SQ #3--Tony In the Rearview Mirror

Summer Quandaries #3
Aug 3—58 Days to camp

Tony In the Rearview Mirror

Tony Allen: “I was overshadowed”

Well duh! If by that you mean that your brain farts, ball-handling misadventures, brick laying outside of 10 feet, untimely bites on fakes in crunch time, and mental lapses losing sight of your man when you were supposed to be the stopper—no, you weren’t in the shadow at all, you stood out glaringly. If you mean that your good athlete, marginal skills fared poorly when compared to your All-Star wingmen teammates, then, yes, you were indeed overshadowed.

While we are on the subject of feeling overshadowed, as a complaint this whine hardly reverberates with Ubuntu which not only calls for the stars to fit their egos and games within the team effort but for the role players to embrace their part rather than lusting for individual glory. I’m sorry Tony but I don’t think you’re going to have much luck being a bigger fish in a smaller pond in Memphis. The pond might be smaller but your pedestrian talents will be no more impressive playing behind O. J. Mayo and Rudy Gay and you might find yourself fighting for minutes with Sam Young just like you did with Marquis Daniels.


I got to thinking about it and in six years with the Celtics, Tony Allen’s only noticeable improvement was learn that if he didn’t stop trying to do more than he was capable of, Doc would sit him down on the bench. The really good ones come back from each off season with a new club in their bag. Admittedly I was never a proponent, but every time Tony had a good stretch, I kept thinking—trade him while he is on a roll. After Tony chose Memphis I feel certain Ainge tried to flip him for Ronnie Brewer.