The NBA free agent rumors surrounding Ray Allen have the former Miami Heat star joining his past teammate LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but media reports and Allen's reps have said that no deal has yet been completed and that Allen is still deciding on his future and this comes as LeBron James is hoping to convince Allen to sign with the Cavs.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Allen was rumored to be signing with the Cavaliers and that came after weeks of speculation about whether he would sign with a team this season. The Bulls and Cavaliers appeared to be the front runners after the Spurs, Clippers and Heat showed interested and now it looks like the Cavs are the only options. Allen's reps said that he has not signed any contract yet and that he has not decided about playing this season, although he has not decided to retire either.
Allen comes into the season after playing in over 25 minutes per game with the Heat and averaging nearly 10 points per contest. No matter where he signs. Allen likely will play less than that, but that doesn't make him any less valuable. Allen is as good of a three point shooter in the league as anyone and while he is not the player he was with the Celtics or even the Heat, he could be a key player for a team like the Cavs.
The Cavaliers have signed a number of veterans to join their young players, including Shawn Marion, James Jones and Mike Miller. James said it would take time to turn the team around despite also having Kyrie Irving, but adding veterans like Allen could speed up that process. Allen comes into things as an old man, but he has tons of experience and with players like Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters still p[layoff virgins, just having that experience on the team could be a major plus.
The east is going to be much tougher than last season and the Cavaliers will have their work cut out for them even in their own division. The team will have to deal with the Chicago Bulls and also the Indiana Pacers, who still should be solid even without Paul George in the lineup. The east also has the Miami Heat, Wizards, Knicks, Raptors and Nets as solid teams and the Atlanta Hawks also could be in the mix. While all those teams are not up to snuff with the Cavs, it should make the east playoffs a bit tougher than they were last season for James and Miami.
