Deciphering Rasheed Wallace

By: Greg Payne

Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News has a nice piece on Rasheed Wallace. Here's an excerpt, but you should check out the whole thing:

He's an enigma wrapped inside a riddle and embraces it. He's unapologetically authentic. He used to play the Isley Brothers in the locker room and can quote Sun Tzu.

The outspoken person and unselfish teammate are worlds apart, which is what made him so coveted this offseason. Orlando, Cleveland, San Antonio and Boston made overtures for the forward, 34.

For all of Wallace's complexities, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge and players Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce flew to Detroit to recruit him. They know he's worth the trouble.

His issues with the refs or coaches cost his teams in the playoffs, some say. The facts shout something else. In the past 10 years, Wallace's teams have been in the conference finals seven times ... more than Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan.

I suppose we all knew we were getting a complicated person. But maybe an opportunity like next season will be enough to bring out the player we all know he can be.

Stay Tuned.