Rasheed Wallace News

"Rasheed Wallace gave the 76ers a killer stare Tuesday night. Wallace had just nailed a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to break the 76ers' backs with 3:44 left in the third quarter of Game 5. "

"Two days after TNT studio analyst Magic Johnson derided forward Rasheed Wallace for his behavior in Game 1 -- when Wallace entered the Philadelphia huddle and talked to an ex-teammate sitting courtside -- Pistons coach Flip Saunders came to the defense of his All-Star forward."

"At least nominally, Rasheed Wallace, all 6-11 of him, is the Detroit Pistons' center. He can be anywhere on the floor at any time. And wherever he is, whatever role he's playing, he has a blast."

"Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace wanted to take the blame for the loss Sunday after he missed an eight-footer in the final minute."

"Early in the game, Rasheed Wallace kept looking over at 76ers coach Mo Cheeks like he was crazy. The 76ers' game plan coming into the game Sunday was to guard Wallace with Samuel Dalembert, alone. Single-coverage. "

"It's an apostrophe world, the Rasheed Wallace universe, where a 'Ship for the 'Stons is the ultimate goal. But there is no shortcutting this reality: The Pistons will go as far as Wallace takes 'em, and as far as he lets 'em."

"Some players say they don't care about statistics, but there may be no better example of this selfless attitude than Detroit Pistons center Rasheed Wallace. The former Simon Gratz High School star is getting ready to face the 76ers in a best-of-seven playoff series that will begin tomorrow in Auburn Hills, Mich. And he professes to care about nothing more than winning."

"Despite calls for Wallace's ouster, Pistons president Joe Dumars never wavered. Not only wasn't Wallace going anywhere, Dumars believed Wallace would give the Pistons a legitimate shot to win another championship. Wallace, after his most consistent season in a Pistons uniform, is poised to do just that. "Rasheed Wallace epitomizes what I want a Detroit Piston to be," Dumars said. "He's a smart player, he plays to win, plays with passion and he's totally unselfish." "

"So now we enter 'Sheed's world. Looking for a 'Ship. He'll collect his T's. He'll play his D. He'll grab his 'bounds. Hit his 3's. He loves those W's. He hates an L. And you know he'll 'xplode. But what the 'ell? It's an apostrophe world, the Rasheed Wallace universe, where a 'Ship for the 'Stons is the ultimate goal. But there is no shortcutting this reality: The Pistons will go as far as Wallace takes 'em, and as far as he lets 'em."

"Perhaps Charles Barkley said it best about Rasheed Wallace last month. Barkley, the former great-turned-TNT analyst, was asked about Wallace's potential. "

"As you watch the Pistons' young bench players grow and mature before your eyes, as you praise Joe Dumars for drafting or otherwise acquiring them and Flip Saunders for his patient but insistent development of them, don't for a minute undervalue the impact of Rasheed Wallace."

"Nazr Mohammed just laughed. He was told that former teammate Rasheed Wallace had been picked to replace injured Kevin Garnett on the Eastern Conference All-Star team. "

"Poor Rasheed Wallace. He's going to be an NBA All-Star after all. On Sunday, NBA commissioner David Stern picked Wallace to replace Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, who will miss the game because of an abdominal injury."

"Rasheed Wallace's teammates weren't sure whether to offer their condolences or congratulate him when they heard that NBA commissioner David Stern had selected Wallace to replace an injured Kevin Garnett in Sunday's All-Star Game."

"Wallace said he hasn't been too impressed with the Blazers' rise because 'they haven't done anything. They went on a little win streak, but when they have a better record than when I was there, that's when they'll have done something.'"

"Wallace typically plays well when he's matched against Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki (23 points) got the best of him in Dallas earlier this season. Even though he more than evened the score -- Nowitzki finished with 15 points (3 for 18) -- Wallace insisted it wasn't a personal issue."

"On Saturday, when asked how to beat the Mavericks, Rasheed Wallace said, 'They don't have anyone used to guarding post-up players. We have to run a lot of post plays.' Pistons coach Flip Saunders had a chuckle at that comment Sunday."

"But the 6-foot-11 Wallace was anything but a perimeter-only player against the Mavericks, as he displayed a deft touch near the basket as well as from 3-point range in leading Detroit to a 90-67 win."

"So when the Pistons face Dallas again this afternoon at the Palace, Wallace has an idea on how to combat the Mavs' slash-and-shoot style of play. 'We've just got to put their (butt) in a hole on the other end, put their (butt) right down there on them chop blocks (the post),' Wallace said. "

"Just like the Pistons did in 2004 when they acquired a missing piece in Rasheed Wallace, who helped them win an NBA championship, the Gasol trade should infuse more energy into an already talented Lakers’ team. And when budding center Andrew Bynum returns from injury, Los Angeles could be poised for a deep postseason run."

"Rasheed Wallace, who left the locker room shortly after Saturday's loss to Boston wearing sweats, was not available to the media Monday. Captain Chauncey Billups said he still hasn't spoken to Wallace about what peeved the center/forward after the Boston loss. Saunders said it was simply Wallace's competitive nature."

"Rookie hazing is a way of life in the NBA, a bonding ritual that indoctrinates the newcomers and reminds them of their lowly status. Nearly every NBA player has a story, even someone like Rasheed Wallace, perhaps the mastermind of the Pistons' rookie hazing these days."

"Lindsey Hunter grabbed a microphone and infiltrated the media scrum surrounding Rasheed Wallace during Pistons media day Monday. 'Is there an attitude problem with you, or is it everybody else?' Hunter asked."

"Rasheed Wallace couldn't help it. When he first heard the federal government was investigating an NBA referee on allegations of illegal gambling and racketeering, he did what came naturally."

"In any event, this season has come down to Game 7 tonight. We talk about the Pistons' Chauncey Billups and the Spurs' Manu (Where's He Gone?) Ginóbili, but the protagonists of this series have been two reluctant - and misunderstood - stars: Detroit's Rasheed Wallace and San Antonio's Tim Duncan."

"While watching the movie 'Crash,' more than once I thought of Rasheed Wallace. Without giving away the plot, 'Crash' in the larger sense is one lesson after another that people aren't as good as they seem or as bad as they seem."

"When Wallace wasn't misfiring on jump shots or picking up cheap fouls, he was barking at officials. The man who everyone in Detroit blamed for blowing the end of Game 5 looked like he wouldn't even be around for the end of Game 6. But Wallace had come into Tuesday's game looking for atonement, and he wasn't going to let his chance for it slip away."