End of the road for Rasheed
Rasheed Wallace (photo. NBA)
One play defined exactly why I’ve never understood some people’s love affair with Rasheed Wallace. In the second half of yesterday’s Cavs/Pistons game, with Detroit down by 15 and five minutes away from getting swept out of the first round, LeBron had Will Bynum posted up on the elbow. Easily spinning off Bynum, ‘Bron attacked the rim with a punctuation mark on his mind, and ‘Sheed was the only man standing in his way.
And that’s about all ‘Sheed did; stand there. LeBron dropped the hammer while ‘Sheed just kinda stuck his arm out. If this were an intramural flag football game, cool. But an NBA playoff elimination game with your team down to its last flickering hope of making a comeback? Weak. Not to mention after the dunk, when a snarling LeBron shot Rasheed a look, Wallace meekly took on the posture of a beaten man. Where was all that fire and passion Rasheed’s fans praise him for?
But it shouldn’t have been a surprise. We’ve been here before. Remember last year when I inducted Rasheed into the inaugural class of the Da Vinci Code Hall of Fame?
I did some research on Rasheed’s numbers in playoff games where his team is facing elimination, and it’s bad. In 11 elimination games since joining the Pistons in ‘04, Wallace has averaged 12.6 points — on 37.5 percent shooting from the floor (56-for-149) and 25 percent beyond the arc (12-for-47) — and 5.6 rebounds. And in six of those 11 games, he’s either fouled out or recorded five fouls. Last week ‘Sheed put up 4 points while the Pistons were getting knocked off by the Celtics, going 2-for-12 from the field and 0-for-6 from three.
As the Pistons saw their season end yesterday, ‘Sheed held to form. He went 0-for-7 from the field, with five boards and four fouls, finishing scoreless. Meanwhile, Antonio McDyess left it out on the floor with 26 points and 10 boards, and even little Will Bynum stepped up with 22 points off the bench.
To make matters worse, after the game ‘Sheed did exactly what I figured he would do — pouting and stomping out of the locker room without answering any questions from the media, plowing his way through a huddle of reporters without so much as a “Both teams played hard.” Granted, I’ve never completely agreed with the NBA’s policy that individual players be forced to talk to the media. But if Wallace is supposed to be one of the Pistons leaders and their highest-paid (active) player, he needs to stand there and fall on the sword instead of leaving the dirty work to guys like Bynum and Amir Johnson. So what if you’re pissed off. Even Kobe Bryant, who (rightfully or wrongfully) comes across as disingenuous a teammate as anybody, took the media bullets for his guys after the Lakers lost last year’s Finals despite steam basically coming out of his ears.
Barring some unforeseen resurgence, we’ve seen the end of Wallace’s run as an impact player in the League. This summer he’s a free agent, and having most likely played his last game as a Piston, whoever signs ‘Sheed won’t give him anywhere near the $13.6 million he made this year, or even necessarily give him a starting job. He’s officially in the ring-chasing, Antoine Walker portion of his career, if he wants to go that route.
So where do we put Rasheed’s career in the big picture? At one point he deserved to be in the discussion with the League’s best power forwards, and with his unique skill set was one of the players — along with Garnett, Webber and Dirk — who changed the way we view the four spot. ‘Sheed was a legit All-Star for a few years and was invaluable in Detroit’s heyday as a championship contender.
But in today’s Smack, reader “Kudabeen” phrased it perfectly: False swagger. He was talking about this year’s Pistons team in general, but it fits ‘Sheed in particular. Over the years, the Crazy ‘Sheed act seemed more and more like an act than genuine emotion, and the swagger seemed more and more false.
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April 27th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
me says:
tru dat tru dat
April 27th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
liukz says:
i think that wallace concentration in unselfishness made him selfish.
Because he never understood that being a selfish player is not only when you want to shoot 20 fg a game,being selfish too is when you have to shoot that 20 fadeaway js that u rarely miss a you dont do it because u want to be unselfish.
if the succes of the team depends on you being more dominant then do it.
i think his fadeway j was the most reliable shot in the entire L. Nobody else has a shot as lethal an unguardable as that fadeaway.
But he never understood,im not saying he is the best player,but believe if he was shooting that fadeaway he would avarage about 25 easy.
it reminds me of tim thomas,he had the ability to do anything ,from getting to the hoop to shooting 3s and defend very well, he just didnt want to. He never was a super star,not even a star
Rasheed Wallace future?
you know the spurs will sign him, ill bet on that
April 27th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
AznPeoplesChamp says:
the old sheed is dead and gone…dead and gone.
