The Skinny: What's up with Gerald Wallace? The casual fan may not know much about Wallace, but the connoisseur knows plenty. Wallace started off in that talented, progressive locker room of the early-aughts Kings. Sacto loved his mixture of athletic abilities and eccentric skill set, but he couldn't get any playing time behind Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic, and yeah, Hedo Turkoglu. He then became the proverbial gem stolen to crown the Charlotte Bobcats' thorny crown in the expansion draft. I go over all this NBA (fairly recent) history because Charlotte hasn't exactly been headlining the ABC double-headers.
Still, Ger-Ger has eked himself out a reputation. It's not a good one or a bad one, just a kind of painful one. The moniker "Crash" comes from his tendency toward reckless play. It's not that he hurts other players or turns the ball over inordinately much. No, it's that he falls down. Wallace may have peaked in 05-06 when he sported a solid PER of 21.3 and averaged 2.5 steals and 2.1 blocks (a 2 and 2 stat only David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon have also achieved), but the injuries started then. He missed 39 games in his first two seasons with the Bobcats, and suffered four concussions in as many years. He separated a shoulder in late 2006. The worst may have come recently, even after he's tuned down his attack somewhat. In January, he suffered a partially collapsed lung and a fractured rib after being taken out of the air by Andrew Bynum. Let's go to video. Please watch only if you're not faint of heart.
Why he's #49: Like those 05-06 stats show, Wallace has got the whole package, and it's a different package from that most NBA players sport. Dude is potent on both offense and defense. In a growing Charlotte system, Gerald Wallace is the crucial component. It will be interesting to see how he pairs with Tyson Chandler this season. If only we could get a game or two on national TV. Or not. The question with Wallace is whether or not his contributions make for the win. Wallace is not a top dog, but he's being asked to lead this young team. Really, I see Wallace as somewhere in between a second and third best player on a contender, kind of like Lamar Odom but more athletic and less refined. Charlotte took a few steps forward under Larry Brown last season, but with Brown it's always a question of when and how. Really, they're a match made in...well a geriatric ward. That's enough for now. Just thinking about these guys makes me ache. Get me my rocking chair in Hawai'i and a cold drink. I'm ready to convalesce.
