Ray Allen is 40-years-old. He hasn’t played high-level basketball in well over a year, and was a shell of his Hall-of-Fame self when last suiting up for the Miami Heat during the 2013-2014 season. Those humbling realities, however, won’t stop fans of the league’s marquee teams from clamoring for his abrupt return to the court.
And while Allen seems almost fully content in his post-playing life, he still refuses to shut the door on a comeback. Courtesy of the Hartford Courant’s Don Amore:
“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 situationally, 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.”
That doesn’t exactly seem like a guy itching to play, right? And while Allen’s playing limbo is no doubt frustrating for ardent league followers, his reasoning is sound, too. If he isn’t absolutely positive that he’s played his last NBA game, it makes sense to keep all options open.
Plus, it’s not like Allen has completely lost his zeal for competition, either.
“I didn’t miss [playing],” 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 thatI felt like, ‘Man, I should have been out there.’”
The Cleveland Cavaliers were rumored as favorites to land Allen even before 2014-2015 tipped-off, and reportedly remained his most realistic destination as the season continued. But a host of other teams with title aspirations – including the champion Golden State Warriors – eventually emerged as suitors for his sharp-shooting services, too.
Is there a chance Allen ultimately decides to make one last run at another Larry O’Brien trophy? Sure. He’s the rare basic retiree teams would feel comfortable bringing in midseason, and surely still has more than a few long-range bombs left in that picture-perfect shooting stroke.
Needless to say, however, don’t count on his return. Allen left fans wanting all of last season, and still seems more likely to do the same for the coming one than anything else.
[Via Hartford Courant] [h/t NBA.com]
