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Who will Jesus Shuttlesworth come to save?

Could Ray Allen's relationship with LeBron from their days in Miami take Jesus to Cleveland? (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
Roar Guru
2nd January, 2015
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It is yet to be determined whether or not Ray Allen will return to the NBA at all, with reports suggesting the 19-year veteran is considering retirement.

However, if Allen does decide to return, whichever team he joins could completely change the face of the championship race.

It’s certain that if Allen does return, it will only be with a title contender. With that in mind, let’s investigate some of the best fits for Allen around the league.

Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls do not lack three-point shooting, but one area in which in which they can improve is bench scoring, which Allen has shown, during his Miami tenure, is a role he can fill without problems. Chicago also adds to Chicago championship pedigree, which is an area in which they are lacking, as well as another late-game shooting weapon.

He spaces the floor for guys like Derrick Rose as well as Pau Gasol, and he can also serve as a mentor for young Doug McDermott, who is so far struggling to find his way in the NBA world.

Cleveland Cavaliers
Before the season, Cleveland were tipped as heavy favourites to land Allen due to his partnership with LeBron James in Miami. A few months on, and the 10-time all-star looks like he would be more than just a ‘luxury’ on an under-performing Cavs team.

They rank right near the bottom of the league in bench points, and lack the cohesion and experience required to be a consistent night-in, night-out threat rather than just a lottery. Allen can provide the kind of veteran edge and bench scoring threat required to get Cleveland heading in the right direction.

Houston Rockets
For as good as the Houston Rockets have been this season, they rank dead last in the NBA in bench scoring. They don’t have a bad bench, and it will be bolstered when Terrence Jones returns, but another experienced piece alongside Jason Terry such as Allen would be a huge push in the right direction for the hugely impressive Rockets.

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Playing Allen alongside MVP hopeful James Harden would also create a perimeter problem like none other in the league.

Golden State Warriors
Pairing all-time three-point leader Ray Allen with the perennially hot Stephen Curry and young upstart Klay Thompson would create a three-headed, three-point monster that would just be unfair to try and defend.

Obviously Allen would be coming off the bench, but it is likely we would see a Curry-Thompson-Allen line-up a fair bit on the court, and when we do, the rest of the NBA will have little to do than sit back and hope for misses.

Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have not lived up to the expectations placed on them from the start of the season, and pressure is being placed upon the team to make a move to fill a gaping hole at small forward. While he would have to be on fixed minutes, Ray Allen does solve this wing problem the Clippers have.

Allen has also of course worked with coach Doc Rivers before, and would provide quality veteran leadership for a fairly young Clippers core.

Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies have never been a three-point shooting team. However, they have taped over the cracks in the off-season with the addition of Vince Carter. Now, the Grizzlies need to address the problem of their bottom-10 ranked bench by adding Ray Allen.

While three-point shooting is no longer a huge issue for Memphis, they could skyrocket their three-point percentage also by adding Allen, and add further depth in a cutthroat Western Conference.

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Portland Trail Blazers
Portland head coach Terry Stotts has proved during his tenure with the team that he is not overly confident in his bench. He could quite quickly become a lot more confident in it by adding a two time NBA champion to it.

In a conference in which every single playoff game is vital, Allen adds 19 seasons of experience, which would prove vital down the stretch of close-fought games, and in the end, could be the difference between a series win and loss. We have seen such in the past.

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