The Tony Allen Dos and Donts List

Posted by Zach Lowe on Dec 15, 2009 482243 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2009%2F12%2F15%2Fthe-tony-allen-dos-and-donts-list%2FThe+Tony+Allen+Dos+and+Donts+List2009-12-16+01%3A55%3A19Zach+Lowehttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D4822

There’s something I should make clear: I want Tony Allen to succeed. And not only because I just bought a flat-screen TV and would like it to last at least a few weeks before I hurl my remote at it. 

For now, we are stuck with TA. Yes, he has an expiring $2.5 million contract that could be packaged before the trade deadline with one or more of the C’s other expiring deals, but that’s going to be more difficult to pull off than most fans understand. 

For now, TA is going to play double-figure minutes for this team while Marquis Daniels is hurt. His success would help the second unit, reduce the burden on Ray Allen and Paul Pierce and give the C’s a player who could diversify their offensive arsenal by getting to the foul line. It would also be a nice coda to a career until now defined by bizarre injuries, shady off the court connections, sloppy dribbling and maddening brain cramps. 

It was in this spirit that I introduced the Official Tony Allen Dos and Donts List after Monday night’s game. Right now, it only has six items. 

Here is my mission for readers: Let’s build on this list. Together, we can guide Tony Allen into being a successful player. This is not meant to poke fun at TA (honest). Many, many players with far less raw talent have built productive careers by recognizing their limitations and doing only what they are good at. We need Tony to do this. The team needs him to do it.

Below is the original (and very short) Tony Allen Dos and Donts List. Please add your own suggestions in the comments. We’ll pick the ones we like best and add them to the official list, which I can only assume will one day either be in the Smithsonian next to the Declaration of Independence or revered like the golden tablets that told Joseph Smith to found Mormonism.

Remember: The goal is not to insult Tony. We’re here to help.

THE ORIGINAL TA DOS AND DONTS LIST

DO: Post up smaller players

DON’T: Try and do anything beyond the basics while running a screen/roll

DO: Throw entry passes. It is an underrated skill, and he is good at it. 

DON’T: Drive to the basket if doing so involves more than one defender.

DO: Defend the best wing player on the other team for a few possessions each game

DON’T: Foul that player as he shoots a jump shot with less than five seconds on the shot clock.

That’s it. Go to work.