Danny Ainge Doesn't Hold A Grudge Against Ray Allen For Leaving Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) -- Much like Ray Allen, Danny Ainge has not received an invite to the 2007-08 Celtics reunion party.
He's not too surprised that he won't be at that bash, but the man who constructed that title team is still disappointed that Allen is getting snubbed by his former teammates.
"I was surprised," Ainge said during his weekly interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich on Thursday. "Ray was such a big part of that, it would defeat the purpose. He was a huge, huge part of that championship run."
The snub stems from Allen leaving the Celtics in 2012 to join their biggest rival at the time, the Miami Heat, and he even took less money to do so. While Allen's former teammates still hold that decision against him, Ainge does not, and never did.
"It's a business and I think there were a lot of contributing factors. I don't hold that against Ray," he said, unwilling to go into the many different factors.
Ainge said he's had a few conversations with Allen since he departed, but he's never asked why he chose Miami.
"I think I know; I lived that with him and went through that," Ainge said. "I think there were a lot of contributing factors and not just one thing. It was a difficult decision for Ray and I wish he hadn't done it. But he did. ... I'm a fan of Ray and grateful for what he brought to the Boston Celtics. He's a great guy."
