Did Tony Allen Diss Boston?

Posted by Brendan Jackson on May 6, 2011 2021920 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F05%2F06%2Fdid-tony-allen-dis-boston%2FDid+Tony+Allen+Diss+Boston%3F2011-05-06+14%3A59%3A01Brendan+Jacksonhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D20219

No.  Not really anyway.  Sort of?  From a fan’s prospective? Yes.  Okay, here’s the backstory:

In case you didn’t know, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder are playing each other in the second round of the NBA playoffs.  While this imaginary matchup between an animal and an act of nature is problematic for many reasons, it also pits two former teammates/brothers against one another.

Former Celtic Kendrick Perkins, OKC’s starting center, versus Tony Allen, Memphis’ starting shooting guard*.  It’s weird enough to see them on different teams, but the other night I saw Perkins put TA through a meat grinder.  After giving the hard foul to his former brother, Perkins and the rest of us looked on as TA tried to work his shoulder muscles back to where nature intended…

At any rate, this matchup allows the media to work the former Boston Celtic angle for all it’s worth.  In a recent Q&A TA did with the Oklahoman, the following exchange occurred:

Here in Oklahoma City, we know how tough it was for Kendrick Perkins to leave Boston, and how tough it was for Boston to say goodbye to Perkins. Was it tough for you to leave Boston as a free agent?

“It wasn’t as tough. I left trying to start something new. I don’t think Perk wanted to leave. I was looking for a better situation for Tony Allen, and I did that. I came here not knowing if we were going to win. A lot of people questioned why I came. A lot of people said that I was immature. But what I’ve done for this team has just showed what I can do. I don’t even want to talk about Boston. That’s a chapter in my book.”

Okay, so not the worst thing TA could say.  After all, he’s got his own team to focus on now.  He can’t worry about what’s happening in Boston.  Especially when his team has a better chance of playing for a Championship at this point.  But as a fan, and after watching the Cs lose two games in which TA’s services would have been greatly appreciated, the “I don’t even want to talk about Boston. That’s a chapter in my book” kind of hurts.

The blame for Tony Allen’s departure from the Celtics rests solely on the shoulders of Mr. Zach Lowe.  In case you’re new to the program, last year Zach wrote the now infamous “The Tony Allen Dos and Donts List“.  After that story caught fire, a hilarious interaction occurred between Brian Robb and TA in the Celtics lockerroom.  A story which, if you have a minute, BRobb will tell you all about.

What do you think of TA’s words?  Disrespectful? Benign?