Yardbarker: Tony Allen

Celtics Look to Keep Winless Nets Winless

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:36:00 -0500

Boston Celtics (6-1) at New Jersey Nets (0-6) Saturday, November 7 7:30 PM ET Game #8 Away Game #4 TV: CSN HD, YES HD, LP 751, 752 Izod Center Referees: Mark Wunderlich, Joe Forte, Eli Roe The Nets are traditional rivals of the Celtics as we think back to the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals where the Nets defeated the Celtics in a hotly contested 6 game series. The Nets have fallen on hard times and this season are just marking time until th...

Celtics Put Unbeaten Record On the Line Against the Suns

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0500

at Phoenix Suns (4-1) at Boston Celtics (6-0) Friday, November 6 7:30 PM ET Game #7 Home Game #4 TV: CSN HD, My45 HD, LP 757 TD Garden Referees: Bill Spooner, James Capers, Scott Wall Both teams are coming in with one day rest. The Celtics are coming off a sub-par game and 2 point win over the Timberwolves. The Suns are coming in off of their first loss, a 22 point blowout loss to the Magic. The Suns are a high scoring team, averaging 111 points per game. However, like anot...

Celtics Take on Division Rival Looking to Go Up 5-0

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:27:00 -0500

Boston Celtics (4-0) at Philadelphia 76ers (2-1) Tuesday, November 3 7:00 PM ET Game #5 Road Game #2 TV: CSN, CSN HD, LP 755 Wachovia Center The Celtics visit the Sixers looking for their 5th straight victory, and their 2nd on the road. The Sixers are looking for their 3rd straight. The Sixers are scoring in bunches early in the season but they are averaging 115 points per game but they are also giving up 111. If you give the Celtics 111 points, ...

Celtics Look for 4th Straight Win as Hornets Visit Garden

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:15:00 -0500

at New Orleans Hornets (1-1) at Boston Celtics (3-0) Sunday, November 1 6:00 PM ET Game #4 Home Game #3 TV: NBA TV, CSN HD, CST TD Garden ProbableStarters Coach: Doc Rivers Average Age: 27.8 Average Height: 6-6 Average Weight: 224 PG Rajon Rondo 6.7 PPG 12.3 APG 2.3 SPG SG Ray Allen 18 PPG 2.3 APG .471 3P% SF Paul Pierce 20 PPG 7.3 RPG 3 APG PF Kevin Garnett 13 PPG 7 RPG 2BPG C Kendrick Perkins 9 PPG 4 RPG 2.7 BPG Reserves Rasheed W...

Random Thoughts on Opening Night

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:20:00 -0500

Just a few thoughts from the Celtics opening night win over the Cavs. The Celtics finally shook the monkey off their back and won in Cleveland for the first time since December of 2004. Counting the preseason, the Celtics are 2-0 against the Cavs this season. There were no antics on the Cavs bench during this game like there were the last time the Celtics played them last season. But I bet the Celts still remember every dance, laugh and slight from that game. It showed tonight. The ...

Ray Has Finally Stopped Bleeding

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:17:40 -0500

All signs point to Ray Allen playing Tuesday night, despite the 7-stitches needed to close a cut over his left eye, courtesy of a Kendrick Perkins elbow. Ray was back at practice Sunday and according to the Herald, he didn't have a concussion exam.

“Last night was one of the best nights of sleep I’ve had in a long time,” Allen said. “The swelling has actually gone down a lot. I started feeling it in the hip, because when he hit me, I went down on my hip.”

As for the other injured players, Brian Scalabrine (ankle) and Tony Allen (ankle surgery) did not practice yesterday. Glen Davis may have missed the last exhibition game with back spasms, but had no problem running yesterday.

If Ray's eye didn't collide with Perk's elbow, there'd be zero Celtics news today. The Herald and Globe are rehashing old storylines in order to bolster their Celtics coverage today.

Other Links: Herald - Fit Ray Allen To Give Foes Fits | Rasheed Wallace a Perfect Fit | Cavs/Celtics Scouting Report | Globe - Hudson Hopes to Make a Point |

A Couple Random Thoughts on Game Day

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:05:00 -0500

Today's game is going to be interesting with Doc saying he is going to start Marquis Daniels along with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. It should give us an idea as to whether the Quisy at the point experiment can work. Calderon is a good point guard and will not make it easy for Quisy. (Easy for Quisy... I kind of like that.) I've liked what I have seen from Lester Hudson at the point. He is like the anti Gabe. Pruitt, from most reports was let go because he just wasn't aggr...

