Rasheed Wallace to Sign with Celtics (NICE!)
Damn! I never thought I would say that or even be happy about it considering I absolutely hated him when he was on the rival Pistons but I am actually really excited about this. All of the Big Dogs around the league like the Lakers, Spurs and Cavs were getting better while the C's still had the same lineup and were actually losing players like Powe and potentially Glen "Big Baby" Davis. You just felt like they had to make some moves and make a big splash in the Free Agent market.
Wallace was always one of those guys that you hated when he was on the opposition but you secretly wanted on your own team because his skill set is unreal. He is almost a 7 footer who has sick moves down low, can take it to the hoop off the dribble and even shoot 3's with some consistency. His offensive game is pretty much unstoppable whenever he gets motivated to take over a game. He can also influence a game with his great defense. He is big enough to cover Centers like Shaq but he is also fast enough to cover many Small Forwards. The guy can help you in so many ways and that is why I am so excited about this new addition to the Celtics squad.
Yes, the guy is a little crazy on the court and gets more technicals than almost anyone in the league but he is also supposed to be a great guy in the locker room, a huge influence in the community and very charitable. I don't care too much about the technicals as long as it doesn't affect the outcome of a big game. Sometimes that fire will actually help spark the C's, although I'm not sure there is ever a need for that when KG is on the floor. These two together will scare the hell out of any opponent and will probably tip the Trash Talking Scales. I'm not sure there has been a team with two crazier on court personalities. Let's hope it is for the better.
I'm not completely sure how this will work with the lineup but I think it would be best to bring in Sheed as the 6th man off the bench. Perkins is built more like a Center and is a great defender so it makes sense to keep him as the starter. He always gets in tons of foul trouble and can be very inconsistent so Sheed will still be playing big minutes. He will also provide a huge scoring spark off the bench and give us that All-Star on the second unit that we've been looking for over the past few years. I also think that KG and Sheed playing together will be one of the best lineups available so he will most likely be in the game during crunch time. They are both fairly interchangable between C and PF so it will just depend on the matchups for which position they play. I am salivating at the thought of how nasty the C's defense will be now, especially when it didn't seem like it could get any better.
There are also rumors that the C's will be signing Grant Hill in a few days. He is 37 and has had tons of health problems but he played almost every game last season and looks like he might be over those issues. If he can provide at least 15-20 minutes or more of consistent play off the bench, he will be a huge help for the second unit as well.
If Hill does come to Boston, it will almost certainly mean the end of the Big Baby Davis era. I hate to see him go because he is a hustler and a fun guy to watch on and off the court. He has also improved immensely over the past two seasons which is to his benefit because there is lots of interest around the league but it's bittersweet for the C's because they can no longer afford him. If he does leave town I wish him nothing but the best. Let's hope the C's can get one more big man to help fill his and Leon Powe's shoes. It should be an interesting season in 2010. I can't freakin' wait!
