Rasheed Wallace leaves the Detroit Pistons, having left an indelible mark on the franchise. Sure, his numbers may not have been world-shattering, finishing 27th all-time on the franchise list of scorers and 15th in rebounding. However, Sheed’s departure — more than that of Chauncey Billups or Ben Wallace — marks the end of an era for the Pistons.
Sheed was the public face of the franchise, the media spotlight shining on him brightly, despite never being a media darling. The power forward has spawned phrases into the NBA venacular like, “Both Teams Played Hard”, “Ball Don’t Lie” and “CTC – cut the check.” [side note: has there been any other team that has inspired as many NBA blog titles as those Pistons? If you include BothTeamsPlayedHard.net, Yahoo!’s Ball Don’t Lie and add Free Darko and Need4Sheed to that list, that’s a lot of blog love for those mid-00’s Pistons.]
His arrival in 2003-04 from Portland (via Atlanta on a short stopover) brought an instant title to Motor City and a Finals appearance again the following season. All during his time in Detroit, Wallace happily played second, third or at times fourth fiddle to the likes of Billups, Rip Hamilton and at times Tayshaun Prince/Rodney Stuckey on the offensive end. Despite this, he was a constant focus for opposing defensive strategies and an outspoken (if at times misguided) leader on the court.
Fast forward to July 2009 and we hear that Sheed has agreed to terms with the Boston Celtics. The “Big Three” Celtics. Is he a suitable addition to this team that is already dominated by three stars? I would argue in the affirmative. He provides a fifth scoring option after Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and newly-fledged star, Rajon Rondo.
He has proven in his time in Detroit that he can co-exist with other all-stars and fill his role — and a 12 point, 7 rebound role could be perfect for a Celtic team trying to compete with the revamped rosters of the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers.
He adds a rebounding, banging, shot-blocking presence to Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. His arrival could be three-fold in significance if whispers are true that the Spurs or Magic may secure Big Baby Davis (taking away a key front-court contributor for the Cs) and if the Big Ticket’s injury woes are continued and serious.
There are naysayers out there claiming that Wallace is not a fit for the Celtics and that in fact he will be detrimental. They say that this was a knee-jerk reaction by Danny Ainge in order to keep up with the NBA arms race of Summer 2009. Perhaps this was reactionary to an extent, but a poor choice? Not at all. Sheed is the type of guy who knows how to win, knows how to play with stars and knows how to challenge new teammate Perkins for the technical fouls title.
It’s a tough NBA landscape out there right now, with a handful of big players. Boston have made a move to help them compete. At the end of the season, whether the Celtics win a title, make the finals or fail miserably, the ball don’t lie.
