Ray Allen Looks Forward to Bright Future with Miami Heat

NBA veteran Ray Allen couldn't be any happier with his decision to sign with the Miami Heat, and he's looking forward to helping his new teammates win their second consecutive NBA title. He has no regrets about his decision to leave the Boston Celtics, and he feels at home with his new team.

Given Miami's star-studded lineup, Allen will no longer enjoy starting privileges, but that doesn't seem to be an issue with the three-point specialist.

"You mean I'm not starting? I wish they would have told me that last week," Allen joked when asked if he had any qualms about coming off the bench. "Going into this process, I never said whether I wanted to start or come off the bench. That was never really an issue. Whatever is going to be best for me in this situation is going to figure itself out. This team won a championship without me. I'm not going to come in and expect for Coach [Erik Spoelstra] to cater to who I am and what I do. I have to make it work on the floor with my teammates. I always said whether you start or come off the bench, the best compliment is who you finish the game up with."

With the addition of Allen to the Heat's roster, competing with Miami during the 2012/13 NBA season won't be an easy task. The Heat already have four serious super stars in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Mario Chalmers, who'll be a lot more difficult to contain with Allen roaming around the perimeter. Opposing teams will now have to think a lot harder before committing to double teaming any of the Heat's superstars.

To make things better, the Heat have also secured the services of Rashard Lewis. Lewis fits into the Heat's style of play, and I personally can't wait to see the improved Miami team in action.

A year ago, the Miami Heat had one of the weakest benches in the NBA, yet they now have a future hall-of-famer coming off their bench. Mickey Arison and Pat Riley definitely deserve a lot of credit for aggressively doing everything in their power to improve the team, and I expect the Heat to dominate the NBA for years to come.

David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter.
 
Sources:
Michael Wallace, "Ray Allen's words ... and what they mean"