| It Is Time For The Pistons To Part Ways With Rasheed Wallace Authored by James Morisette - May 28, 2006 - 3:53 pm
Rasheed Wallace's display of abysmal behavior and shoddy worksmanship during last night’s 98-83 loss to the Miami Heat should serve as grounds for dismissal by owner Bill Davidson once this season is over.
This may seem to serve as a harsh statement, but many NBA and Detroit fans alike can attest to the fact that Wallace's behavior last night was not a once in a while phenomenon - it is an everyday phenomenon. After a brief moment of silence, Wallace has reemerged as the same menace he was in Portland.
For those whom did not see the game, Fox Sports columnist Charley Rosen best explained Wallace's childlike behavior:
"The only Piston who was true to form was R. Wallace — and only because he reverted to his psycho-mode. He was so upset about not getting sufficient post-up opportunities that during a second-quarter timeout, he sat on the scorer's table while, 30-feet away, the rest of his teammates gathered around Flip Saunders. Shortly thereafter, when Rasheed was summoned to the bench after picking up his second foul, he angrily waved off his coach's proffered hand. When he finally took his seat, Wallace complained to a teammate about the injustice of being yanked so early with so few fouls. Then, just before the second half commenced, Rasheed loudly cursed the referees."
While other Piston players will not publicly admit it, Wallace currently serves as a weak link on a Championship caliber team.
And it is time Bill Davidson, whom is the same person that canned Larry Brown when Brown's selfish behavior and personal agenda, nearly led to the early demise of the defending champions last season, to begin seeking trades for Wallace before he divides and conquers and damages the Pistons beyond repair.
Davidson certainly has many options.
Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett has already expressed his frustration with his subpar team, and has great respect for his former coach Flip Saunders. Trading Garnett to Detroit for Wallace along with Carlos Delfino and picks to reconnect him with Saunders would make sense. Garnett would not only slip right into Wallace's forward position alongside Tayshaun Prince, but he would also bring consistency to both ends of the hardwood but without consistently childlike behavior to include barking at the officials.
If Garnett truly is off the market, Antonio McDyess, who has seemed to return to greatness after suffering a potential career ending knee injury, could slip into Wallace's position as the starter and subsequently open the door for a multitude of other trades for a player or players possessing solid three-point shooting ability. This would also open the door for promising Cincinatti alumini Jason Maxiell, i.e. Baby Ben Wallace, and California high school standout Amir Johnson to earn some playing time for the Pistons.
The options for Wallace are endless, and if Davidson and Piston President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars were smart - which they are - they would begin to look into trading Wallace before he rips apart the very core that he helped accentuate upon his arrival in the Motor City.
In other words, if Davidson and Dumars do not strike to control Wallace after last nights adolescent behavior, or trade him at seasons end, the legacy that is this Piston team, will forever be tarnished.
James M. Morisette covers the Detroit Pistons for RealGM. He can be contacted at jamesmorisette@yahoo.com |
