned body on the court at all times, and that is something that you can expect to see until he retires (and maybe after that too- he plans on running the Boston Marathon after he retires).
Sure, he's up there in years, but jump shooters don't forget their stroke with age. Remember Reggie Miller? At age 38 Miller played 80 games and shot 40-percent from three-point territory. At age 39 Miller was still playing roughly 32 minutes a game, averaging about 15 points while reaching a career high in free throw percentage that year at 93-percent.
And Allen doesn't have to even touch the ball to help the Celtics win. The respect he gets from his jump shot opens up the court and enables players like Rajon Rondo to get to the basket. As good as Tony Allen was on defense, opponents cheated off him on the offensive end and had more success closing the gap in the paint when players like Paul Pierce or Rondo drove to the lane.
Jump-shooters like Ray Allen will have their good nights and their bad nights, and we've certainly seen both from Allen. The pros certainly outweigh the cons in this situation, and it will be great to have Allen back for the next two seasons.