Chicago Bulls: Ray Allen’s Decision For 2014-15

Ray Allen has enjoyed a long career full of teams interested in acquiring the prolific sharpshooter. At 39 years old, the all-time leading 3-point man is still fielding offers from a list of NBA teams looking to add him, most recently being the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls have publicly thrown their hat in the ring in the Allen sweepstakes, hoping to draw him in with their revamped roster and their need for a wing shooter.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Washington Wizards are all in the running as well, and all make sense for different reasons.

The Cavs can persuade Allen with their current roster that Vegas already has pegged to be victorious in the 2014-15 NBA Finals. That roster also includes former teammates and friends such as LeBron James and James Jones, both of which would welcome Ray-Ray to a second unit that could still use bolstering.

New Cavs associate head coach Tyronn Lue was also a big part of the Boston Celtics’ championship run with Allen.

The only problem here is that Ray would be in line behind a young, talented Dion Waiters. He would also find himself with limited minutes alongside fellow sharpshooter Mike Miller and James Jones.

The Clippers offer probably makes about as much sense to Allen as the Cavs offer does. A Doc Rivers-led team will undoubtedly warrant at least a good hard look from Ray, who played under Rivers in Boston from 2007-12.

The Clippers will also offer Allen a spot on a seriously talented roster full of all-stars looking to run deep into the playoffs.

If Ray is looking for playing time, this offer should be towards the bottom of his list. J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford generally account for the 3-point shooting, and also control the minutes at shooting guard. C.J. Wilcox and Reggie Bullock will also see time at the position, leaving very little room for another pure 2-guard.

The Washington Wizards have shown interest in Allen as well. Yet another playoff contender, the Wizards would be reuniting Ray with former Celtics teammate Paul Pierce for one last go at the Eastern Conference title, just like the old days.

I don’t see much of an issue with this offer from Ray’s perspective. Bradley Beal, the Wizard’s young shooting guard is in the midst of breaking out of his shell and transforming into a possible perennial all-star. After Beal, the Wiz are sorely lacking at shooting guard depth.

Currently Martell Webster, primarily a small forward, is listed as the backup. Ray would provide veteran leadership, valuable minutes off the bench, and probably be given the green light to shoot as he pleases.

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That leaves us with the latest offer from the Chicago Bulls.

Chicago Bulls reporter Sam Smith points out that Ray’s offer from the Bulls would make the most sense. Up-and-coming shooting guard Jimmy Butler, a defensive stalwart, shot a dismal 28 percent from beyond the arc last season. Not a great number considering he averaged almost seven 3-point attempts per game.

Butler will probably still start at shooting guard and continue to play great defense, but Ray Allen as a complement off the bench would be exactly what Chicago needs.

D.J. Augustin, Kirk Hinrich and Mike Dunleavy handled the majority of the perimeter shooting for the Chicago Bulls last season, which means the majority of the 3-pointers came from the point guard or the small forward.

Sporting Charts provides a great example to explain the advanced metric known as “effective field goal percentage.” Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier’s career field goal percentage was 51.4 percent. Since he did all of his scoring in the paint, his effective field goal percentage was also 51.4 percent.

On the other hand, Ray Allen’s current career field goal percentage stands at 45.2 percent. Because he shoots so many 3s, his effective field goal percentage is driven up to 53 percent.

As a team last season, the Chicago Bulls finished 26th in the league in 3-pointers made, and 28th in attempts. The Bulls also finished dead last in the NBA in effective field goal percentage (47 percent). You think the top 3-point shooter of all time could help out a bit on that front?

Now with Derrick Rose back in action, the Chicago Bulls are certainly looking to add a shooter to space the floor at the 2-guard spot. Who better than Jesus Shuttlesworth himself? Tom Thibodeau should be excited about the opportunity to add a guy he has a great respect for, after working together in Boston.

A healthy D-Rose and a hungry frontcourt of Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah should propel the Chicago Bulls to a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The addition of Ray Allen would provide them with a true shooting guard to bury threes, something they currently lack.

Ray Allen could hold out on this decision for weeks or even months to come. He may sign for training camp, or he may wait to shorten the season for his 39-year-old legs. I believe he will sign on with a team that he knows he’ll secure minutes with, and at the same time has a chance to play a role for a championship contender.

If I were Ray, I would be lacing up my Jordan’s for Tom Thibodeau and the Chicago Bulls come October.