SLAM Online on Gerald Wallace: "That Guy"
Baseline to sideline, sideline to baseline, Gerald Wallace is fearless.
The primary proof exists on tape. After studying film of the Charlotte Bobcats, much of which shows Wallace absorbing and dishing contact, it’s easy to think that the 6-7, 220-pound forward relishes abuse. Charlotte Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins furthers that image, alternatively referring to his team’s star as a "ball of fire" and as a player who "plays with reckless abandon."
about 1 month ago
MR. MANN
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We have the most badass player of all time and
we still want more. I say screw all the divas that want to make super-teams. Screw Chris Paul, Lebron, and David Stern. Any five guys can beat any other five guys on any night in the NBA. Let the Thrice’s egos and sense of entitlement grow bigger while Gerald Wallace and Capn Jack and Tyrus Thomas are working hard, getting better and focusing on breaking these “giants” friggin noses.
It would be awesome to win a championship but if it takes getting rid of the most loyal, hardest working, selfless player this teams ever had, I say no. Is watching a superteam win by 30 pts every night fun? I relish being the underdogs, as I believe GW and the Capn do. You better believe they wont get anything easy in our house.
All im saying is we’ve got 82 games of badass, hard-nosed, middleclass basketball. Thats enough entertainment for me. I dont need or want anything else if it takes getting rid of GW for a diva.
Lebron and T.O. are Divas
Chris Paul is not…i understand he might have demanded a trade or almost demanded one, but can you blame him? look at what that franchise has done since he signed an extension…fired their coach, got worse contracts, and havent improved at all….once again, missed out on this whole free agency by not signing ANYBODY
if you were promised that a team was going to build around you and then they just sat back and did nothing but try to save money (with the exception of the okafor trade), then how would u feel?
I love gerald wallace and still am kinda iffy on losing him for melo…but i will say this again….the trade that would send melo here, includes Wallace AND Diaw (and his horrible contract)…we are getting back 2 top 10 players in cp3 and melo after its all said and done
how can you knot want to do that?
I said in another thread that I'd be OK with losing That Guy in return for Melo
After reading that article, I’m really not too sure that acquiring anyone else would make up for losing Wallace. Fantastic piece on the center of the Bobcats universe. To ever see him in another uniform (besides old Kings footage) would be heartbreaking.
by Newsinz on Jul 26, 2010 3:22 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Fantastic article.... but really Higgins?
"[The] organization took a leap of faith by drafting him in the Expansion Draft," says GM Higgins. "To his credit, he’s continuously gotten better as a basketball player here. When he came from Sacramento, Gerald couldn’t do some of the things on offense he can do today."
How is that a leap of faith? Taking a player in the expansion draft is kind of like saying “I’m going to try this brand of deodorant for a while”.
I love to give the Charlotte Bobcats credit where credit’s due… but getting Gerald Wallace was dumb luck.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Jul 26, 2010 3:29 PM EDT reply actions
Sure...
but would Wallace be as good as he is now if we didn’t draft him and use him like we did? I think he’s grateful for that and I would love to win a championship with him. Wallace has gotten better and better, and while he’s certainly not Chris Paul, he’s not complained those first few years when we obviously weren’t trying hard to get better. Now Jordan has taken over and it suddenly seems like we are trying to build a winner. For that reason alone, I really like Wallace.
by Tim Rudisill on Jul 26, 2010 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I love Gerald Wallace
I think Wallace was ready to break out when he was stuck on the pine in Sac-Town.
I just find it amusing that Higgins would characterize it like ‘We took a leap of faith on him’ rather than ‘Jesus Christ, we were lucky the Kings failed to protect him’.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Jul 26, 2010 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Kinda scratched my head at that comment, too
Seems like a bit of an exaggeration, yes? I tried to find all players left unprotected by the other 29 teams for the expansion draft that year, to see who we left on the table in order to take that “leap of faith.” I couldn’t find the list (I’m sure it’s out there somewhere), but I did see the list of players we selected:
Baxter, Lonny
Bremer, J.R.
Brezec, Primož
Carter, Maurice
Drobnjak, Predrag
Ferguson, Desmond
Fizer, Marcus
Frahm, Richie
Hunter, Brandon
Kapono, Jason
Pachulia, Zaza
Pavlović, Aleksandar
Sampson, Jamal
Slay, Tamar
Smith, Theron
Trepagnier, Jeff
Wallace, Gerald
White, Jahidi
Woods, Loren
Eight of those guys never touched a NBA court as a Bobcat. I’m splitting hairs, obviously, but there’s quite a few acts of faith that leap off that list before Wallace’s name does.
i know
that Antoine Walker was out there. but we didnt take him due to his contract.
--(insert quote, lyric, or joke here)
by StudMuffin15 on Jul 26, 2010 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions
http://forums.nba-live.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=15468
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is,
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis
- Guru, of Gangstarr
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jul 26, 2010 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions
notables include
Matt Barnes, Scottie Pippen, Kapono, ’Toine, Eddie House, Alonzo Mourning, Penny Hardaway, Deshawn Stevenson, Jerry Stackhouse
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is,
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis
- Guru, of Gangstarr
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jul 26, 2010 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh! and Ervin "Tragic" Johnson
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is,
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis
- Guru, of Gangstarr
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jul 26, 2010 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions
id like
to let Bernie know how we feel in a letter… i’ll start:
Dear Bernie Bickerstaff,
WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING DURING THE EXPANSION DRAFT?
Sincerely,
Charlotte Bobcats fans
--(insert quote, lyric, or joke here)
by StudMuffin15 on Jul 26, 2010 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Bernie would reply:
Dear fans,
How many other teams got a future All-Star out of their expansion draft? Also, I made sure the team had the best salary situation in the NBA. It wasn’t under my watch that you traded for DeSagana Diop and Nazr Mohammad.
Sincerely,
Bernie Bickerstaff
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James The Aussie on Jul 26, 2010 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions
He would also reply:
Well, the first year of an expansion team only has 66% of a normal nba salary cap and the second year is 75% (I think) so this means no big contracts. Only cheap talent. No Toine. No Stack. No real big names.
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is,
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis
- Guru, of Gangstarr
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jul 26, 2010 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions
touche
the both of you.
--(insert quote, lyric, or joke here)
by StudMuffin15 on Jul 26, 2010 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Was thinking about this the other day
Would you rather have your team win a championship with established players they paid for (e.g. The Yankees) or would you rather never make it past the conference finals sticking with players you grew to love over time. As a sports fan, I’m going with the latter. As an unbiased fan, would I straight up trade Carmelo for G-Force? Absolutely. But I love Crash and I love rooting for him. He’s a player I feel invested in and I get far more joy on a game-to-game, year-to-year basis than I think I would out of 1 championship. But that’s just me. I’m all about the journey.
I'm on the fence myself
I really don’t want to lose Wallace. I want to see us win a championship with him, but I realize that isn’t going to happen. I also realize that getting Carmelo would mean more fans, which means more money, which means more kids looking at the Bobcats until they turn into a dynasty, and then the best players want to play for them…
by Tim Rudisill on Jul 26, 2010 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions
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