For the Celtics, Replacing Ray Allen may be easier than you think

By: Dan Stern

And then there were three.

This is a sickening sight for C's fans, but Boston may be better off without Allen. (Steve Mitchell/US Presswire)

The Boston Celtics lost a key member of their “Big Four” this offseason in Ray Allen, who bolted to the archrival Miami Heat.

This is the first time Allen, and the three other members of the “Big Four”, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, have been split up since 2007, the year they became NBA champions.

With Pierce and Garnett running on old knees and not getting any younger, the question now becomes: can the Celtics make one last title run before those two follow Ray Allen out the door?

With Allen’s departure came the acquisition of veteran guard Jason Terry and the explosive Courtney Lee. These two will most likely battle with the revitalized Avery Bradley to replace Allen in the lineup at shooting guard. The Celtics depth at guard is automatically upgraded, with Terry and Bradley able to fill in at either the one or two positions.

Terry also has extensive postseason experience, which will bode well for the Celtics when they inevitably face King James and Allen in the playoffs. It wont be easy, however, for the veteran guards to fill the void left by the deadliest three point shooter in NBA history.

Allen averaged 14 points per game last year, and hit 45% of his three pointers, which is the best percentage of his career.  That doesn’t include his postseason average of 18.2 points per game, or his career Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 19.  Those numbers, along with his calming presence and clutch field goals, will not easily be replaced.

Despite losing the big numbers and high pressure shots Ray Allen put up in his five years in Boston, GM Danny Ainge did a fantastic job assembling a duo capable of putting up big numbers of their own. With the Mavericks last season, Jason Terry averaged 15.1 points per game, 3.6 assists, and a 43% field goal percentage.

He has also been extremely productive in the playoffs, putting up an average of 16.9 points per game the past eight seasons, including scoring 17.5 points per game in during the Mavericks championship run in the 2010-2011 season.  Terry’s career PER of 17.5 does not quite rival Allen’s, but if he continues his trend of phenomenal playoff performances, he could propel the aging Celtics deep into the playoffs.

Jason Terry could prove to be an upgrade over the aging Allen. (J. Pat Carter/AP)

Courtney Lee’s per game production does not compare to either Allen’s or Terry’s, but he’s a young, athletic player, and he can eat up minutes and provide lock-down defense while the 37 year-old Terry, and 35 year old Pierce reenergize on the sideline.  As a bonus, his scoring is extremely efficient; Lee averages 13.2 points per 36 minutes.

He can provide a spark as a secondary option for the Celtics offense, and has the potential to become a serious scoring threat with the elders serving as mentors.  With Lee paired up with Rajon Rondo, who is quickly becoming the most electrifying point guard in the game, the Celtics could boast one of the strongest and most athletic backcourts in the NBA.

While the Big Four is officially split up for good, the Celtics are actually in better position to make one last title run in the Pierce-Garnett era.  Along with the acquisitions of Terry and Lee, the Celtics also bring back forward Jeff Green, who missed all of last season with a heart condition.

The 26-year old should provide solid minutes off the bench, filling in for Pierce and power forward Brandon Bass.  Green has averaged a respectable 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

With the center position in the NBA quickly becoming obsolete, having an athletic wing player like Green will drastically improve the Celtics the roster. Ainge also drafted  big men Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger.  With all of the new faces, Boston has all of the pieces in place to make a run at an NBA Championship.

Who needs Ray Allen anyway?

2 Comments

1. Pingback: For the Celtics, Replacing Ray Allen may be easier than you think | JockSpin.com Sports News and Opinion Aggregator and Publisher