After ten All-Star appearances, two All-NBA selections, two championships, setting the all-time record for career three-pointers made, and hitting probably the clutchest shot in the history of the Association, nobody would blame Ray Allen if he decided to hang up his sneakers. But the 40-year-old sharpshooter isn’t quite ready to do so just yet.
In an interview with the Hartford Courant that was published on Monday, Allen left the door open for a return to the court if the right situation came along.
“I haven’t said anything about that and I won’t officially retire,” Allen said Saturday during a break in his basketball camp for kids at East Granby High. “Because if something came to the table, contractually and situational-ly, I want to be able to take a strong look at it. I don’t want to be that guy that says he’s retiring and then is coming back….
“I didn’t miss it,” he said. “I realized how much time I missed not being home with my kids. I probably missed it in the Finals. Watching Cleveland and Golden State play, it just seemed like an epic battle that required a lot of precision on the floor and that’s when I felt, that was probably the only time that I felt like, ‘Man, I should have been out there.’”
Allen, a career 40 percent shooter from deep, sat out the entire 2014-15 season, despite much speculation that he would latch on with a contender like the Cavaliers late in the year. He last played for the Miami Heat in 2013-14, averaging 9.6 points per game on 44/37/90 shooting splits.
The former UConn great sounds like he still has a hankering to play at least one more season. And with the way that three-point marksmen have become arguably the hottest commodity in the game, any number of Larry O’Brien hopefuls will be ringing Allen’s line should he decide to come back.
It seems logical though that Allen would only want to return to play for a legitimate contender. And even so, it’s unlikely he would want to go through the slog of training camp, team chemistry-building, and excessive regular season minutiae early in the season. If an Allen comeback were to happen, we probably wouldn’t see it until the ten-day contract bonanza begins in January and February.
There’s always the possibility too that Allen changes his mind and realizes how happy he is with the career he has played and the extended time he now gets to spend with his family. But the spoils of a championship run are always exceptionally alluring. With the way Allen still keeps himself supremely and methodically conditioned, he may only need a few weeks to get ready once the hardwood yearning inevitably manifests itself.
If you’re a championship aspirant looking for help late next season, all you need to do is just call on Jesus Shuttlesworth.
H/T Slam Magazine
