There was a ton of outrage when Ray Allen decided to leave Boston and take his talents down to Miami. He was called a traitor and “Benedict Allen” amongst other things. Allen had lost his starting spot to Avery Bradley and felt the Celtics had lost respect for him as they focused on Kevin Garnett’s contract rather than his own. Despite whatever his reason may have been, Celtics fans were not happy and neither were his former teammates. Garnett even infamously said he had lost Allen’s number.
Now fast forward to present day and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are now apart of the Brooklyn Nets, not just a conference rival but also a division rival of the Boston Celtics. With the Heat set to face the Nets tonight in a preseason matchup, Lebron James and Dwyane Wade were asked their thoughts on the situation and he called out Garnett and Pierce on their hypocrisy.
“I think the first thing I thought was, ‘Wow, Ray got killed for leaving Boston and now these guys are leaving Boston,’” James said.
“I think it’s OK; I didn’t mind it. But there were a couple guys who basically [expletive] on Ray for leaving, and now they’re leaving. That’s the nature of our business, man. I don’t know what Boston was going through at the end of the day. I know Ray had to make the best decision for him and his family and his career. Doc, KG and Paul did that as well. You can’t criticize someone who does something that’s best for their family….
“We all know the world, how it works,” Wade said. “The biggest thing is Ray is happy [in Miami]. If they’re happy in Brooklyn, then let them be happy. People say things about people when they do something when they themselves would do the same thing. It’s about putting yourself in the best situation, and at the end of the day we all do that. You can’t really say anything about someone that does it for themselves.”
Of course the situations are completely different. Ray Allen went to the Miami Heat as a free agent, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Paul Pierce was reportedly extremely upset about the situation and was intent on retiring a Boston Celtic. Kevin Garnett had a no trade clause that he decided to waive although he said he wanted to retire a Celtic as well. Then there’s the status of the teams. The Celtics were still viable contenders when Allen left; when Pierce and Garnett were traded the Celtics were entering rebuilding mode.
Regardless of the various situations at the end of the day one thing we must all remember is that this is a business. Regardless of our fan allegiances, players and owners have to do what’s best them.
– Shaina Auxilly (@Shay_Marie)
