Rasheed Wallace is consistently mislabeled by outsiders as some kind of nuisance or, worse yet, a coach’s nightmare. But from the sounds of things, he’s actually one of the most prepared players on the team. From Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press:
The team ended its hour-long workout Monday with an intriguing — and sometimes hilarious — drill. Coach Flip Saunders put everyone in different positions as they ran through plays, testing each man’s knowledge of the offense.
Big men such as Rasheed Wallace, Jason Maxiell and Nazr Mohammed took turns at point guard. Guards such as Flip Murray and Billups played center.
Wallace, in particular, was impressive in the drill — he didn’t look lost or confused as he ran the offense, sometimes pointing teammates into the correct spots. And though he seemed to have fun with it, exaggerating his crossover and behind-the-back dribbles like a flashy point man, he said afterward he takes it seriously.
“Just coming down in transition, you never know where you’re going to be at on the floor,” Wallace said. “One guy might beat you to a spot, so you’re going to have to fill in at another spot. It’s better that way.”
The headline to this post is actually kind of scary… one imagines a freak accident involving Chauncey, Flip, Hunter, Afflalo, Tay, and any other guard or pseudo-guard, leaving only Sheed to run the point.
what would be even scarier would be the thought that Sheed would have to run the point 30+ minutes a game… all the while Nazr playing at least 30+ minutes a night at the Center position…
for crying out loud. we get it, we’ve gotten it for years. Sheed has a high basketball IQ.
Did his high basketball IQ tell him to stay on Robert Horry in the 2005 Finals?
Was it his high basketball IQ that made him lead a mutiny against Flip Saunders in the playoff series against the Cavs?
Is it his high basketball IQ that has had him jacking up so many 3’s in previous years when he’s far more effective in the post?
Is it his high basketball IQ that gets him all those techs every season?
Sheed has been in the league for 12 years. If he didn’t know where his teammates should be on the floor I’d be surprised. Don’t use this nonsense as an excuse for why Sheed has been “mislabeled” as “some kind of nuisance.” The reasons he’s be labelled as “some kind of nuisance” is because he is one. We may not have made it as far as we have every year without his talent, but we also may have made it farther without his mental breakdowns.
for the past two years we’ve had a regular season full of Pistons PR articles trying to convince us that Sheed isn’t a liability. Then the playoffs come and we learn very quickly and boldly that Sheed IS a liability.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Yikes, I didn’t think this would elicit such an emotional response. I can’t really argue with most of your points, I guess, I just thought the anecdote was amusing.
…And– we’ve found the ONLY Pistons fan that does not like Rasheed Wallace. Get this man a medal! (and a hug)
I’d surely take Sheed at PG over Murray. Yeah he’s an emotional guy, he’s still probably my favorite Piston.
it is an amusing anecdote. sorry i flew off the handle. Sheed is an amazingly talented, hard working and passionate athlete. I’m incredibly grateful for what he’s done for the organization and the enjoyment he’s given me as a fan.
However, for two years now we’ve been subjected all regular season to articles explaining how Sheed is a misunderstood genius and his techs, inability to control himself and inability to get along with his coach aren’t a big deal.
Sorry, I feel like I’m being a jerk. The article was great, except the first line. Don’t claim Sheed has been “mislabeled by outsiders as some kind of nuisance.” I think the majority of basketball fans know he’s a nuisance, we’re not all outsiders and I don’t even think we’re wrong.