What Miami Heat Lineup Would Look Like with Ray Allen

Of the three teams seriously in the running to land free agent Ray Allen, only one of them can guarantee him something he desperately wants before he retires: a chance to compete for a title.

The opportunity to play for another ring is the Heat's biggest selling point in their attempt to land Allen. Whether it's competing with the Clippers—a team that may be able to offer the free agent shooting guard a starting job, which he also wants—or the Celtics, who are willing to cough up the most cash to retain him, Miami really needs to ride that we-can-offer-you-a-ring wave for all its worth.

No, a championship isn't guaranteed. But given the fact that the Heat are retaining the most critical components of their team, and given the fact that there are few squads in the Eastern Conference that can match the Heat in terms of skill and athleticism, it objectively looks like they have a better shot than the aging Celtics or the inexperienced Clippers.

Miami may not be able to offer Allen a starting job—it's fair to say that Dwyane Wade isn't in jeopardy of losing that any time soon—but being a starter isn't the only way to have a significant impact on a team. Look at James Harden.

Granted, Allen—as a 16-year veteran—isn't new or exciting, but he gives Miami a consistent weapon it seemed to be missing for much of the 2011-12 season. The Heat never had a reliable shooting threat off the bench. Mike Miller could be effective in (very irregular) spurts. Shane Battier came up big during the playoffs, but he only averaged 4.6 points per game during the regular season.

Allen could be that guy for the Heat, just like he was for the Celtics toward the end of the regular season, when Avery Bradley took over the starting role. The Heat didn't have a single bench player this season who averaged double-digit points; in fact, the only players to average double-digit points on the Heat were the Big Three.

Allen could give them another proven clutch shooter. His 2011-12 totals are a bit skewed because he started for most of the year, but it's hard to believe he won't be able to give Miami a consistent scoring presence in 20-25 minutes per game off the bench. 

It's scary to think that with Allen, the Heat could get even better than they were this year.

Being a starter is obviously a source of pride for Allen, especially as he gets older and still feels like he can compete. For 16 years, he's been a starter, and straying from that role will doubtlessly be a difficult transition. But if he can still be effective in Miami—and if he can help this team win another title—won't it all be worth it?

Would he rather start on an unproven team or come off the bench for a seasoned champion? That's what his decision is going to come down to, one way or another.

Allen is going to have to weigh his options and think carefully about what's most important to him. If it's loyalty, he'll choose the Celtics—but if he's not the kind of player who wants to help Boston win another title if he can't start, that doesn't make him a bad person. Not every player in the NBA can be like Kevin Garnett.

If he cares about starting, which is also completely fair, he'll choose the Clippers. They can pay him a salary ($5 million mid-level exception) comparable to what the Celtics are offering (two years, $12 million), he'll get to play with young stars like Blake Griffin and Chris Paul and despite the fact that he'll be 37 when the 2012-13 season starts, he clearly isn't ready to abandon hopes of a starting role.

But if Allen cares about playing with a bunch of perennial All-Stars on a team that will contend for an NBA title, year in and year out, until this particular Big Three is disassembled, then Miami is the place for him. Just because he won't be starting doesn't mean his role won't be important.

And just because he isn't in Boston doesn't mean he can't be part of a Big Four.