Giddens is Getting Noticed

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:00:55 -0500

Since the night he was drafted, there hasn't been a reason for the media to speak with J.R. Giddens. Until now. The second year swingman opened a lot of eyes with his hustle play (13 rebounds) in Tuesday night's game against New Jersey:

“I know I have to defer offensively and play well defensively,” he said. “I’ll have to keep making plays for other people to stay out there. If you want to play, it’s really not that hard.”

“J.R. was unbelievable with his energy. He’s definitely made a difference with his rebounding. And that’s part of his role on this team,” said Doc Rivers.

If Giddens continues to play this hard in the preseason, he has a chance to steal Tony Allen's minutes. But outside of garbage time, you're talking 3-5 minutes per game.

I'm going to the Celtics open practice tonight in Lowell with video camera in hand. You can expect lots of clips from the session.

Links: Herald - Celtics Starts Giddens It | Giddens Resets His Sights

Tony Allen: Back too soon?

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:12:32 -0500

It's the obvious question after the Celtics latest tweet.

TA didn't practice and is not expected to travel to New Jersey and Hartford for next two games.

Here comes the barrage of "who gives a crap?" comments. But we do have a vested interest in him being healthy and contributing. Either he'll help the team with his play (stop laughing)... or he'll get SOME level of trade value. Right now there's almost none. He's just a $2.5 million line in the spreadsheet.

Maybe it won't matter. Maybe you could throw him and Scal as expiring deals into a trade and take back $6 million worth of decent player at longer years (would Sacramento part with Beno Udrih?). But a healthy TA gives us at least a chance at sneaking a junk ball past another GM.

Player Profiles: Tony Allen #42

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:37:00 -0500

Anthony (Tony) Allen was born on January 11, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois. Another player raised in a single parent home, Tony was raised by his mother Ella Allen. He has two sisters, Ebony and Dominique, and a brother, Ryan. In his spare time, Tony enjoys listening to music, and is considered somewhat of a music "connoisseur" by his Celtic teammates. He also frequently assists the Celtics in charity work in and around the Boston area. Allen attended Crane High School in Chicago, wher...

16 minutes tonight for KG, 0 for Tony Allen

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:09:18 -0500

Greg Dickerson has the scoop.

HIDALGO, TX- Boston Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers just said at shoot around that Kevin Garnett will play in tonight's preseason opener against the Houston Rockets (coverage begins at 8:00pm on Comcast SportsNet). Garnett, recovering from knee surgery, will play the first 8 minutes of each half as he works himself back.

In other related injury news, guard Tony Allen will not play tonight as his ankle has been bothering him. Allen had offseason surgery

Makes sense. Happy to see KG only get the time after he warms up. I don't give a damn right now about TA's minutes.

Video proof of KG on a basketball court

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:10:16 -0500

Celtics.com put out this video which includes sound from Doc, KG and Tony Allen at today's practice. It also includes some video of KG taking jumpers. KG also shared some encouraging news about how he's moving on the court.

"I'm most excited [about] defense. I'm able to move laterally; recover when a guy makes a strong move. I can respond and react to that."

I tossed Shelden Williams a question about camp on Twitter... and he responded simply by saying that camp is going well, and they're focusing a lot on defense.

Tony Allen Questionable for Pre-season

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:33:20 -0500

Via Greg Dickerson of CSNNE.com:

Allen, entering his 6th season with Boston, was out of commission for 13 weeks this summer with a torn tendon in his ankle. His status for the preseason is questionable. Allen only appeared in 42 games for the Celtics in the 2008/09 season.

Tony Allen missed 13 weeks this summer with a torn tendon? Raise your hand if you knew about this.

And according to the Globe's Gary Dzen, Doc Rivers says there will be "No restrictions on any player," including Garnett.

More to come....

Player Projections: Ray Allen

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:42:22 -0500

Ray Allen

Last Year's Stats: 36.4 mpg, 18.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.9 spg, fg% 48 (40.9% 3pt), FT% 95.2

Projected Stats:

John: 32.1 mpg, 17.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 0.8 spg, fg% 49 (41.5% 3pt), FT% 95
Chuck: 34 mpg, 18.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.0 spg, fg% 49 (41.1% 3 FG), FT% 95.3

What will help him the most?

