5 New Arrivals Who Will Regret Jumping Ship to New NBA Team

If Ray Allen doesn't feel really icky about signing with the Miami Heat, there's something wrong with him.

No, it's not like he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston's ultimate nemesis. But, does anyone really think he wouldn't have? Maybe what he did was perfectly reasonable and fair, but that shouldn't change the fact that it feels...slimy.

Maybe not wrong, but definitely slimy.

And, in a bourgeois "I wish people cared about me as much as they care about Dwight" sort of way, too.

But all moralizing aside, will the zip code change even be worth the effort? There's a good case to be made that the Celtics got the better end of this deal, ultimately replacing Allen with a combination of Jason Terry and Courtney Lee.

If you'd really prefer to have Ray Allen to Jason Terry right now, you're living in 2008. 

For that matter, Allen could soon learn to be careful about what he wishes for, and he's not the only one. Here's a look at free-agent signees who may regret their changes of scenery. 

Jeremy Lin: PG, Houston Rockets

Let's begin with the obvious one, shall we?

No one can blame Jeremy Lin for wanting to get out of New York. It wasn't his scene, and the Knicks were always have some kind of drama going on. Better to get out now than to realize down the road the Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire were really going to take every last shot for the rest of their lives.

But, the Houston Rockets might not have been such a great idea.

It would have been great if they could have landed Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum, better still if they could have convinced one of them to stay. Now, however, the roster is a mismatched collection of assets. 

The Rockets could be fun to watch in the same way Las Vegas Summer League is fun to watch, but things are going to get worse before they get better.

Fortunately, Lin is still a young man.

Grant Hill: SF, Los Angeles Clippers

First of all, how did this guy not end up with the Los Angeles Lakers? He's friends with Steve Nash, would have served an unmet need and everyone goes to the Lakers.

Most importantly, everyone goes to the Lakers.

Secondly, though, why oh why the Los Angeles Clippers? Grant Hill's resurgence with the Phoenix Suns was understated but sublime. There is nothing understated nor sublime about the Clippers. This is a weird fit for Grant Hill, and it has to have more to do with the weather than wanting to be on this roster.

But, then why not the Lakers? It just makes no sense.

Anyway, Hill will have to play spot minutes behind Caron Butler, and he'll have to watch Blake Griffin constantly wine about calls that looked perfectly reasonable, and worst of all: he'll have to be a Clipper.

Brandon Roy: SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

I'm not sure you can really "jump ship" from retirement, but let's assume you can. He did sort of leave the Portland Trail Blazers high-and-dry, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt on account of his epic knee issues and all.

What matters, though, is that he's going to absolutely hate playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That's not a knock on Minneapolis. It's a knock on this poorly run organization, and it's a knock on Kevin Love. It's one thing to respect Kevin Love, because really, how can you not respect Kevin Love? But, it's another to like this guy after he says things like (via Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears):

"

"My patience is not high," Love said. "Would yours be, especially when I'm a big proponent of greatness surrounding itself with greatness? All these [Team USA] guys seem to have great players around them.

"It's tough seeing all these guys that are young and older who have all played in the playoffs. When they start talking about that, I have nothing to talk about. If I don’t make the playoffs next year I don’t know what will happen."

"

First of all, to answer your question, Kevin, yes my patience would be high. My patience would be very high.

Even if I had to depend of David Kahn to make my team better, I'd still be patient if I were you. 

Why? Because, you're 23 years old. Stop being so impetuous.

Secondly, who says they're a "proponent of greatness surrounding itself with greatness"? Is there anyone out there who doesn't believe in greatness surrounding itself with greatness?

Whatever that means.

Welcome to the Timberwolves, Mr. Roy, the most precocious team in basketball. You also have to feel good about how much less you're making when compared to Mr. Moneybags Andrei Kirilenko over here.

Ray Allen: SG, Miami Heat

Does another ring really mean that much to you? Is proving a point about not liking Rajon Rondo really this important? Was being the sixth man really that bad?

The Heat?

The strangest part about this decision is this, though: How can the Miami Heat continue doing what they do so well when Allen is on the court? He doesn't run the break all that well, and he won't add anything on the defensive end of the floor.

He sounds kind of like a shorter Mike Miller, which is to say a not very valuable Mike Miller. Of course, Allen is one of the game's all-time great perimeter shooters, and of course, he can still rain threes. He'll make Miami better, as if they needed to get any better.

But, we'll start to see his decline soon enough, if we haven't already. As he fades into irrelevance as the 37-year-old 'new guy' that isn't really one of the team originals, he just might regret leaving behind those Celtics. He was an icon there.

In Miami, he's a hired gun who's running out of bullets.

Ramon Sessions: PG, Charlotte Bobcats

Remember when Ramon Sessions played his first few games for the Los Angeles Lakers and Lakers fans thought they once again had the best team in the league, only to be terribly disappointed by him in the playoffs?

Well, Sessions would love to have those kinds of problems right now. The way things are looking, his first trip to those playoffs may be his last.

The Charlotte Bobcats aren't getting there any time soon.

But, Sessions just had to opt out of his contract with the Lakers to test the free-agent market. 

It's not just that the Bobcats are terrible, although that would be more than enough reason to regret signing. It's also that the team will have to find minutes for Kemba Walker at the point, especially now that Ben Gordon's around.

So, Sessions won't even be the only guy running the point. He's stuck at the deepest position on the league's worst team. It's kind of like being right back with the Cleveland Cavaliers all over again.