Toucher & Rich: Gary Washburn On Ray Allen's Situation
BOSTON (CBS) -Toucher and Rich are on vacation this week, so Johnston and Flynn are filling in for all the Fourth Of July week fun.
Over the weekend, the Boston Celtics locked up Kevin Garnett for three more years, and are looking to do the same with Ray Allen. The team is reportedly set to offer him a two-year, $12 million deal -- more than any other team can send Allen's way.
But Allen is not without other suitors, with the Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns among the teams vying for his services.
The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn joined Johnston and Flynn to break down the Celtics' offer, and whether Ray would return given his likely change of rolls with the team.
"I think he wants to be certain of his role; whether it's off the bench [or as a starter]. He wants minutes and he wants to finish games," Washburn said of Allen. "I think that's something that is important to him. I don't think he would start in Miami. Phoenix is a place I'm sure he'd get plenty of playing time, but the Suns aren't close to winning a championship… He has to determine what is more important to him, and I don't think money is the main motivation and factor for him."
Read: Doc Confident Ray and Jeff Green Will Return
While the Celtics can give Allen the most money, the veteran guard has said he will take his time deciding where he'll end up. That means the Celtics likely won't hear from Allen anytime soon if he is re-upping with the team he's spent that past five seasons with.
"I'm not surprised he hasn't taken the deal right away… I think he's thinking about 'could it be time for a change.' I think the Celtics want him back, but it's not going to be in the same role as before. He has to understand that. The question is does Ray Allen think he is a 30-minute a game guy and a primary player, and if he does and the Celtics don't agree with that, then obviously that is something he has to think about."
If Allen is willing to come off the bench for Boston, would he make a good sixth man? Would there be enough talent in the Celtics' second-unit to get him his shots?
"I don't think he's a Vinnie Johnson type of guy (who was the sixth man for the 1989 and 1990 Championship Piston teams) where he can score 10-straight points off the bench; a guy that can just light it up," said Washburn. "He's a long-range shooter that can spread the floor, so you can use him in different situations. But I do think, at this point -- especially defensively -- coming off the bench is the best thing for him."
Will Jeff Green and Brandon Bass be back with the Celtics next season? And what is going on with the Dwight Howard drama? Gary Washburn breaks it all down with Johnston and Flynn!
