It may be hard to believe right now, but it won’t take long for Boston to get over the loss of Ray Allen.
Jason Terry will play a huge role in that.
While the C’s have yet to officially sign Terry (they’re trying to work a sign-and-trade with Dallas that would free up more cap space) he’s going to be on the roster one way or the other. Terry’s been arguably the best sixth man in the NBA over the last five seasons and that doesn’t look to change once he arrives in Boston.
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle knows better than anybody how vital Terry can be to the C’s success.
“He’s a great all-around player,” Carlisle said to Metro Boston in Las Vegas. “He’s a great crunch time player. He’s been one of the better fourth quarter scorers in the league in recent years. He’s one of the best game closers.
“The Celtics are getting a diversely talented and skilled veteran player that’s got a lot left in the tank.”
He’s more than two years younger than Allen, has been a more polished NBA player over the last five years than Allen has, and he’s been virtually injury free for his entire 13-year career.
And according to Carlisle, Terry’s influence off the court is just as strong.
“He’s great in the community,” Carlisle said. “He’s a great family guy. He’ll be coaching his daughter’s AAU teams up there. He’ll be involved. He’s just a guy that stands for the right things and is about the right things. Boston has gotten themselves a terrific player and a terrific person.”
The Mavericks focused much of their offseason attention towards Deron Williams. When the deal fell through, it was clear the team was going in a different direction than what Terry was interested in. He wanted a multi-year deal; Dallas wasn’t willing to fill more cap space.
“It’s always hard to see great players and great friends leave, but it’s a business of dynamic change and you’ve got to adjust,” Carlisle said.
That “dynamic change” can only be good for the Celtics.
Summer Celts
The Celtics began play in the Vegas summer league yesterday against the Hawks.
The Hawks jumped out to a lead early in the first quarter, but the summer C’s snapped out of it and turned things on later that quarter. They took a 23-16 lead into the second quarter and never looked back, beating Atlanta, 87-69.
Jared Sullinger scored 14 points and Celtics hopeful Dionte Christmas finished with 11 points.
“We came out a little sluggish, but at the end we played Boston Celtics basketball and won the game,” Christmas said.