John: A stronger bench. Ray won't need to be log young-guy minutes anymore. He's 54th All-Time in minutes played, so at some point, he'll need the minutes dialed back. That point is now, and Ray will respond by nearly matching most of his stats while playing less. Then, when the playoffs roll around, he'll have more gas to play the bigger minutes.

Chuck: His contract status. Ray is an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season, and it's been scientifically proven that guys play better when cash is on the line. That's why I projected tiny improvements in every statistical category.

What will hurt him the most?

John: Age. Ray could be a guy who plays until he's 40, but even if he does, he won't be "Ray Allen" the whole time. Look at Ray like a classic car. Sometimes, no matter how well it's maintained, something is going to go wrong. Now... that meticulous conditioning could mean the problems are minor, but they will be problems nonetheless. Will this be the year we really start to see those problems?

Chuck: Even though I don't think it will be a major factor, I have to go with age. At some point, Father Time catches up to us all. But like John stated above, Ray has been working his ass off this off-season. I don't expect to see a major drop in his scoring/shooting percentages but nagging injuries could force him to miss a few more games.

Will he be an All Star?

John: No, not this year. I think he'll have good numbers and he'll be in the discussion of reserves... but I think this year it goes to someone else unless a couple of guys back out because of injuries.

Chuck: No. The Celtics have too many stars on this team, and Ray is not a guy to demand the ball and/or attention.

Burning Question: How much longer can Ray keep this up?

John: I think Ray can keep playing for another few years. The guy is a workout freak. And he's meticulous about every detail about his life. He'll keep playing at a high level for a while. But over the next couple of years, we'll probably start to see a little bit more of a decline. Maybe a little more spotting up than we're used to. Maybe a couple fewer drives to the hole. At some point, even Ray's body will say "enough is enough."

Chuck: He's got a few more years as a starter, and then a few more as a quality reserve. If Reggie Miller can play until he's nearly 40, there's no reason to thank Ray Allen can't do the same.

Previous Player Projections: Tony Allen | Brian Scalabrine | Rajon Rondo

What will the Celtics do with Tony Allen?

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:28:58 -0500

The offseason is starting to wind down. We know Big Baby is about to sign. We know Marquis Daniels is about to sign. And we know that much of what the Celtics have been doing this offseason included an effort to trade Tony Allen.

That hasn't gone so well. Now the Celtics have a decision to make. Buy him out, or try to get one more season out of him.

I know... I know... 90% of you just started to look for the comments link to start trashing Tony and saying we should get rid of him. And they could. They could try to give him a million dollars or so now and say good riddance. But that doesn't just get him off the books. There's a percentage of the difference between what he WAS going to get paid.... and what the buyout number is... that still counts against the cap. Since Tony is making $2.5 million, all the numbers we're talking about here are so close... that it won't make a ton of financial difference if the team cuts him or keeps him.

The Davis and Daniels signings will put them about $15 million over the luxury tax threshold. If the team is going to be paying about that amount regardless... why would they cut Tony Allen? Why would Wyc Grousbeck agree to pay millions of dollars for a player that isn't even around... especially when he's physically capable of not only playing... but playing well.

Yes, I chose the qualifying term "physically" there for a reason. No one really knows what an offseason of being shopped is going to for Tony's fragile psyche. BUT... no one really knows what a contract year is going to do for his playing ability, either.

The writing is on the wall for Tony Allen. The Celtics don't really want him on the team. But they might not have a choice but to keep him. The thing is, we've seen him be great (and we've seen him do some mind-blowingly stupid things). Despite all of the horrible turnovers and boneheaded decisions, we've seen the potential in Tony Allen to do great things. Maybe that's why the outcry is a passionate one. We're pissed that our potential prodigy hasn't lived up to his... well... potential. But he's still a young guy (he'll be 28 in January) who can earn himself one more good contract with a good year under his belt.

Tony Allen is the most frustrating player we've seen in this town for a long time. And while we don't know what he's going to bring this year, I can guarantee you this: He'll frustrate the hell out of us one more time. He's either going to be the same hot-and-cold, turnover-prone head case that we all want out of town. Or he's going to dazzle us with sick dunks, lock-down D, and 20-points-off-the-bench jaw droppers that will lead to "WHY COULDN'T HE DO THAT ALL THE TIME" comments for about 9 months.

The C's apparently haven't been able to make a move to get him out of here, so now they actually have a choice to make. Suck it up, pay the money and get him out of here... or roll the dice on his talent and potential in a contract year.