Rumors have been swirling on social media all day that Ray Allen will become the latest member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, though nothing has become official yet.
Think a lot of us expect Ray Allen to wind up in Cleveland but early word this AM is that talk of a commitment or signing TODAY is premature
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 7, 2014
This would not come as a big surprise. Allen has been reported as being torn between returning to the NBA and joining the Cavs and former teammate LeBron James or retiring.
If he were to join Cleveland, he would join Mike Miller and James Jones as the shooters on the roster, although he'd almost certainly get the most minutes of those three in the rotation. Allen would be relied on to be the sixth man, coming off the bench and filling in for starting shooting guard Dion Waiters, though he could see starter minutes for some stretches if injury-riddled point guard Kyrie Irving has to miss any amount of time during the season.
But perhaps where Allen would have the most impact would be in mentoring the young backcourt, particularly Waiters. Waiters is one of the most talented young shooting guards in the league with his scoring ability, but has been inconsistent everywhere else - including off the court.
Now, Waiters has never gotten into any legal trouble, but he was at the core of most of Cleveland's issues last year, including his supposed "beef" with Irving. The Cavs front office thought he was childish and lacked maturity, even putting him on the trade block.
With the help of someone who's been as good as Allen has been in his career while being a true professional, Waiters might be able to harness all of that talent and stop being a distraction and nuisance to his team - which would make the Cavaliers even more deadly.
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