April 27th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Metropolitan's finest says:
FREAKING HATE LeBron…hope a bowling ball falls on his foot
GOOOOOO LA
April 27th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Dukesman2000 says:
Ring chasing? What? Antoine Walker was chasing the ring because he did not have one. Rasheed has already proved to be a winner. You can choose to call him all manner of evils because you disagree with his actions but one thing you HAVE to call him is – a winner.
April 27th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
AY says:
uh, rasheed is 37, it’s about all he can do these days. He’s not in the ring chasing part of his career, he’s in the done part of his career.
I still say rasheed was better than cwebb, rasheed was better on defense.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
karizmatic says:
Rasheed quit on this team early. Sheed has never been a leader, he’s always been a follower and the type to pout if things don’t go his way. After the Billups trade, it was ridiculous to expect that he would perform in any major way. He’s basically been off his peak ever since LBJ dunked on him a couple years ago, and he wasn’t trying to have a repeat of that this year.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
hucklebuck says:
I will go out on a limb and say that I thought Rasheed was a top player around 1998-2004. I even wore #30 on my high school basketball team all 4 years cuz he was my favorite player.
I agree with everyone with his lack of everything the last few years. He had a chance.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Ashlov says:
I’m very curious to see what the first post-economic crisis offseason is going to look like. Quite a few teams are willing to shed good players with bad contracts, and I’m sure there’ll be less MLE signings compared to other seasons.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Jayo says:
Rasheed was just cashing checks this year. You can’t name 1 memorable game or moment from him this past season. Its like he was just waiting for his contract to expire. While the other Pistons were trying to pull this thing together. He just sulked. He had no fight or fire in him at all this year.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Rico says:
@AY….you mean sheed is 27? dumass!
April 27th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
dk says:
@11 Hes 35, your both idiots.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
zcw says:
he’s 34 actually
April 27th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Rico says:
well at least i knew he wasn’t 37….people shouldlt say shit unless they know it fact!
April 27th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Arrogant says:
Allen Iverson is entering that part of his career also. he already now looks like a cancer to teams… he leaves teams and they are better..
i think Rasheed has lost that fire… and losing does that to a lot of ppl. you either can turn things around or accept it… after he looked at his team and how far they could go i think he accepted losing. Kinda like Vince Carter…
April 27th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Rico says:
@arogont….VC did not acept losing! dude is legit- ask any dime writer, he bust his ass for winning. VC is winner and deserves a ring!
April 27th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
quest??? says:
ths is why the Detroit pistons sucked this year. It wasnt all allen iverson’s fault. Ever since billups got traded hamilton has been a bitch, tayshaun played like crap, rodney stuckey has been jacking up shots, and rasheed wallace has absolutely sucked, in close games where the pistons could win , rasheed kept jacking up 3 pointers. You cannot blame the demise all on iverson, this team was doomed from the beginnig. Joe Dumars knew that. Oh and im not convinced chauncey billups miraculously turned around the nuggets. If yall dont remember the nuggets were a 50 win team last year. Also, the defense improved not because of chauncey, it improved because nene kenyon and the birdman were playing excellent.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
wrong says:
Antoine Walker was the second leading scorer in the NBA finals (3rd overall) and the Heat only started winning when he went into the starting line up. You blog is stupid. You should have used Gary7 Payton’s name
April 27th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
E$ says:
Monty Williams is pretty funny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzPrOTJIrXA
April 27th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
len says:
didn’t see the play but all that seems a bit harsh to me, maybe i’d like to call it hating.
April 27th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Kenny says:
I agree with Arrogant, to an extent. What happened to Rasheed kinda reminds me of what happened with Moss, during “The Black Hole Years” he spent in Oakland. Once he realized they didn’t have a chance in hell of winning, he just went through the motions. I’m not saying it’s right; that’s just what I think he did. Once Moss got in a winning environment, he showed everyone what time it really was.
I think the same thing will happen to Rasheed, if he goes to a team with a real shot to contend. Let the Spurs pick him up, and days like this will become a distant memory. He doesn’t care to be The Man, and never really has, and if he’s somewhere that allows him to be the third or fourth option, he would still get his shine on. I’m not gonna write the man off yet.
