They are only 48 hours apart, but July 1, not June 28, is the real D-Day for the Celtics. We face the possibility that two of the linchpins of the past five years, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, will not be back. Hard as it might be to envision a Celtics team without either one, Ainge said recently that he can’t afford to be remotely sentimental in dealing with either player, both of whom will be free agents.
“I feel like I’m over the sentimental for two reasons,” he said. “First, as an organization, we have given these guys everything we’ve had to try and give them opportunities for success. I feel the players have given us everything they had. They don’t owe us anything. And we don’t owe them anything. It’s just business.”
He then acknowledged that it nonetheless would be hard to part ways because the two have been so important to the team’s culture and its leadership, and “still have great value to a franchise with what they provide on the court.”
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Garnett has promised the Ce
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June 30, 2012
