Ray Allen comeback rumors haven’t popped up in a while, and now that he doesn’t have to answer questions about whether he’ll return to the NBA, the future hall of famer has decided to write a book. From the Outside: My Journey Through Life and the Game I Love is slated to be released in March of 2018, and it will reportedly feature “a no-holds-barred look at his life and career, filled with behind-the-scenes stories and surprising revelations about the game he has always cherished.”
While Allen had a lengthy career, its final chapter was written as a member of the Miami Heat from 2012-14. He won a ring with the team and hit maybe the biggest shot of the decade, but as it turns out, things weren’t so great in Miami.
Allen sat down with Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated and held nothing back when talking about his final year with the Heat. Namely, Allen thought the organization didn’t adjust to the fact that it was an old team that didn’t need to practice all the time.
“Organizationally, I don’t think they ever adjusted,” Allen said. “Most of the guys, having gone to so many Finals, me being an older player, having played a lot of basketball the last five, six years, organizationally and coaching wise they didn’t adjust. We had the oldest team in the NBA, and on top of that, we had such a bad schedule. Every holiday we were away from home. Every situation we were in we were fighting to just stay above board, trying to figure out how to sleep or rest our bodies. We wore down, we were tired, and we were definitely tired at the end. We still were good, and we still made it to the Finals.”
Allen also claimed Miami “didn’t learn how to manage our bodies better” and pointed to a number of physically intensive things — like appearances, practices, and shootarounds — that have a toll on the body.
“When your players have played in June the last three or four years, by this time you have to figure out how get people off their feet,” Allen said.
This was in response to a claim that Dwyane Wade made last week when he said the final year of the Big Three was like a “bad marriage.” While Wade said this happened because everyone just spent so much time together, Allen seems to think it was a matter of everyone being worn down. Both of them are probably correct to various extents, but while being physically ready is important, the thought of making a team of guys that had been around each other for years go through intense practices is eyebrow raising.
(Via Sports Illustrated)
