Allen to Wade: Seek happiness
Former Miami star faces decision on player option worth $23.8M.
MIAMI — Ray Allen has some advice for Dwyane Wade.
“One thing I can always say about being a free agent in any situation, you always got to go to your happiness,” Allen said Thursday morning at an event for his Ray of Hope Foundation.
Wade has a player option worth $23.8 million to return to the Chicago Bulls next season, and he must decide what he will do with that option before the July 1 start of free agency. Allen’s use of the word “happiness” could mean a lot of things when it comes to Wade, like returning to Miami to play for the organization he spent the first 13 seasons of his NBA career with.
“At the end of the day, whatever that dollar figure is, it does have an impact on your decision,” Allen said. “But I think at the end of the day, you have to choose where it is you’re going to be happy and where you think you’ll fit the most because 82 games is a long time to be in some place where you may not be happy or you may not feel like you fit.”
For Allen, he feels happy in Miami. The 41-year-old has made Miami his home after walking away from the sport following the Heat’s loss to the Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, formally announcing his retirement Nov. 1.
Allen and his wife have since opened an organic fast-food restaurant, Grown, in Miami. His latest contribution to the community came Thursday when he donated a computer lab to Horace Mann Middle School in Miami with the help of his Ray of Hope Foun- dation.
“Miami has been good to me,” said Allen, who was wearing his Heat championship ring from the 2012-13 season. “Since I finished playing here, my kids have been in school, and they love their school system. Obviously, the weather, you can’t compete with it anywhere in America. But the people have been good to us. We want to make sure we continue to have a presence here from a foundation standpoint. You go around the community, and you realize there are a lot of things you can do to help the people and the kids.”
Allen declined to speak about the recent comments from his former Boston Celtics teammates. During a TNT television segment Monday, former Boston teammates Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Glen Davis, and Rajon Rondo spoke about their hurt feelings and nonexistent relationship with Allen stemming from his 2012 departure to the Heat.
But Allen did speak about his former Heat teammates Thursday. The 10-time All-Star spent two seasons with Miami, averaging 10.3 points and shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range.
“Just to be able to see LeBron ( James) and his presence, his power, his dominance. I’m so proud of what he’s been able to accomplish,” Allen said. “I was kind of talking with (Chris Bosh) a day or so ago, and he’s in great spirits. Obviously, I don’t know if he’ll play again. But he’s loving life and enjoying being around his family. I know D-Wade still makes South Florida home, and he’s in the area. I think he’s just starting to take up golf.”
Allen called Bosh’s health situation “tough” and “unprecedented.” Bosh has not played in an NBA game since Feb. 9, 2016, because of issues related to blood clotting, and the Heat are expected to apply for salary cap relief from his contract before free agency this summer to free up money to spend this offseason.
“I certainly felt for him,” Allen said of Bosh. “My vote was for him to just not play. His life, that is the most important thing. My household was just wishing the best for him and his health. Selfishly, we were saying, ‘Chris, just sit down,’ because we didn’t want him to do anything that was irreversible.”
As for Allen’s former coach, Allen was impressed by the work Erik Spoelstra did with the Heat this season to become one of the top Coach of the Year candidates. Miami overcame an 11-30 start to finish with a 41-41 record, but barely missed the playoffs.
“For him to do what he did with the roster he had ...,” Allen said. “He had a lot of guys who were kind of pieced from other places, and you’re kind of landing free agents and trying to make it work. To get them all on the same page and push the way they did. When you look at the teams that are playing now, it’s easy to say they’ve got this player and that player. But for what he did, if he made the playoffs, it would have been a stamp for him to be coach of the year. Even though he didn’t, they had a hell of a run.”
But speaking about basketball is about as close as Allen will get to the NBA these days.
“I enjoy every aspect of it,” Allen said of his post-basketball life. “There are so many great things I’ve been able to partake in. I’m a chauffeur now. I get up every morning, and I take my kids to school. I pick them up, and they have after-school activities. Being a dad is awesome, being able to be present. I didn’t realize how much I wasn’t until I was really home.”