When Rasheed Wallace looked overmatched against Kevin Garnett during the Eastern Conference finals last season, many people wondered how much Wallace had left in the tank.
There was a lot of speculation that Wallace would be the first player president of basketball operations Joe Dumars moved during the off-season. But in the first 12 games this season, Wallace has not only proven he's still a very effective player, he's been the most indispensable member of the Pistons. Wallace's interior defense cannot be matched by anyone else on the roster, especially with Antonio McDyess currently on the free-agent market. Wallace already has six double-doubles and ranks among the league's top 15 in rebounding and blocked shots.
With Kwame Brown, Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson as his front-court partners, Wallace also has played the role of teacher, communicating with them where to be on the floor during defensive sets.
"Sheed has been doing well," coach Michael Curry said. "Being the big veteran on the frontcourt, he's having to do a lot to help the younger guys, try to develop a good rapport with them on the court and develop some chemistry. So this actually could be a blessing in disguise."
Curry has been forced to play Wallace more than he'd like with McDyess still pondering his options after taking a buyout from Denver. Wallace is averaging 36 minutes, including a season-high 42 against Cleveland on Wednesday.
Curry hopes to reduce Wallace's minutes during a four-game home stand that begins Sunday against Minnesota.
Wallace has made 14 of his last 28 three-pointers over a five-game span but it's not simply a matter of getting on a hot streak. He's taking those long-distance shots in a better rhythm because he's playing with penetrating guards.
Allen Iverson and Rodney Stuckey, among others, have been kicking the ball out to Wallace on the wing. Many of Wallace's three-point attempts in the past were off high pick-and-roll plays with Chauncey Billups, where Billups would draw the defenders and make a side-to-side pass.
"Chauncey Billups is a really good pick-and-roll player but he sets up the pick-and-roll to set himself up for a shot," Curry said. "When Allen or Stuckey are in the pick-and-roll, they're in pick-and-rolls to get to the basket. If you stop them from getting to the basket, they probably get to the paint and those shots -- kick-out threes from the paint -- are a lot easier to make."
CELTICS 98, PISTONS 80: The defending-champion Celtics drove to the basket at will and overpowered the Pistons defensively for the second time this season. Allen Iverson and his backcourt mates couldn't contain Celtics point man Rajon Rondo. And the Pistons' frontcourt players were a step slow in helping out.
Rondo had 18 points and eight assists in just 26 minutes. The Pistons committed 17 turnovers, leading to 18 fast-break points for the half-court oriented Celtics. They allowed Boston to shoot 49 percent.
