Ray Allen Chimes in on Isaiah Thomas Trade

Ray Allen is calling out the double standard after the Boston Celtics traded Isaiah Thomas

The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the world with the blockbuster trade that swapped Isaiah Thomas for Kyrie Irving. For Boston fans, it might be the most difficult trade to take in Ainge’s career.

Thomas was not there for long, but he is already one of the most beloved players in the franchise. Inspiration does not do him justice. He embodied everything about the chip of the shoulder underdog story that carried this rebuild.

Then, he did things these players that mere mortals should not be capable of doing. He made the sacrifices that very few would be able to do, and he continued to give everything he had on the court when the Celtics needed it most.

After a career year and one of the all time great offensive seasons, a lot of people were not pleased with Boston’s decision to send Thomas away after everything he had done. In fact, former Celtics Ray Allen decided that the situation was so dire that he needed to chime in through social media.

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Now, it is no secret that Allen is still hated in Boston. He broke up the big three that finally brought a championship back to Boston, by deciding to leave and join the rivaled Heat, the same team that ended their season just a few months prior.

There certainly are similarities to the two situations. Both featured star players ending up on another roster, and both times loyalty appeared to be thrown out the window. Allen decided that he was going to astutely point this out by saying this on Instagram: “But since the team does it I guess it’s just business. Smh!! It is just a business so when the teams do it there should be no difference when the players do it! Remember that!!” (Via CBSSports).

Allen also decided that he was going to call out the fans, pleading for them to bring out the outrage that he originally presented as unwarranted. I hate to break it to you Allen, but yes the fans are still outraged. It takes about five minutes on social media to realize that the majority of fans are displeased with the trade, and each and every fan is distraught over the fact that Thomas will not be playing for the Celtics next year. And no, you are not the only person calling out the loyalty of the front office.

The difference, however, is that while the front office was not loyal to Thomas, who deserved every bit of loyalty, they were still loyal to the success of the franchise, and that cannot be said about Allen.

Allen revealed his true motive in that post by completely ignoring pretty much every relevant distinction in the situation. First of all, we are comparing players and a front office. Players are people and the fans connect with them on many levels. When players are not loyal, fans will naturally take it personal. People are supposed to be loyal, and the fornt office is not looked at as the people, they are looked at as a corporation.

Yes it is a business for both players and the front office, but fans do not connect with the front office on any kind of emotional level. It is a lot easier to take disloyalty from the front office than it is from players, and it should not take long to figure out why. There is a double standard, but it is not too hard to figure out why it is that way.

The other side is that Allen should be able to realize that a fan’s loyalty is first and foremost to the team. When Allen left he directly harmed the team that fans love so much. The problem was not that the Celtics were going to miss Allen so much, the problem is that each fan thought the Celtics could contend for a championship had Allen stayed, and instead he damaged the core that never recaptured the glory.

In the Thomas situation, the front office did this specifically to help the team, and that is why it is ludicrous to compare these situations. For fans, real loyalty will always be with the team. It is a lot easier to take the disloyalty towards Thomas, because Ainge did it to improve the team that the fans love so much.

With Allen, his disloyalty was not just to the fans, but it was also to the team that will always be the priority of the fans. There is a lack of loyalty in both situations, but there are different degrees to be considered.

Allen chiming in makes it quite clear that he is still displeased with how Boston has treated him since his departure, and he is justified in feeling that way. Calling out the fans who were already outraged did nothing to make him look better, and help the fans understand the business side better.

Instead, it makes Allen look like he is trying to justify what he did so that he can come out of this situation completely in the right. Allen is trying to point out the different disloyalty of the front office, to justify his far worse lack of loyalty to the franchise, at least from a a fan’s perspective.

The Celtics front office revealed their loyalty is to the Celtics franchise. Allen revealed that his loyalty is to himself. Both of those are completely understandable, but it is also easy to see why fans would have a bigger problem with one that is not the same as the other.

Next: Kyrie Irving's Play Making Potential for the Boston Celtics

There is no doubting that there is a double standard between loyalty from players and loyalty from the front office. That difference, however, is part of what makes sports so great. Players are the ones that fans connect with, and when they are disloyal to their team and hurting their team at the same time, it will never be received the same way fans react to a disloyal front office trying to make the team better.

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