April 27th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
nerditry says:
I like Sheed as a bench guy (if he would accept that role) on more than one contender next season. He’s got a tremendous basketball IQ and like many posters said above, he goes with the mental flow of his teammates.
They’re shitty? He’s shitty.
Team is way up and feeling each other? So is Sheed.
I think he’d be find on a team of players that he respects and more importantly, a coach that he respects and trusts. Even now, I think a motivated Sheed would be a difference maker for the Spurs, Hornets and Heat.
April 27th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
Pais says:
This is an article which was sorely needed for quite some time. Thank you for saving me the bother of writing it myself.
April 27th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Pais says:
@quest??? – I hear what you’re saying, Billups is given perhaps more credit than deserved for his role in the success of the Nuggets, but you go too far my friend. You have to admit that that the fit is excellent, and if nothing else it’s certainly an improvement. His 1st two playoff games vs. N.O. kind’a undermine your point a bit. I will say though, if you’ve loved and followed basketball for the past decade or so you gotta know A.I. is one of the best players to play the game, it’s unfortunate that his style of play is so difficult to build around.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
tim says:
I dont see Sheed having a problem with the bench role…he’s a team player and just wants to win…
April 27th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
quest??? says:
@pais im not saying billups is bad, im just saying that he has been given too much credit.
April 27th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
robmo35 says:
Obviously a lot of animosity from his Portland days, but remember no one gave the Pistons a punchers chance until they got Rasheed from Atlanta. He was the reason why the upset the Lakers, or more importantly why they were in a position to knock off the Lakers. Is Sheed older and less effective than he was in the past? Yes, but I don’t read columns going after Shaq for ring chasing.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:13 am
Ian says:
better than webber???not even close. a top player ???rofl wtf people
the wallaces have been the two most overrated players of the last decade (yeah iverson you are third) i still dont get why people praise this waste of talent with his a team player and a winner. my fav is the best pf if he wanted to LOL well he never wanted to apparently and people bash air canada damn.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:58 am
rick773 says:
Sheed’s baseline turnaround is one of the most unstoppable moves in the game and he never uses it he just settles for taking threes like a Shooting guard. He’s given the whole team a aura of bitchassness. Since Chauncey left they spend more time barking on the refs. As a Bulls fans I have and always hate the pistons however I feel bad for cats like McDyess who’s pushing 35 and is hooping his azz of for like a quarter of what sheed gets
April 28th, 2009 at 11:23 am
doc says:
AB Sheed aint no act.And the man 35 years old what the hell u want him to do with Bron coming down the lane.They tried the foul hard route and it didnt work as he just muscled it to the rim anyway.Sheed was a missing piece to a chip and got it done so he did more than a lot of ya favorite bums.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:36 am
FourtyTwo says:
Sheed is still my favorite NBA player.
Joey D blew up the team already, everyone knows about the cap space they have coming to them in the offseason. It’s the whole reason they traded Billups for AI.
Rasheed got dissed by Dumars when Joe threw away their chances for another Finals apperance earlier in the year to rebuild the team. Anyone who has been paying attention to Wallace’s career would understand what his reaction was going to be. Joe is looking at Sheed as another expiring contract, and Sheed responds accordingly.
Wallace is looking for one last big payday, and he doesn’t care where it comes from. The phrase “CTC” (cut the check) applies here in ernest. Personally, I hope he is willing to take less money (yeah, right) and comes and plays for the Lake Show.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
alex says:
i think he just lost interest in the game. Sheed is a person that’s not defined by his basketball skills (though that’s the thing that made him rich and famous). Losing does not bother him that much compared to other players in the NBA.
April 30th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Amos Leak says:
I know this might sound crazy..but I would love to see Sheed in them good ol’ red, blue and white colors of the sixers..if it’s possible and nothing goes wrong!
May 1st, 2009 at 1:28 am
bola says:
this is kinda crazy but sheed can rejoin ben wallace in cleveland here he could launch those j’s while lbj picks the defense.. just a thought..
May 4th, 2009 at 4:41 am
QQ says:
Funny seeing seeing an article calling out Sheed (and let’s make it clear, I also hate Sheed) when the writer’s favorite player is T-Mac.
Damn. You can’t burn dudes for their lack of heart if you are a T-Mac fan. That’s like Ruben Studdard calling other people ‘fat’.