Friday evening, veteran shooting guard and future Hall of Famer Ray Allen surprised all of New England by reportedly choosing to sign with the Miami Heat, the team that knocked his now-former employer the Boston Celtics out of this past season's playoffs. Allen took less money to sign with Miami, and it seems a big reason for jumping ship might have been a strained relationship with mercurial Boston point guard Rajon Rondo.
Via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:
Those were some of the conflicts that Allen had with Rondo, but the stubbornness of the point guard worked to exasperate everything. Rondo and Allen were non-confrontational, but much of the behind-the-back sniping to teammates and those around the team took a toll. So much of it was sandbox stuff, the kind of grating, ultimately petty issues that occur in every locker room, every workplace. Rondo didn't chase Allen out of Boston, but their relationship did become a drain in the locker room. Their cold war was something Allen discussed with associates, something that become a concern of management and the coaching staff.
Wojnarowski also mentions in the piece Allen's annoyance and continued frustration with Danny Ainge dangling Allen in trades, and coach Doc River's reluctance to return Allen to the starting lineup at the end of the season as other reasons the veteran sharpshooter went to Miami, but it seems the biggest unresolved conflict was between Rondo and Allen. And now Allen will be donning a Miami Heat jersey next season. He might also want to buy some ear plugs for his first visit to TD Garden next year.
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