Rasheed Wallace was hot

I've seen bits and pieces of this interview in random articles around the web, but here it is in its pure, unadulterated, original Q&A format. From InsideHoops:

Q: What was your reaction when you heard you were selected for the All-Star Game?

Rasheed Wallace: Hot. But my wife was more hot than me. You know, she tried to act a little surprised or whatever, but hey, we had to come here. When I told her that, I thought she was going to beat me up.

Q: What are your thoughts now that you’re here?

Rasheed Wallace: I mean, it’s cool, seeing all these young boys out here being able to do their thing. It ain’t nothing new though.

Q: Did you miss Media Day yesterday on purpose or by accident?

Rasheed Wallace: No, no, no, it was a real [delay]. Yeah, it was a real [delay]. I wouldn’t have done that. I would have not come at all if I didn’t come yesterday. It was strictly an accident.

Q: What are the Pistons looking to do during the second half of the season?

Rasheed Wallace: Just to lock it down, buckle it up, and get ready for the playoffs. Let’s get into the transition where we can run everything smooth without really thinking, make it our second nature. Just go out there and do it ‘ keep doing what we’ve been doing these last couple weeks.

The Freep's Chris Silva reports that Wallace had flight trouble but did arrive in time to participate in an NBA Cares community event. In a video on HOOPSWORLD, Rasheed talks about seeing first-hand some of the damage that New Orleans is still trying to recover from.

As for the actual game, most guys slack on defense and play hard on offense, but Rasheed did it the other way around -- he played hard D and goofed off on the other end by launching left-handed threes.

And since we're on the topic, Silva's feature on Rasheed from this weekend gives a great perspective on how he's viewed by his peers around the league.